1940: Arkansas

Area and Population.

With a name of Indian origin, and formerly called 'The Bear State,' Arkansas is now known as 'The Wonder State,' by act of the 1923 Legislature. It has a total of 53,335 sq. mi., and ranks 26th in size. The climate is mild, with a mean annual temperature of 41° in winter and 79° in summer.

The people are about 90 per cent southern in origin, the descendants of pioneers who moved into Arkansas from neighboring southern states prior to the War of Secession. According to the 1940 census, Arkansas has a total population of 1,949,118, an increase of 94,636 since 1930. The population is 80 per cent rural, including those who live in towns of less than 2,500 people. They are divided into two principal racial groups of native whites (1,442,348) and Negroes (506,770) in the ratio of 74 to 26. The principal cities are as follows: Little Rock, the capital, 88,039; Fort Smith, 36,584; Hot Springs, 21,370; Pine Bluff, 21,290; and North Little Rock, 21,137.

Education.

Arkansas has had its own peculiar difficulties with the problem of providing adequate schools for the education of its people. The population being predominantly rural, the people are, as they have always been, chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits; from which it follows that the state is comparatively poor, and has had to practice economy in the development of its school system. This difficulty has been further complicated by the fact that Arkansas has found it expedient to maintain separate schools for the education of the Negro population; nor have the Negro citizens been able to bear alone the cost of their own education. However, on the basis of ability to pay, Arkansas is doing with commendable efficiency as much for the education of its youth as it can well afford.

In the fiscal year 1938-1939, Arkansas spent on the public schools something more than $5,000,000. The apportionment of this fund amounted to $6.61 per child of school age (six to 21 years) in attendance at school, the largest apportionment in the history of the state. The total investment by the state for the year 1938-1939 in education of all classes (including colleges) was estimated at $15,000,000. This sum was sufficient to support 4,682 common, or grade schools, having 10,267 teachers and 299,863 scholars; 904 high schools, having 2,400 teachers and 65,500 scholars; as well as state aid in collegiate and professional education.

Agriculture.

A mild climate, abundant rainfall, and excellent soil combine to make Arkansas preeminently an agricultural state. Cotton is one of the principal money crops. The state usually ranks fourth among the states as a producer of cotton. Rice, also, yields a large income. Only Louisiana produces more rice than Arkansas. Corn, oats and other small grain do well. Many fruits grow in abundance, and strawberries, peaches, apples, and melons are produced in ever-increasing quantities. Stock raising has made great strides in the past few years. The total value of all livestock on Arkansas farms, on January 1, 1939, was $70,795,000, an increase of 4 per cent over January 1, 1938. From livestock sales in 1939 farmers realized a cash income of $40,000,000. The gross income from all farming operations in 1939 amounted to nearly $200,000,000.

Lumbering.

Arkansas is one of the important lumber-producing states, ranking seventh in the Union for that industry. The mountain and hill lands still have large areas of woodlands, from which are cut annually vast quantities of oak, hickory, and cedar; the valleys yield red gum, cypress, sycamore, and white oak; while the southern part of the state does a flourishing business in the production of yellow pine and hardwood lumber.

The state has two National Forest Reserves, the Arkansas Reserve and the Ozark Reserve, with a combined total area of nearly 26,000,000 acres.

Minerals and Mining.

Oil is the state's most profitable mineral resource. It was discovered in 1921, in the southern part, near the older Louisiana oil field. The Arkansas oil field has since been much extended, and the state now yields a greater annual output of petroleum products than Pennsylvania, the pioneer oil state of the Union. In 1939 the total production was 21,143,000 bbl. Natural gas, found in connection with the oil fields and in a large area in western Arkansas, is piped and used extensively for fuel. Arkansas also produces fine grades of both bituminous and semi-anthracite coal. The coal field extends from Russellville westward to Fort Smith. Arkansas produces about 92 per cent of the world supply of bauxite, the basic ore of aluminum. Production in 1938 amounted to 361,256 tons.

Manufacturing.

Arkansas has raw materials in abundance; possesses vast stores of cheap fuel in the form of natural gas, oil, and coal, with exceptional water-power possibilities. The state is just beginning to turn these resources to profit in manufactured goods. Thus far the products of the forests furnish the most important manufactures. Cottonseed oil and meal are, perhaps, second in value, while in many other lines such as bricks, cement, glass, gasoline, motor oil, etc., there is promise of increasing production.

Finance.

Arkansas had a total income in revenues from state tax sources during the fiscal year 1939-1940 of $29,369,552.77. This amount was augmented by the receipt of $58,364,553.29 from non-revenue and Federal funds. Thus, the total sum received for all governmental purposes amounted to $37,734,106.93. At the close of the year there remained a cash balance on hand of $1,958,979.59. Since January 1, 1937, the state's bonded debt of $159,066,933 has been reduced by $26,585,887.

Legislation.

Laws recently passed legalize cooperative associations for marketing, and provide for a marketing bureau and a seed-inspection bureau. In the general election of 1940 the people of Arkansas approved of legislation by referendum as follows: (1) providing funds for payment of workmen's compensations for injuries incurred in line of duty as employees; (2) an act regulatory of the change of venue privilege, as a bar against the so-called 'damage suit racket.' Two amendments of the Constitution were also adopted in 1940: (1) authorizing cities of not less than 5,000 to tax themselves for the support of public libraries; (2) authorizing cities of the first and second class to tax themselves to pay policemen and firemen retirement salaries and pensions.

State Officers.

Governor, Homer M. Adkins; Secretary of State, C. G. Hall; Lieutenant-Governor, Bob Bailey; Attorney General, Jack Holt; State Auditor, J. Oscar Humphrey; State Treasurer, Earl Page; Land Commissioner, Otis Page.

United States Senators:

Hatrie W. Caraway, John E. Miller.