1938: Arkansas

Area and Population.

Admitted to statehood June 15, 1863, Arkansas ranks 26th in size among the states, with an area of 53,335 sq. mi., of which 810 sq. mi. are water. Public lands unappropriated on June 30, 1932, totalled 175,924 acres. The census of 1930 gave the state a population of 1,854,482, making it 25th in rank. It is estimated that the total population is now something over 2,000,000. The 1930 population included 1,374,906 whites, 478,463 Negroes, about 800 Mexicans and Indians, and 300 Asiatics. Of the foreign-born white population (10,173), which in 1930 represented 0.5 per cent of the total population, 2,989 were Germans, 952 Italians, 800 English, 454 Irish, and 695 Canadians. Of the total population in 1930, 20.6 per cent were urban, 25.8 per cent, Negro. Of the total, 36 per cent were gainfully employed.

Little Rock, the capital, had a population in 1930 of 81,679. The population is estimated now at 100,000, with Greater Little Rock (including North Little Rock) making a total of 125,000 for the Little Rock area. Fort Smith has 31,420; Pine Bluff, 20,760; Hot Springs, 20,238. (For Little Rock Water supply see CIVIL ENGINEERING: Water Supply.)

Education.

Of a school-age population of 639,856 in Arkansas in 1936, there were enrolled in the public schools 460,869 pupils, including 61,262 in the high schools. Approximately one third of the 399,607 in graded schools were Negroes attending their own schools. For the same period 6,732 pupils were enrolled in private and parochial schools in the state.

Production and Industry.

Arkansas is an agricultural state. In 1930 the total farm area was 16,052,962 acres, of which 7,907,000 acres were crop lands (number of farms, 242,334); the value of farm lands and buildings was $547,828,250. In the north the chief crops are: corn, with an average yield of 40,640,000 bushels, wheat 1,050,000 bushels, oats 3,300,000 bushels, sweet potatoes 3,515,000 bushels, rice 9,342,000 bushels, as well as hay and forage crops; in the south, cotton and tobacco are grown.

The national forests in Arkansas in 1938, had an area of 2,063,860 acres. The cutting and working of timber is one of the state's most important industries.

According to the census of manufacturers of 1935, Arkansas had 1,072 manufacturing establishments employing 30,511 wage-earners, earning $18,941,721, using materials, containers, fuel and power costing $74,450,609, and an output valued at $122,447,739.

Mineral Products.

Petroleum continued to be the most important mineral product of Arkansas in 1937, with a flow of about 11,764,000 bbl., a substantial increase over 10,469,000 bbl. in 1936, valued at $8,160,000. The production of bituminous coal, second in value among the state's mineral resources, amounted in 1936 to 1,622,787 tons, valued at $5,064,000. The supply of natural gas increased in 1937 with great strides, from a total of 8,500,000 M cu. ft. in 1936 to about 12,500,000 M cu. ft. In the production of bauxite, Arkansas retained its outstanding lead, the amount for 1937, 492,195 tons, representing 96 per cent of the total for the United States.

Finance.

The total expenditures for the biennial period ending June 30, 1938, were $36,352,800; balance on hand, July 1, 1938, $594,015. In 1938 the state paid approximately 20,000 old age pensioners an average pension of $9.00 per month.

The state debt on December 31, 1938, amounted, approximately, to $159,000,000, most of it in 3 per cent interest-bearing bonds. The assessed value of real and personal property for 1938 was $447,071,896. According to the Council of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders, the state has a defaulted debt estimated at about $8,700,000 exclusive of interest charges. However, most of this alleged debt was perpetrated by fraud and for it the state never received any benefit whatever.

State-maintained highways total 9,228 miles, of which approximately 8,000 miles are surfaced. The bonded debt of the state in 1937, incurred for the construction of the improved road systems, was about $145,000,000.

Banking.

On June 30, 1937, Arkansas had 50 licensed national banks with deposits of $83,767,000, loans of $28,247,000, and investments of $40,596,000. The 173 licensed state banks and trust companies had deposits of $62,202,000, loans of $24,886,000, and investments of $21,205,000.

Government.

The Constitution of Arkansas, though it has been amended 20 times (six last amendments added in 1938) since its adoption in 1874, still retains its original conventional safety principle of a division of the powers of government 'into three distinct departments' of executive, legislative and judicial. 'No person or collection of persons, being one of these departments,' says the Arkansas Constitution, 'shall exercise any power belonging to either of the others, except in the instances hereinafter expressly directed or permitted.'

The Governor is the chief executive. He and the other constitutional executives hold their offices for the term of two years.

The General Assembly, the legislative department of the government, consists of a Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate has 35 members, elected for terms of four years, so arranged as to have either 17 or 18 new senators elected every two years. The House of Representatives is composed of 100 members, elected every two years. Regular sessions of the General Assembly are held every two years, convening in January of the odd years.

State Officers.

During the year 1938 the chief officers of the state were as follows: Governor, Carl E. Bailey; Lieutenant Governor, Bob Bailey; Secretary of State, G. G. Hall; Auditor, J. Oscar Humphrey; Treasurer, Earl Page; Attorney-General, Jack Holt.

In November Governor Bailey was reelected.

United States Senators.

Hattie W. Carraway (reelected in November), John E. Miller.