1939: Mississippi

Area and Population.

Mississippi's slightly more than 2,000,000 people are distributed evenly over an area of approximately 46,860 sq. mi. In 1930 barely more than one-fifth of them lived in cities and towns of more than 1,000 people, but the urban percentage is now growing. The state's largest city, Jackson, had an estimated population in 1939 of 65,000, compared with its 1930 total of 48,282. The populations of other Mississippi cities, as reported by the 1930 census are: Meridian 31,954; Vicksburg 22,943; Hattiesburg 18,601; Laurel 18,017; Biloxi 14,850; Greenville 14,807; Natchez 13,422; Gulfport 12,547; and Greenwood 11,123.

Mississippi had had a predominance of Negroes in its population since the introduction of slave labor, but the percentage of white population has climbed slowly until in 1930 it represented 49.7 per cent, and the 1940 census may show a predominance of white people.

Education.

The 1937 census of school-age children listed 379,309 whites and 464,387 Negroes, a total of 843,698, or approximately 42 per cent of the population. To serve this large school population Mississippi had in the 1938-39 school year a total of 1,519 elementary schools and 562 secondary schools. There were 522,199 white and Negro children enrolled in elementary grades; 67,799 in high school.

Nearly 38 per cent of the state government's total appropriations for the biennium 1938-40 went for common schools and other educational activities. This equalled the sum of $15,511.96. The average school teacher's salary per term is $562.50.

Significant advances have been made during the school year in curriculum revision to embrace more adult, vocational, and industrial education.

Agriculture.

In the past seven years Mississippi farmers have increased their cash income from sales of livestock and livestock products from approximately $12,000,000 to about $36,000,000 annually. This increase gives the clue to much of the state's changed agricultural program, well evidenced in the farm season of 1939. More than 1,000,000 acres were planted in winter cover crops last year. The acreage of summer legumes has trebled since 1932. As a result of soil-building practices the yield of lint cotton has been increased from an average of 185 pounds per acre, for the five years 1928-32, to an average of 328 pounds per acre for the past four years. This achievement in crop production is without a parallel in the history of American agriculture.

Industry.

Mississippi industry in 1939 felt the effects of full operation of ten 'balance agriculture with industry' plants brought into the state by legislation empowering municipalities to raise factory buildings for plants. The program has added one new industrial worker for every 15 listed by the 1930 census, and one new dollar of industrial payrolls for every $5 listed by the business census of 1935.

Business activity in Mississippi showed a considerable increase in December, 1939, as compared with December, 1938. Bank debits to individual accounts, as reported by the State Business Research Station, showed an increase of 33.8 per cent. Postal receipts showed an increase of 9.8 per cent. Sales tax receipts were up 19.8 per cent; electric connections up 12.4 per cent; gas connections up 11.8 per cent.

Legislative Matters.

Of the total appropriations for the biennium made by the 1938 Legislature for ordinary governmental purposes — exclusive of debt service and repairs and replacements — almost exactly 50 per cent went for educational purposes. The appropriations for public health and hospital service represented 10 per cent of the total; and appropriations for pensions and social welfare another 10 per cent. Reimbursements for homestead exemptions consumed 17.5 per cent of the total. The appropriations for agricultural service, the promotion of industry, and the protection of forests and other natural resources amounted to 2 per cent. Appropriations for the support and maintenance of the penitentiary, and for repairs and the replacement of work stock amounted to 2.5 per cent; and the appropriations for the executive offices and departments amounted to 5 per cent.

The business of Mississippi building and loan associations and home-financing companies increased approximately 25 per cent in 1939 largely as a result of the homestead tax-exemption law passed by the 1938 Legislature, exempting homes up to $5,000 assessed valuation, and including 160 acres of land, from state and local government ad valorem taxes levied for current expenses. The state treasury reimburses local governments for losses in revenue suffered as a result of the exemptions.

Welfare and Correction.

Governor Paul B. Johnson went into office pledged to increase support for the state's aged people and eleemosynary institutions. The state maintains five charity hospitals at Jackson, Laurel, Vicksburg, Natchez and Meridian; two hospitals for the insane at Whitfield and Meridian; a tubercular sanatorium at Magee; a school for feeble-minded at Ellisville. During 1938 the sum of $500,000 was appropriated for the care of indigent patients in private hospitals during the biennium.

The state maintains also an industrial training school for delinquent children at Columbia; and three penal farms in the Mississippi delta (the largest unit at Parchman) which together constitute the nation's only self-supporting state penitentiary. The sales of farm products turned back into the state general fund are more than the state appropriation for the upkeep of the farms.

During 1939 Mississippi saw its $90,000,000 highway construction program nearly completed on through routes, the state now having three all-paved North-South routes, and four all-paved East-West routes. Concurrently with the progress of the highway construction program has been a state-supported tourist promotion campaign which has seen the estimated expenditures for travel in Mississippi increase by 40 per cent and 60 per cent respectively in the last two years. The index of gasoline tax receipts indicates an even greater increase for 1939 than in 1938.

The chief tourist attractions are the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the spring garden pilgrimages centered in southwestern Mississippi around Natchez, and historic memorials such as the Vicksburg National Military Park which alone draws some 250,000 visitors annually.

State Officers.

As a result of the regular quadrennial elections in November 1939, the chief state officers are as follows: Governor, Paul B. Johnson; Lieutenant Governor, Dennis Murphree; Secretary of State, Walker Wood; Attorney General, Greek L. Rice; Treasurer, Lewis May; Auditor, J. M. Causey; Superintendent of Education, J. S. Vandiver.

United States Senators.

Pat (Byron Patton) Harrison, Theodore Gilmore Bilbo.