1938: Minnesota

Area and Population.

Known as the 'Gopher State,' Minnesota was admitted to statehood May 11, 1858. It includes the geographical center of North America. There are within its borders more than 10,000 lakes, a distinctive feature. With an area of 84,682 sq. mi., it ranks 11th in size among the states.

Minnesota is 18th in population, estimated at 2,652,000 in 1937 (2,563,953, census of 1930). The foreign-born number about half a million; Swedes predominate, with Norwegians, Germans, Canadians, Finns, and British, in that order. There are also some 9,000 Negroes, and 9,000 Indians.

Forty-nine per cent of the population is urban. The largest cities are Minneapolis, 464,356; St. Paul, the capital, 271,606; Duluth, 101,463; St. Cloud, 21,000; Winona, 21,850; and Rochester, seat of the internationally famous Mayo clinic, 21,621.

For Pipestone National Monument see NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS.

Agriculture.

Minnesota's soil of glacial origin is peculiarly adapted to the growth of cereals, hence agriculture is its chief business. One third of its people live on farms; 58 per cent of its area is farm land; in its crop values it ranks fifth in the Union. Corn, oats, hay, wheat and potatoes are the chief crops. Apples are the principal fruit crop. In cattle the state ranks sixth in the Union.

Industry.

Manufactures are of great importance, in this order: flour and feed milling, meat-packing, dairying, and motor vehicles. In milling the state is first in the Union. Minneapolis has for years been the milling capital of the country, and it has a greater grain elevator capacity than any other city in the world. The lumber output of the state, though still high, has fallen off in late years: yet Minnesota is still near the top in production of white pine and wood pulp.

Shipping is also a major concern in the state, especially by water. The twin cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, stand at the head of navigation on the Mississippi, and Duluth at the head of the Great Lakes. Hence these points form natural gateways through which flows the great bulk of northwestern grain, minerals, and lumber.

Mineral Products.

Minnesota's chief mineral product, iron, in which it has an outstanding lead among the states, showed a 53 per cent increase in 1937, totalling 48,416,985 tons, a record production, as against 32,938,883 tons (value, $83,523,720) in 1936. As usual, the Mesabi range contributed the bulk of the increase. Sand and stone have a substantial share in the total value of Minnesota's minerals, which amounted in 1936 to $94,923,628.

Education.

The school population of Minnesota (ages 5 to 17) was reported by the State Department of Education in 1930 to have been 659,090. In 1937-38 there were 535,706 pupils enrolled in 8,988 public schools; in the elementary grades, 353,983; secondary grades, 181,723. Of the 21,412 teachers, 13,632 teach elementary grades, 4,925 secondary, and 2,855 teach both. Vocational courses list 23,021 pupils. In 1935-36, private and parochial schools cared for 56,060 elementary pupils, 7,370 secondary. Expenditures for public schools in 1937-38 were $52,004,084. The median salaries are: for superintendents, $2,051; high school principals, $1,251; high school teachers, $1,292; elementary-school principals, $1,382; elementary-school teachers, $973.

Annual Review.

General conditions in banking and finance, in mining and lumbering, and in relief and unemployment, remained about the same in 1938 as in 1937; in manufacturing they improved; and in agriculture they also improved, chiefly because dairying conditions were better.

The biennial legislature was not in session in 1938. As in most other states, the most interesting event was the November election. In Minnesota the result was to remove from office Governor Benson and most of his associates in the Farmer-Labor party, and to put in their places Republicans of a more conservative cast.

Banking.

The 491 banks and trust companies operating in the state report a total capital of $13,288,600, and total deposits of $265,005,028. They record an 'improving general condition, largely due,' they feel, 'to better economic conditions and more confidence in banks because of the insurance of deposits.'

Finance.

The state auditor reported receipts for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1938, of $159,836,969; disbursements, $155,459,664. Receipts from taxes totaled $75,617,039, of which the largest items were: gasoline tax, $16,937,626; motor vehicle tax, $9,270,743; and general property tax, $16,365,414. Federal grants in aid totaled $18,467,281. This sum included $7,838,997 for old age assistance, and $660,647 for unemployment compensation.

Disbursements for the year ending June 30, 1938, totaling $155,459,664, were $12,094,167 greater than for the preceding year. They included, among other items, the following: conservation of natural resources, $2,299,279; charities and corrections, $17,899,906; state aid, $40,388,934.

State Officers.

As a result of the 1938 election, the chief state officers are: Governor, Harold E. Stassen; Lieutenant Governor, C. Elmer Anderson; Secretary of State, Mike Holm; Auditor, Stafford King; Treasurer, Julius A. Schmahl; Attorney General, J. A. A. Burnquist; Commissioner of Education, John G. Rockwell.

Judiciary.

The Minnesota Supreme Court is composed of Henry M. Gallagher, Chief Justice, and six Associate Justices: Andrew Holt, Royal A. Stone, Clifford L. Hilton, Charles Loring, Julius J. Olson, and Harry H. Peterson.

United States Senators:

Henrik Shipstead, Ernest Lundeen.