The encyclopedia of Texas, V.1, Part 4

Author: Davis, Ellis Arthur, ed; Grobe, Edwin H., ed
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Dallas, Texas Development Bureau
Number of Pages: 1204

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The Supreme Court Library, established in 1854, is under the direct control of the Supreme Court; the deputy marshal of the court acts as librarian. As stated above, it divides its quarters with the State Library. It is strictly a reference library, its books not circulated outside the Capitol building.

It contains approximately 21,000 volumes; its spe- cial strength lies in its collection of Federal and State reports. Its appropriation for the current biennium total $3,400 for the first year, $3,000 for the second.

The libraries of the Courts of Appeals have for the current biennium appropriations ranging from $100 to $750 each year of the biennium, the total for the ten being $5,150 for each year. The latest available statistics indicate that their size ranges from approximately 1,200 to 6,000 volumes. Each is under the care of the clerk of the court.

Of the state supported group, of all the libraries of the state, in fact, the main library of the Uni- versity is the largest, and for scholarly use the most important. When it was opened in 1883, it was housed in a single room in the main building, and the librarian devoted only a part of his time to its care; the first full-time librarian was appointed only

in July, 1897. From this small beginning it has grown into a library of approximately 136,000 vol- umes and 36,000 pamphlets, with a building of its own, with seven departmental branches, with a li- brarian and a staff of twenty-seven assistants.

The rapid yet healthy growth of the University Library in general and special collections is going far toward bringing the University of Texas to the goal set by the fathers-"a University of the first class."

In addition to direct scholarly service rendered to the university community by the main library and its departmental branches, the university is giving important statewide library service. This is rendered to a limited extent through direct loans from the main library to individuals, groups or li- braries; to a far more important extent through the library schools, the Extension Loan Library, and the Library of the School of Government.

A library training class was conducted in 1901- 1902, 1903-1907. In the fall of 1919 a regular library school was installed. The district holds the rank of adjacent professor; the assistant, that of in- structor. Junior standing is required for admission, and courses are counted towards the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The school has begun with only courses in cataloging and classification; others will be added from year to year.

The Extension Loan Library is a package library under the Department of Extension. It lends di- rectly to individuals and groups packages of ma- terial on subjects of timely interest, a typical pack- age containing about twenty clippings and pam- phlets and one or two books. It is especially useful to debaters of the interscholastic league, to high school students, and to adult groups studying ques- tions of current importance. It draws freely upon the resources of the main library but is an independ- ent library.

The Library of the School of Government bears a closer relation to the main library than does the extension loan library. Its collections consist of live books, pamphlets, periodicals and typewritten ma- terials on topics of present interest to students of government. Its statewide service is especially helpful to municipal officials and other persons in- terested in civic affairs. It is intimately connected with the work of the Bureau of Municipal Research and of the League of Texas Municipalities.

The items of the current appropriation specifically 'designated for the various library activities of the university total $23,550 for each year of the bi- ennium.

Appropriations for the other libraries maintained by the state are as follows: Agricultural and Me- chanical College, $7,500 for each year of the current biennium; College of Industrial Arts, $710; Sam Houston Normal, $720, including textbooks; North Texas Normal, $3,421; Southwest Texas Normal, $8,100, including textboks; Fast Texas Normal, $5,400; Sul Ross Normal, $1,400; John Tarleton Col- lege, $2,400; Grubbs Vocational College, $2,700; In- stitution for the Blind, $1,125; School for the Deaf, $500; Orphans' Home, $300; Girls' Training School. $300. The Epileptic Colony and the hospitals for the insane have each a fund for literature and amuse- ment ranging from $300 to $1,500 for each year of the biennium.

The Agricultural and Mechanical College, the Col- lege of Industrial Arts, Sam Houston, North Texas. and West Texas Normal Colleges have each a li-

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

brarian and assistant librarian; Southwest Texas Normal College has a librarian and two assistants. The other Normal Colleges, John Tarleton, Grubbs and the Institution for the Blind have each a li- brarian only. The other institutions, other colleges and university libraries have no specific provision for library service.

