1938: West Virginia

Area and Population.

The thirty-fifth state of the Union, West Virginia was admitted to statehood June 30, 1863. It is popularly known as the 'Mountain State' and also as the 'Panhandle State.' With an area of 24,170 sq. mi., it ranks 40th in size among the states. In population it ranks 27th, numbering 1,729,205 according to the census of 1930; 1,805,000 on July 1, 1937, according to a Federal estimate. The largest cities are Huntington, 75,572 (1939 census); Wheeling, 61,659; Charleston, the capital, 60,408; Parkersburg, 29,623; Clarksburg, 28,866. Weirton, with a population of approximately 25,000, is one of the largest unincorporated cities of the world.

Of West Virginia's population in 1930, whites numbered 1,613,934, including 51,520 foreign-born. The total urban population was 491,504.

Agriculture.

In 1937 West Virginia's 104,747 farms, comprising 9,424,655 acres, produced crops with an aggregate value of $237,643,860.

Industry.

Industry as well as agriculture held its own in 1938. Production of natural gas was greatly increased by the opening of new fields, and toward the end of the year the coal output reached a new high. In the mines about 120,000 persons were employed. In 1937 there were 2,654 industrial and business concerns which produced goods valued at $983,352,477, and employed 243,257 persons with a total wage of $320,760,285.

Mineral Products.

West Virginia, ranking fifth in the Union in the value of her mineral products, showed an increase in 1937 over the total of $285,138,297 in 1936. The largest item was furnished by coal, in which West Virginia ranks next to Pennsylvania. In 1937, the state produced 118,050,000 tons, a slight increase over 1936. Production of natural gas rose by 11 per cent in 1937, amounting to about 153,000,000 M cu. ft., compared with 138,076,000 M cu. ft. in 1936 (value, $54,788,000). The increase was chiefly from the Oriskany sand fields in Kanawha Co. Production of petroleum remained fairly stationary, at 3,845,000 bbl. The manufacture of coke for the year rose to 2,095,796 tons as against 1,933,441 in 1936.

Education.

Pupil enrollment for the state elementary schools for 1937-38 was 320,344. In 400 high schools it was 123,425. There were 11,455 elementary and 4,674 high school teachers. The state appropriated $13,250,000 for elementary and secondary education, which was supplemented by $12,069,298 from local taxes. The state maintains eight teacher-training colleges, which in 1937-38 had a total enrollment of 4,678 students and 275 instructors, and received state appropriations aggregating $1,253,950. The state university at Morgantown had an enrollment in November, 1938, of 2,973 and a faculty of 245. Its total income for the year was $2,296,671.

Because of shortages of funds a number of counties, all operating under the county unit plan, were forced to shorten school terms and reduce salaries. To meet the emergency a number of counties increased local tax rates and obtained aid for building purposes through Federal grants. As the year ended the school situation was the most urgent matter before the state budget officers.

Banking and Finance.

As of July 1, 1938, the total deposits in 105 state banks and trust companies was $129,881,922, while the total for 79 national banks was $149,806,000. The total state receipts from all sources, including a balance from the previous year, and transfers, was $155,356,720.56. The state balance as of July 30, 1938, was $15,428,523.60. The total state bonded indebtedness, excluding $76,377,000 State Road Bonds, was $4,749,700. Real estate values aggregated $845,695,222; personal property values, $399,561,860; and public utility values, $584,333,850.

Review of the Year.

Among important events of the year was the visit of President and Mrs. Roosevelt in May to Arthurdale, seat of a nationally sponsored rehabilitation settlement. There the President on May 27 broadcast objections to the Federal Tax Bill of 1938. Throughout the year the Weirton Steel Company and its employees reviewed their differences before commissioners of the NLRB, without final decision.

The national election showed, in parts of the state, a trend toward the Republicans. As a result, the state's representatives in Congress will be divided (5 to 1) for the first time in six years. The state Legislature elected at the same time will be made up of 27 Democrats and 5 Republicans in the Senate, and 70 Democrats and 24 Republicans in the house, a gain of one senator for the Democrats and one for the Republicans, and twelve delegates for the Republicans.

Among other events of the year were a number of historical and other celebrations, outstanding among them being that of the 160th anniversary of the formation of Greenbrier County. The open season for deer resulted in 864 killed, the legal allotment. The legal kill for wild turkeys in the same season was 480. October forest fires were unusually destructive. The collapse of the West Virginia University football team was one of the athletic surprises of the year, as was also the resignation of H. A. Stansbury, Director of Athletics at West Virginia University since 1917.

State Officers.

Governor, Homer A. Holt; Secretary of State, William S. O'Brien; Treasurer, Richard E. Talbott; Auditor, Edgar B. Sims; Attorney-General, Clarence W. Meadows; Commissioner of Agriculture, J. Blaine McLaughlin; Superintendent of Schools, William W. Trent.

Judiciary.

The state Supreme Court of Appeals consists of five judges: President, Fred L. Fox; Associate Judges, John H. Hatcher, Haymond Maxwell, Jo N. Kenna, and James B. Riley.

United States Senators:

Matthew M. Neely and Rush D. Holt.