ARKANSAS

in 1920 the population was 1,752,204, an increase of 177,755, or 11-3°% over that of roro. it was divided 72:2% white, 27% coloured. only 13,975 were foreign- born. the estimated population in 1925 was 1,907,000. the population was decidedly rural, only 290,497 being classified as urban in 1920. the density was 33-4 per sq. mile. little rock was the largest city, with a population of 65,142 in 1920, and estimated at 72,566 in 1925. other leading cities were fort smith, pine bluff and hot springs. since 1920 two small towns have enjoyed a remarkable growth, due to the discovery of oil— el dorado, estimated at 25,000; smackover, at 20,000, in 1925. algricudture —agriculture was still the leading industry and cotton the leading crop. the output for 1924 was 1,100,000 bales, valued at $125,400,000; for 1925, 1,349,184 bales. the seed crop in 1924 was 541,800 bu. valued at $17,338,000. the arkansas cotton is of a high quality. the corn crop in 1924 was 36,300,000 bu. valued at $38,841,000. the development of the rice industry has been rapid. introduced in 1904, the produc- tion was 2,400,000 bu. in 1910, 7,780,000 in 1920, 7,431,671 in 1925. in the amount produced per acre texas alone ex- ceeds arkansas by about half a bushel. the state ranks well in the production of apples, both as to quantity and quality. strawberries bring in about $1,500,000. in 1920 the state ranked fourth in the acreage devoted to vineyards, and many more have been set out since then. more and more attention is given to the raising of pure-bred live stock. the dairy industry also flour- ishes. the total value of agricultural crops in 1924 was $230,128,200, plus $58,832,400 for live stock. since 1920 many counties have shown a decrease in the number of farms operated by owners and an increase in the number operated by tenants. mannfactures—lumber and timber products still hold first place. the annual cut is about one and a half billion board ft., exclusive of firewood. car and general construction and repairs have pushed ahead of cottonseed oil for second place, while furniture, made mainly at fort smith, is a valuable product. banks and finance.—in 10925 there were 396 state and private banks and trust companies and 86 national banks with capital and surplus amounting to $24,759,000 and resources amounting to $270,252,000. individual deposits amounted to $92,927,000, besides $22,413,000 on savings accounts. the increase in the ratio of the banking resources of the state to those of the nation 214 was exceeded in 1909-19 only by those of oklahoma and nevada. the state budget for 1925~6 amounted to $16,460,034. the total recognised debt was $2,597,166, of which $1,447,166 was consid- ered permanent. the school population in 1924 was 668,690, of whom 501,758 attended school. the state university is supported by taxation. the legislature in 1925 changed the state normal school and the four agricultural high schools into colleges. transport.—in 1922 the state had 5,085 m. of steam railway and 126 m. of electric railway. the number of motor-cars, trucks and tractors had risen to 185,242 in 1925. there were 4,200 m. of hard-surfaced roads, some of them concrete, and in addition about 5,000 m. of improved highways. most of the roads were built by improvement districts, but are maintained by the state. the legislature in 1925 appropriated $6,500,000 for construction, maintenance and retirement of district bonds. the federal subvention for 1925 amounted to $1,250,000. minerals and mining.—petroleum, first discovered in paying quantities in 1921, was in 1925 the leading mineral industry. the industry centres around el dorado and smackover. the production in 1925 amounted to 74,749,000 barrels, giving the state fourth place. the output of coal rose rapidly until 1913, since when there has been a decline, due in part to labour troubles. the bauxite industry reached its zenith in 1918 with a production of 532,000 tons. in 1924 the output was 442,451 tons. the firt strong well of gas was opened in crawford county in 1915 and one near el dorado in 1921. in 1925 wells were in operation in crawford, sebastian, nevada, ouachita and union counties. the state ranks first in the production of whetstones, the clay found in saline county is used for the making of pottery of a very artistic type, called niloak. building stone and granite of a high type are found near batesville. the only known diamond field in north america is in arkansas. history.—the state has continued under the control of the democratic party since 1874. down to 1924 only to out of 39 proposed amendments to the constitution of 1874 had been adopted. this was largely due to a ruling of the supreme court that, even after the adoption of the new initiative and referendum measure in 1910, a majority of the total vote was necessary for adoption. in 1920 a new initiative and referendum measure, which declared that only a majority of the votes cast on a measure was necessary for its adoption, forbade all local legisla- tion by the legislature, and provided for the initiative and referendum in counties and municipalities, received a majority of the votes cast on it, but not a majority of the total vote. submitted again in 1922, it failed to receive a majority of the votes cast on it. in 1924 three amendments received a majority of the votcs cast, but not a majority of the total vote. a writ of mandamus was sought against the speaker to compel him to declare the second of these adopted. as all the amendments were in the same class, the supreme court judges declared themselves dis- qualified because one of these measures affected their salaries. the governor accordingly appointed a special supreme court, which reversed the earlier decision and declared that only a majority of the votes cast on a measure was necessary for its adoption. this was made retroactive and brought to life the new initiative and referendum measure which had been declared not adopted in 1920. important legislation after 1910 included provision for a state farm for convicts, industrial schools for delinquent women and children, a minimum wage law, since declared unconstitutional by the u.s. district court, a compulsory education law, and measures giving women the right to hold office, requiring teachers to present certificates of freedom from tuberculosis, legalising co-operative marketing associations, and creating a warehouse and marketing bureau. all efforts to reform the gen- eral property tax have failed, but more revenue has been secured by new taxes. the governors since 909 have been: george w. donaghey (1909-13); joseph t. robinson (jan. 8—march 1913); w. k. oldham (acting) (march 8-23); j. m. futrell (acting) (march 23-——aug. 6); g. w. hayes (aug. 6 1913-7); armaments—armenia c. h. brough (1917-21); j. t. mcrae (1921-5); tom j. terral ( i (1925~ , bd: y.7.) armaments: see air forces; army; battlesiiip,; navy, lc;