Of the colleges and universities not supported by the state, the largest libraries are those of Baylor University, Waco, which has approximately 31,000 volumes; Southwestern University, Georgetown, ap- proximately 16,000; Austin College, Sherman, ap- proximately 10,000. Both Baylor and Georgetown have full time librarians; the Baylor librarian has four staff assistants, and a varying number of stu- dent assistants; the Georgetown librarian has only student assistants. The library of Austin College is administered by student assistants under the direc- tion of one of the faculty.

Subscription Libraries: Of the thirty-six sub- scription libraries of Texas some have their own quarters, while others are kept in stores, banks, school houses, private residences, dental parlors, club houses, Masonic Lodges, city halls or court houses.

They are mostly kept open only a few hours each week, and administered by volunteers; in many cases they are kept up by the efforts of club women. Fees range from 50 cents to three dollars a year.

This group of libraries is doing good in meeting, even though inadequately, a strong felt need for library service; and, judging from past history, they are likely to serve a useful purpose in laying the foundation for free public library service.

Free Public Libraries: The establishment of the free public libraries of Texas in their present form is in the main the work of the last twenty years.

Many of them have back of their present organi- zation a history of years of struggling effort and small things; one, the Houston Lyceum, now merged with the Carnegie Library, dating back to 1848. Some are still leading a more or less hand-to-mouth existence, kept from death only by the persistent efforts of a devoted group of women. Their in- comes range from the amounts that can be secured from contributions by interested individuals, or groups, sometimes with a small appropriation from the municipal government, to $22,000, the sum an- nounced in the press as the appropriation for the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library for the pres- ent fiscal year.

Twenty-six library buildings have been donated by the Andrew Carnegie Corporation, to which Mr. Carnegie, in his later years, turned over his work. The conditions of the gift were in each case the furnishing of a site by the city and the promise of a yearly maintenance fund from the public revenues at least equal to ten per cent of the amount granted.

Statistics for 1917, the latest comparative state- ment available, indicate that the incomes of this group range all the way from nothing at all in the way of public support to $19,500, the amount derived from the library tax in Dallas. Incomplete statistics gathered since that time indicate a decided advance, several of the municipalities which had fallen be- low their original library maintenance, having lately come up to, or even beyond the amount stipulated. One city, for instance, has recently placed in its charter a provision for an annual levy of five cents on the hundred dollars valuation.

The cities that have continued the originally stipu-

lated support have, according to these later reports, changed places in the income scale. El Paso, for instance, has in its revised charter a provision for a library tax levy of 37% mills on the dollar; which tax was levied for the first time in 1919. The in- come for this levy will approximate $21,000 for the current year, practically the same as the estimated income of the Dallas Public Library, which in 1917 has the largest tax-derived income in the state. Houston is now the leader in this respect, the city commission of Houston having voted for 1920 an appropriation of $22,000. Dallas and El Paso con- sequently will drop to second or third place.

The Rosenberg Library, Galveston, the Nicholas P. Sims, Waxahachie, and the Kemp Public Library, Wichita Falls, are the three notable gift libraries of the state. The two first are supported by endow- ments; the third, by city taxation.

Rosenberg Library has the largest income of all the free public library group-approximately $30,000 annually.

Besides the usual service of a public library it has for years maintained a free public lecture course.

Other public libraries, notably San Antonio, have in the past also rendered this service.

Special Collections: The most notable special col- lections are in the state supported group of libraries. The State Library has a valuable history collection, including the King collection, the Lamar and Regan papers, the Diplomatic, Consular and Domestic Cor- respondence of the Republic of Texas, the Spanish and Mexican official records known as the Nacog- doches papers, the original ratification copies of the Foreign Treaties of the Republic of Texas, etc. The University has a large and growing Southern history collection of manuscripts, books, pamphlets, news- papers and periodicals purchased by the Littlefield Fund. The Wrenn collection of rare books, largely Shakespearian and of literary manuscripts, also pre- sented by Major George W. Littlefield; the Palm Library; the Ashbel Smith Library; the John H. Regan Library, etc.

