1938: Indiana

Area and Population.

Admitted to statehood Nov. 7, 1816, Indiana ranks 37th in size among the states, with an area of 36,354 sq. mi. In population it ranks 11th, numbering 3,238,503 according to the census of 1930; 3,474,000 on July 1, 1937, according to the latest Federal estimate. From 1920 to 1930 the white population increased by 9.4 per cent, from 2,849,071 to 3,116,136; Negroes increased by 36.6 per cent, from 80,810 to 111,982. In the same period native whites of foreign parentage decreased from 227,066 to 225,153, and foreign-born whites fell from 150,868 to 135,134. The rural population likewise fell off, from 1,447,535 to 1,442,611 (44.5 per cent).

The principal cities of Indiana, with populations according to the census of 1930, are: Indianapolis, the capital, 364,161 (city directory estimate in 1938, 410,279); Fort Wayne, 114,946; South Bend, 104,193; Evansville, 102,249; Gary, 100,426; Hammond, 64,560; Terre Haute, 62,810.

Mineral Products.

Again, bituminous coal accounted for nearly half of the total value of Indiana's native minerals, production being 17,270,000 tons, a slight decrease from 1936, when the value of that product was $26,932,000.

Indiana's greatest mineral riches may be said to lie in the following manufactured products: pig iron, coke and steel, in each of which the state ranks third in the Union. There was a slight decrease in the production of coke, from 5,449,755 tons in 1936, to 5,467,061 tons in 1937, valued at $32,655,355. Open-hearth steel also fell below the 1936 record, amounting to 5,947,368 tons as against 5,963,501 the previous year. The production of pig iron rose from 3,256,677 tons with a value of $59,067,654 in 1936, to 3,694,360 tons valued at $77,990,597 in 1937.

There has recently been extensive drilling of oil wells in the Pocket (southwestern Indiana), and the production of crude oil, which for some years had been declining, has taken an upward turn. Production for 1938 is estimated at 969,000 bbl.

Education.

During 1938 the consolidation of small schools into larger units continued in Indiana, the number of public schools being decreased, in the year ending June 30, by 159. The state now contributes $700 towards the salary of public school teachers per specified unit. Effective in 1940 a four-year college course will be required for teaching licenses in elementary schools.

Legislative and Political Matters.

The regular sessions of the Indiana General Assembly are held biennially, from January to March, in odd-numbered years. A special session, called in July 1938, appropriated $5,329,750 for a contingent fund to be used, with approximately the same amount from the Federal Government, for the erection of buildings for the state universities, schools and colleges; for penal and correctional institutions, hospitals, and the state board of health, and for other institutions.

The election of November 1938 resulted in a Republican majority in the House of Representatives, 51 out of 100; seven of the twelve representatives elected were Republicans. The campaign of former Governor Paul V. McNutt for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 1940 was formally opened in the fall.

Events of the Year.

During the year discrimination against Indiana beer by Michigan and Ohio, in retaliation for charges by Indiana official 'importers' against beer from those states, was removed by reciprocal grant of entry; the 'importer' system and other features of liquor control seem headed toward change.

Labor troubles were less marked than in 1937. One of the largest single industrial developments was the completion of a large plant of the International Harvester Company southeast of Indianapolis.

During 1938 the Federal housing project for Negroes in Indianapolis, called Lockefield Gardens, was opened and the 748 apartments fully occupied. A Federal farm community in Knox County was established, as well as forests in Brown, Martin and other southern counties, and a state forest along the Mississinewa River. The town of Leavenworth, in Crawford County, almost destroyed by the Ohio River Flood of January 1937, was rebuilt in a better location, and dedicated December 15, 1938.

Banking.

On June 30, 1938, state banks (including savings and private banks, and trust companies) numbered 394 (405 in 1937), with total deposits of $393,163,028 and total assets of $450,852,185, both slightly less than in 1937. National banks numbered 127, with total deposits of $449,377,522.

State Officers.

Governor, M. Clifford Townsend; Lieutenant Governor, Henry F. Schricker; Secretary of State, James M. Tucker; Auditor, Frank G. Thompson; Treasurer, Joseph M. Robertson; Attorney General, Omer Jackson; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Floyd I. McMurray — 1938 incumbents.

United States Senators.

Frederick Van Nuys and Sherman Minton.