1939: Washington

Area and Population.

Washington, the nation's most northwesterly state, is 370 miles long and 238 miles wide with an area of 69,127 sq. mi., ranking it 19th in size. In population it ranks 30th (1930 census, 1,563,396), 35th in population per square mile, 14th in percentage of urban population, and 36th in percentage of rural population. The rate of population increase has been declining steadily since 1910, when the increase for the preceding decade was 120.4 per cent. Later figures were 18.8 per cent, 1910-20; 15.2 per cent, 1920-30; 4.3 per cent, 1930-35. Between 1910 and 1920 the urban population outgrew the rural, and the gap has widened since then. The state has fifteen cities with a population of more than 10,000, three with more than 100,000 and three others with 30,000 or more. Population estimates for 1937 were: Seattle 412,853, Spokane 135,000, Tacoma 111,000, Bellingham 32,000, Everett 31,000, Yakima 30,000. The capital is Olympia, 11,733.

Since Washington is still relatively a pioneer state, it ranks low (45th) in the percentage of the population born in the state. The population is predominately white (97.3 per cent), and none of the nonwhite racial groups are large or growing. In 1930, the most numerous were the Japanese 17,837, American Indians 11,253, Negroes 6,840, and Chinese 2,195.

Education.

Education is of paramount importance in the life of any people. For the year 1938-39, Washington had 2,113 schools. Public high schools totalled 306, private high schools 46. The enrollment in the public schools, reached a total of 334,511. Kindergarten enrollment accounted for 6,072 of this number; grade schools, 200,374; four-year high schools, 67,231; junior high schools, 33,012; and senior high schools, 27,822. The total average daily attendance in these schools was 280,613.

A recent study shows that Washington ranks sixth in literacy. The average teacher's salary for 1938-39 was $1,645; for rural teachers, $1,100. An educational event of importance during the year was the launching of a WPA rural 'bookmobile' service, sponsored by the State Library, and designed to interest counties in establishing library service for the third of the population still without access to good reading. The project looks toward a coordinated school and public library service reaching all people.

Industrial Review.

During 1939 the first contracts were signed for furnishing electric power to several counties from the new power distribution facilities of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Some of the county public utility districts have instituted condemnation proceedings to take over private utility distribution systems.

During the autumn there was a decided pick-up in industrial production, especially in the lumber and allied industries, the backbone of the state's industrial structure. This was attributed both to natural inventory depletions and to stimuli offered directly and indirectly through war orders.

The holding of a state-wide chemurgic conference in November emphasized a new phase in the state's industrial development, with increasing attention being paid to the use of the state's wood and farm products for the manufacture of synthetic products. The State Planning Council plays an important part in the industrial life of the state by making timely studies of the state's resources and needs, natural and human.

Agriculture.

Agriculture in 1939 showed a somewhat lower return than for 1938, with crops of wheat, hops, potatoes, apples, and pears below the level of the previous year. Wheat production was 23 per cent below the 1938 figure and 9 per cent under the average for 1928-37, largely due to reduced acreage. The disturbing effects of the European war brought threats of a large apple crop surplus, which led to an intensive campaign to increase domestic apple consumption. A boon to the industry was the inclusion of apples on the list of Federal surplus commodities. Seattle was the pioneer community in the state to be selected for a demonstration of the Federal government's new orange and blue stamp plan for increasing the sale and consumption of surplus commodities to persons on relief.

Mineral Products.

The total value of Washington's leading metals, gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc amounted in 1938 to $5,510,440, a sum more than double that of the previous year. This was mainly the result of astonishing increases in the production of both gold and copper. The former rose by 50 per cent above the previous high records of 1936 and 1937, to a total of 74,175 oz. with a value of $2,596,125. The largest producer was the Howe Sound Company in Chelan Co. Production of copper advanced by almost 100 per cent to a record output of 12,034,000 pounds valued at $1,179,332, compared with 128,000 pounds valued at $15,488 in 1937. Zinc also showed a surprising advance from 8,232,000 pounds in 1937, to 22,804,000 in 1938 with a value of $1,094,592. Preliminary figures for bituminous coal showed a lowered production in 1938 at 1,565,000 tons as against 2,001,449 (value, $6,325,000) in the preceding year.

The total value of Washington's chief metals in 1939 was estimated to be $6,668,700. This included a gain in the output of copper-gold ore from 371,800 tons in 1938 to approximately 600,000 tons, and a 20 per cent rise in gold production from 74,175 oz. to about 89,300 oz. in 1939, with a 16 per cent increase in silver from 380,938 oz. to 442,200.

Legislative Matters.

Legislative achievements of importance included the following: concentration of control in the administration of public relief funds in a three-man Social Security Committee; reduction of old-age assistance from a statutory minimum of $30 per person to a statutory maximum of $30; authorization of the establishment of low-cost housing authorities; creation of a State Dairy Products Commission, corresponding to the State Apple Advertising Commission to extend the use of dairy products; an unfair trade practices act; a uniform motor-vehicle safety responsibility act; creation of a State Soil Conservation Committee; a three-day marriage license law; legislative authorization for the establishment of legal aid bureaus in Class A and first class counties. The only approach to additional taxation lay in the removal of exemptions under the sales tax and an increase in the cigarette tax. The budget for the state government for the 1937-39 biennium was $196,318,654; for 1939-41, $206,847,335.

Events of the Year.

The year 1939 marked the Golden Jubilee of statehood for Washington, and this theme was carried over into the celebrations of many public and semi-public organizations, and featured in the state's exhibits at the world's fairs in San Francisco and New York.

An event of importance during 1939 was the establishment of the Seattle Housing Authority, to inaugurate a slum-clearance and low-cost housing program.

Welfare and Correction.

The state maintains the following penal and charitable institutions: hospitals for the care of the insane, a state penitentiary, a school for the deaf, a school for the blind, boys' and girls' reformatories, a veterans' home, a soldiers' home, and a school for the feeble-minded. An additional custodial school, Western State Custodial School, was established this year at Buckley.

State Officers.

The chief state officers are: Governor, Clarence D. Martin; Lieutenant Governor, Victor A. Meyers; Secretary of State, Mrs. Belle Reeves; State Auditor, Cliff Yelle; Treasurer, Phil H. Gallagher; Attorney General, G. W. Hamilton; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Stanley F. Atwood.

United States Senators.

Homer T. Bone and Lewis B. Schwellenbach.