The public libraries have in most cases made a point of collecting local history material.

The General Situation: A glance at the library map of Texas shows that the great majority of the libraries serving the public are situated to the east of the 100th meridian; that in the whole vast region to the westward are only four free public libraries, two of them only partially supported by their munic- ipalities, and three subscription libraries. It is ob- vious therefore that the Texas public is but meagerly supplied with libraries, and a study of these libraries' workings show that the service rendered by the most of the existing libraries is inadequate to the needs of their communities.

An examination of statistics of the libraries in state institutions, educational, eleemosynary, penal and correctional shows that these have also a long way to go before the people of Texas can be said to have really adequate library service; that is to say, adequate library service within the reach of every man, woman and child in the state.

A strong system of county free libraries, adequate appropriations for the state supported group, espe- cially provision for state library field workers are the desiderata.

Much is hoped for in this connection from the educational work of the American Library Asso- ciation's Enlarged Program.

HISTORY OF TEXAS BANKING By JUDGE W. F. RAMSEY

Federal Reserve Agent

T HE history of banking in Texas is both pe- culiar and interesting. In the early history of the state most of the banks were unincorporated private insti- tutions. Some of these were without any considerable ex- perience or adequate capital. Others were controlled by men of large vision and ex- perience and a few of them exist this day.

In the early history of the state, banks were incor- porated under the authority of our laws with very large and unusual powers. A few of these charters still exist, and one or two of our large banks are still operat- ing under their authority. There had been experi- enced such a lack of success in incorporated state banks, that under the constitution of 1875 the organi- zation of banks under the state charter was abso- lutely prohibited. The result was, of course, that the only banks in existence for many years were those granted under the authority of the old laws, private banks and those chartered under the authority of the National Bank Act. For a long time, no national bank could be chartered with a capital of less than $50,000. Considering the newness of the state and the sparseness of its population, the National Bank- ing System in this state for a long time did not flourish, as it has done since. The minimum amount of capital required for national banks was a severe handicap for a small community. Further con- sideration and discussion finally developed an in- telligent public opinion which found expression in a constitutional amendment, duly voted by the people, authorizing the creation of state banks. Conform- ing with this amendment, the legislature of the state passed, about 1905, a comprehensive law authorizing the organization and regulating the con- duct or operation of state banks. A little later a law was passed, guaranteeing non-interest bearing deposits in state banks and making provision for the creation and collection of a guaranty fund which was deemed to be su ficient to make ample provision for the payment of deposits in such state banks as might fail. While stoutly opposed in many quarters, the guaranty of deposits feature of the state bank law had succeeded and endured to this day, and it is approved not only by a great many bankers, but by a large body of intelligent public opinion generally.

The rapid growth in the state since 1905, and the fact that state banks could be organized with a mini- mum capital of $10,000, at once had the effect of encouraging the establishment of many state banks all over the state. Other features of the law, among others the authority to lend a greater portion of capital and surplus than the National Bank Act per- mitted, induced the establishment of many fairly large banks in most of the larger cities and more important towns of the state. The same growth, prosperity and increase in population have also brought about the establishment and organization of

many national banks. This result was particularly encouraged by the reduction of the minimum capital required in the organization of national banks to $25,000.

In a general way, it could be safely said that we have a sound, safe and workable banking law in this state, and it is every where conceded that the man- agement and supervision of these banks of the State Banking Board and Commissioner of Banking has been of the highest order and intelligence. The virtues and merits of the National Banking Act and the vigor and vigilance of the supervision of these banks is known to all men.

The best opinion in this state is that there is ample need for both national and state banks, that there is no necessary conflict between them, but there is and should be only an attitude of generous competition between the two systems.

The growth in number and increase in resources of banks, both state and national, is but an ex- emplification and evidence of the growth, develop- ment and prosperity of the state. There are today in operation in this state 549 national banks, with a combined capital and surplus account of $94,366,000 and with deposits of $572,106,000. There are in actual operation in the state 923 state banks, with a combined capital and surplus of $50,379,541, and combined deposits of $238,920,170. It will thus be seen that there are, altogether, 1,472 banks in the state, and combined capital and surplus of all banks, state and national, amounts to $144,745,541, and their combined deposits amount to the sum of $811,026,170.

