Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/597

 FINANCK. rtEKEN'CK — PRODUCTION', OfDUSTRT 545

According to the State constitution no funds raised for the support of the public schools of the State shall be appropriated to <>r used for the support of any private or sectarian school. City school systems are under separate organisation In 1919-20 the 3,076 elementary public schools had 9,106 teachers and 354,079 enrolled pupils; 205 public high schools had 906 teachers and 14,392 pupils. The 5 public normal schools had 153 teachers and 4,276 students in 1919. Expenditure on education (1919-20) was 7,572,960 dollars. Superior instruction is given in the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. The university was opened in*1860, and the college in 1874; on June 1, 1877, they were bylaw united into one and the same institution with its seat at Baton Ronge. In 1920 it had 81 professors and 1,503 students. Tulane University (founded in 1834) in New Orleans had, in 1919, 348 professors and 2,908 students. This university has State support to the extent of the remission of certain taxes. The Roman Catholics have Jeffer.-on College at Convent with 19 professors and 180 students, and a University (Loyola University, founded 1904) at New Orleans with 65 professors and 530 students. The New Orleans University (established 1874) is for coloured persons. It had 20 instructors and 492 enrolled students in 1920. There is an Industrial Institute at Ruston and another at Lafayette. The State has also an in- stitution for the deaf and dumb and another for the blind, both at Baton Rouge.

Louisiana has 56 benevolent institutions, most of which have been pro- vided by private persons or ecclesiastical bodies. They comprise ten hospitals (four public), 25 orphanages, 17 homes for adults (two public), and three schools for the deaf and blind (two public).

On January J, 1910, the number of paupers in almshouses was 187, being 11 '3 per 100,000 of the population, and of prisoners in penal institutions, 2,400, being 1449 per 100,000 of the population.

Finance, Defence. — For the year 1919 the receipts and the disburse- ments were : —

Dollars Balance in hand, January 1, 1919. 1,944,629 Receipts, 1919 15,863,852

Total 17,808,481

Disbursements, 1919 .... 16,404,803

Balance December 31, 1919. 1,403,678

The bonded and floating debt of the State up to March 1 1919, amounted to 14,345,981 dollars. According to the Council of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders the State has a defaulted debt estimated at 6 million dollars. The assessed valuation of property in 1919 amounted to 726,291,145 dollars.

The militia or State National Guard, with headquarters at Baton Rouge, consists of infantry, artillery, and cavalry, with a mounted signal corpe. There is also a naval militia.

Production, Industry. — The surface of the State is chiefly a great plain doping from north and north-east to the Mississippi delta. The State is divided into two parts, the uplands and the alluvial and swamp regions of the coast. A delta occupies about one-third of the total area. Louisiana surpasses the other States in extent of navigable water.' 3,782 miles. The Gulf coast line is 1,250 miles in length. The climate is