1938: Oregon

Area and Population.

Oregon, central state of the Pacific group, was admitted to statehood Feb. 14, 1859. It has an area of 95,607 square miles, which ranks it 9th in size among the states. The census of 1930 gives it a population of 953,786, ranking it 34th in that respect. The population density is 9.8 persons per sq. mile as compared to 40.5 for the United States. The whites (native and foreign-born) are 98.2 per cent of the whole population: the native-born whites being 87.2 per cent, and the foreign-born 11 per cent. Those of foreign or mixed parentage are 21.1 per cent of the total. The leading other races are Japanese, 4,598; Indians, 4,776; Negroes, 2,234; Chinese, 2,075; Filipinos, 1,068.

Oregon is peculiar in having but one large city, Portland, 301,815 (1930 census); with its metropolitan area it holds more than one third of the people of the state. Next in rank come the capital city, Salem, 26,266; Eugene, 18,901; Klamath Falls, 16,093; Medford, 11,007; Astoria, 10,349.

Mineral Products.

Gold, the chief mineral product of Oregon, showed a slight decrease in 1937, production amounting to 52,662 oz. (value, $1,843,170), compared with 60,753 oz. in 1936. Small quantities of silver, copper, lead and zinc added to the total value of metals produced, which amounted in 1937 to $2,005,218, compared with $7,146,732 in 1936. The only other mineral item of importance in the state is stone, of which about 2,010,490 tons were produced in 1937, with a value of $1,442,916.

Education.

The school census for 1937-38, including all children from four to twenty years of age, reached the highest figure in the history of the state, 269,063. Of these, 148,186 were enrolled in the grades and 62,063 in the high schools. The cost of operating the schools was $17,663,161, the highest since 1933. In 1931-32 the cost was $18,000,000. Of the 1937-38 high school graduates 20 per cent entered college, 3 per cent more than in the preceding year.

Events of the Year.

The first important event of the year 1938 was the strike of the Portland typographical union for higher wages, which caused the suspension of the three daily newspapers from 1 P.M. Jan. 15 until 6 P.M. Jan. 20. Portland depended for news during these four days on daily issues of the C.I.O. New Dealer, ordinarily a weekly. A compromise settlement on a basis of $9 for a day and $9.50 for a night of 7½ hours ended the strike.

On Jan. 28, United States Senator Frederick Steiwer, Republican, resigned, and on Feb, 1, Governor Martin appointed Evan Reames, Democrat, to succeed him for the unexpired term.

Rates for power at the Bonneville Dam, which was completed during 1937, were announced by J. D. Ross, administrator, on May 14. These were $17.50 per kilowatt year on transmission and $14.50 per kilowatt at the dam site. (See also CIVIL ENGINEERING.) The administrator also concluded an agreement to make use of the roadbed of the Oregon Electric Railroad for a transmission line that will serve the Willamette Valley as far as Eugene.

During the year peace officers conducted a vigorous prosecution of union officials, especially those connected with the Portland teamsters union, and others connected with labor unions, arresting 120 persons charged with 232 crimes of violence, such as destruction of property, arson, bombing, and damaging automobiles. Of the accused, by the end of November 65 had pleaded guilty, 11 had been convicted, and 23 released.

Business Recovery.

The business recession struck Oregon with less force than other sections of the country. Saw mills that had been shut down for six months began to resume operations by the end of January. Some of these closed again later in the year because of a decline in business and because of jurisdictional disputes between rival A.F. of L. and C.I.O. unions, but by the end of the year most of the mills had reopened. For the first ten months of 1938, bank clearings in Portland were 12.86 per cent under the same period for 1937; production of fir timber was 19.12 per cent lower, pine lumber 26.8 per cent less than for a like period in 1937; customs collections were down 40.44 per cent. Electric energy showed a small decline, 1.71 per cent. Rural conditions seemed to be improving more rapidly than industrial, as shown by the fact that one large power company that serves a rural area showed 3.2 per cent increase in earning for the 12 months ending with September. Wheat shipments from Portland for the period July 1 to October 1 were 5,460,720 bushels as compared to 2,795,246 bushels for a like period in 1937. From October to December every business index, bank clearings, lumber production, electric energy sales, customs collection and retail sales, gave evidence of improvement over each previous month.

Political and Legislative Affairs.

The November election resulted in almost a clean sweep for the Republicans. Charles A. Sprague, editor and owner of the Oregon Statesman (Salem), was elected Governor over his Democratic opponent. Henry L. Hess, by a majority of 55,318, in a total vote of 386,014. Rufus C. Holman, Republican candidate for United States Senator, defeated Willis E. Mahoney, Democrat, by a majority of 35,985. The only Democratic candidate for state office to survive was Rex Putnam, state school superintendent (incumbent). For the state Senate 22 Republicans and 8 Democrats were elected; for the House 20 Republicans and 14 Democrats. This was a gain for the Republicans of four in the Senate and fourteen in the House.

Of the measures submitted to vote of the people at the November election the following were among those approved: requiring marriage license applicants to be examined physically and mentally, including a blood test to show freedom from certain diseases; prohibiting slot machines, pin-ball, dart and similar gambling devices; directing the legislative assembly to ask Congress to call a national convention to adopt the Townsend old-age pension plan; regulating picketing and boycotting by labor unions (this was known as the Anti-picketing Bill). Among the measures defeated were those repealing the double liability of state bank stockholders; increasing compensation for legislators; levying a two-per-cent transaction tax to provide old-age pensions; regulating sale of alcoholic liquors; legalizing certain lotteries and other forms of gambling.

State Officers.

As a result of the election, the chief state officers are: Governor, Charles A. Sprague; Secretary of State, Earl Snell; Treasurer, Walter E. Pearson (by appointment of Governor Martin after resignation of Rufus C. Holman); Attorney General, I. H. Van Winkle; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Rex Putnam; Labor Commissioner, C. H. Gram.

Justices of the Supreme Court.

Henry J. Bean, J. O. Bailey, John L. Rand, George Rossman, Hall S. Lusk, Percy R. Kelly, and Harry K. Belt.

United States Senators:

Charles L. McNary and Rufus C. Holman.