These figures take no account of the capital and surplus are the deposits of the private banks in suc-

The Federal Reserve, Bank Building, Dallas, Built in 1920 cessful operation in the state. Any statement as to these figures applying to private banks would be a mere estimate, but I think it a fair approximation of the facts to say that the capital of the private

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

banks in this state would exceed $5,000,000, and that their deposits would probably go well beyond $25,000,000.

It is a matter of congratulation that in this state in the last several years there have been compara- uvely few failures in national banks, and ultimately a very small amount in losses to depositors. I haven't any exact figures before me, but based on a pretty fair consideration of all the facts, I think it may be stated that the per cent of loss, based on actual deposits, is practically inconsequential.

It is a matter of congratulation also that there have been, since the organization, comparatively few failures in state banks, and in case of such failure as applying to non-interest bearing deposits, these have been taken care of by the guaranty fund.

It will have been noted by the careful observer that in many sections of the state there has been in the last year an immense growth in deposits of

all the banks. That has been particularly true in those portions of the state where oil has been discov- ered. The most notable examples of such increases in the larger cities are Dallas, Fort Worth and Wichita Falls. In the last named city, deposits have more than quadrupled within a year, and now stand at approximately $40,000,000 a wonderful growth for a city of that size.

While there has been some expansion of credits beyond the limitations which the wisest considera- tion of safety would have suggested, these credits for the most part have been occasioned by the needs of the several communities. The situation is in- trinsically sound, and with wise management and conservatism, it is not doubted that the credit struc- ture of the country will be preserved, nor that the banks will not only continue their condition of entire solvency, but that they will also be in a situation to take care of, in an orderly and ade- quate way, the needs of the several communities.

THE LUMBER INDUSTRY OF TEXAS By JOHN H. KIRBY

T HE Lumber Industry, with all that it includes from the initial stage of logging to the finished product, constitutes the third greatest manufacturing activity of the United States and also ranks third among the industries of the Lone Star State. Though Texas as the largest state in the Union has more forested area than any other state, she has a "stand" much smaller than that in several other territories. One estimate gives 40,000,000 acres of wooded land, but this is inaccurate and, in fact, it is practically impossible to make an exact estimate for much wooded land is unfit for commer- cial lumbering. As our state varies greatly in climate and physiography, practically the whole range of forest trees found in the temperate zone is within our borders. Four general lumber belts may be mentioned-East Texas, greater than all the others combined, the Grand and Black Prairies, Edwards Plateau and territory west of the Pecos River.

The distribution of lumber producing trees may be given as follows: In the coast plain, along swamps and sluggish streams, pines-the most valuable- tupelo, magnolia, sweet gum and other species; in the alluvial bottoms, are the hardwoods-the oaks the most important in quantity and value-ash, hickory, gum, holly and other hardwood species; in the in- terior of the coast plain the loblolly pines and hard- woods abound, while pines are also on sandy ridges and hardwoods in the half-swampy flats. The Hardin County "Big Thicket" of hardwoods is famous as being almost impenetrable. North and east of this area are the long leaf pines. And Texas has the last large stands of the long leaf pines for which our state is famed far and wide. Between this area and the Red River westward to the Black Prairies are the short leaf pines and accompanying hardwoods. The Grand and Black Prairies, bounded by the Brazos and Nueces Rivers and the Coast Plain, abound in' Live Oaks. The Edwards Plateau, mostly west of the 98th meridian, has hardwoods in canyons and about streams with post oak, mountain oak, and crdar brakes of extensive area on hills and bluffs. Over the whole of West Texas the Mesquite is fastly spreading and gives promise to become a valuable tree.

Practically all logging and saw mills are in East Texas-from which it is again seen that East Texas comprises all the most valuable forests of the State, forty-eight counties in number. There are no pub- licly owned lands here. Three holdings alone include 22.1 per cent of the total stand of which six-sevenths is the long leaf pine-an enormous concentration, and eighty-one largest holdings of the State have 55.3 per cent of the total stand or 72.2 per cent of the most valuable woods. The total stand for East Texas is estimated as 66,000,000,000 board feet, of which the long leaf pine leads with over 22,000,000,000 board feet with the short leaf pine close on to it. It is estimated that the annual cut is 2,099,130,000 board feet or 3.2 per cent, at which rate, not allowing for reforestation, it will require about thirty-one years to exhaust the timber supply of Texas. Reforesta- tion may come from either or both of two forces- artificial effort-at which nothing is yet done in Texas, and by Nature which is active. The rate of this latter force, Nature, however, cannot easily been estimated except by expert foresters who would have to give this subject careful consideration.

Eleven and eight-tenths per cent of the total volume of Texas manufactured output are from the lumber mills and wood using plants, while 33.5 per cent of all wage earners in the manufacturing indus- try of Texas are engaged in the manufacture of lumber or lumber products, working in 799 plants.

To summarize then, the Texas lumber business has 799 manufacturing plants employing 33.5 per cent of all manufacturing employees of the State, putting out 11.8 per cent of the total of the Texas manu- factured output; the distribution of timber varies from the tupelo and cypress of the swamps of the East and Southeast to the Cactus on the high dry western plateaus with 150 varieties of valuable timber producing trees between; the annual "cut" is about 3.2 per cent of the total "stand" which is estimated as 66,000,000,000 board feet in which the long leaf pine leads with about 25,000,000,000 board feet, six-sevenths of which are owned by three hold- ings while eighty-one holdings have 72.2 per cent of the most valuable woods, and America's last large stands of the famed long leaf pine are in the State of Texas.

PUBLIC HEALTHI IN TEXAS By DR. C. W. GODDARD Ex-State Health Officer

T HE discussion of public alth can not be brought to our atten- tion but that the first and foremost thought that comes to our minds is: There should be no preventable diseases and no preventable deaths. Therefore, we shall deal with these groups alone:

Typhoid fever is endemic in Texas at all times, to the extent of about five thousand cases a year, resulting in nearly five thousand deaths. Tuberculosis in some form or other effects some 30,000 people, and was responsible for the death of over five thousand people last year. Pneumonia in all its forms kills on an average of 3,000 people a year, or about one in six of those who have this disease. Smallpox, which is so easily prevented, was in evi- dence in 154 counties of the state in 1919, there having been reported some 2,600 cases, and of scarlet fever, 12,500 cases. Diphtheria is one of the diseases which has lost some of its prestige in the last few years but was responsible for about 250 deaths last year, out of a total of 3,200 cases. Mumps, measles and whooping cough have also been reported and measles alone was responsible for nearly one thou- sand deaths. Anthrax has been found in six human beings in the last few months, no fatalities.

Pellegra took a total from Texas of over five hun- dred people last year.

The greatest reaper health authorities have had to contend with has been influenza, which was re- sponsible for so many people dying in the winter of 1918-19. Only about 2,500 cases have been reported this winter, and the death rate for 1920 had de- creased. Other diseases that have been reported in varying numbers during the past year are epidemic meningitis, "infantile paralysis," rabies, leprosy, beri beri and dengus fever. Venereal diseases were found to be more prevalent than all other com- municable diseases combined, there being 58,000 of which practically all were preventable.

The saving of forty thousand persons a year who die of these unnecessary and preventable diseases, would, if calculated in dollars and cents, amount into millions, to say nothing of the increase of human life that would spring from the neglected infants who are destroyed before they become of value to society from a financial standpoint.

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The encyclopedia of Texas, V.1, Part 4

Author: Davis, Ellis Arthur, ed; Grobe, Edwin H., ed Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Dallas, Texas Development Bureau Number of Pages: 1204

Author: Davis, Ellis Arthur, ed; Grobe, Edwin H., ed
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Dallas, Texas Development Bureau
Number of Pages: 1204