1940: Illinois

Area and Population.

Important both as an agricultural and industrial state, Illinois has an area of 56,665 sq. mi. In population, according to the 1940 census, it still ranks third among the states, the new figure being 7,897,241 compared with 7,630,654 in 1930, an increase of 3.5 per cent. The 1940 census figures for the largest cities are as follows: Chicago, 3,396,808; Peoria, 105,087; Rockford, 84,637; Springfield, the capital, 75,503; and East St. Louis, 75,609.

Education.

According to the 1938 school census, Illinois had 1,936,806 inhabitants of school age, 84 per cent of whom were enrolled in schools. For the school year ending June 1939, there were 11,445 public school districts with 941,707 pupils, and 973 high schools with 372,461 pupils, employing a total of 48,919 teachers. The average salary for teachers was $1,682.62. Schools are supported by local taxation, and a state fund which for 1939-40 was $13,872,726.27.

Illinois has 57 major colleges and universities, including five normal schools and the University of Illinois, which are supported by the state.

Agriculture.

Illinois is one of the leading agricultural states. Nearly 90 per cent of its area is land suitable for crops. According to the report of the State Department of Agriculture for 1939-40, Illinois has 231,000 farms with a total income of $531,396,000, placing Illinois fourth among the agricultural states. Livestock was valued at $250,185,000 and poultry at $14,132,000. Illinois produced more soybeans during 1939 than all other states combined. It ranked second in corn, sweet corn, and hogs; and third in oats, poultry and livestock.

With the world's largest grain and livestock markets located in Chicago, and with a fine highway system and numerous railroads, the marketing of farm products is not a difficult problem. These are all factors in the state's agricultural prosperity.

Industry.

With her natural resources in coal and petroleum, Illinois ranks among the leading manufacturing states. Meat-packing, steel works and rolling mills, the manufacture of agricultural implements and electrical supplies, printing and publishing, are the largest industries. By the 1937 statistics, the latest available, there were 11,764 industrial establishments in the state in that year. These produced goods valued at over five billion dollars.

Mineral Products.

The year 1939 brought notable increases in all the important minerals of Illinois. The amount of petroleum produced nearly quadrupled that of 1938, the total being 94,302,000 bbl. as against the already expanded production of 24,000,000 bbl. in the previous year. The Salem pool furnished about one half of the new extraordinary amount which ranked Illinois fourth among the oil-producing states. Illinois continued in third place for the mining of bituminous coal, with 46,450,000 tons. Doubled production of feldspar amounted to 75,257 tons. Open-hearth steel manufacture was increased from 1,950,224 tons to 3,292,345; with a relatively proportionate rise in Bessemer steel to 723,398 tons.

Finance.

On October 1, 1939, the bonded indebtedness of the state was $177,130,500. There was no floating debt. It has been the policy of the state to reduce the indebtedness each year and spend no more than can be expected in revenue.

The total disbursements by the Public Welfare Department during 1939 amounted to $52,549,317. Almost two-thirds of that amount was paid in old-age assistance to approximately 133,900 persons.

Legislative Matters.

The state's legislative body is called the General Assembly and is composed of two houses, the Senate with 51 members and the House of Representatives with 153 members. They meet biennially in the odd years. A special session was called by Governor Horner in April 1940, at which the following were the most important laws passed: an appropriation of $5,200,000 for old-age assistance, and an amendment to increase the maximum monthly pension from $30 to $40; an amendment to the Unemployment Compensation Act to remove taxes (payable by employers) from employees' salaries of $3000; and a bill providing for construction and operation of processing plants to convert Illinois coal into smokeless fuel.

Political Events.

The state was saddened by the death of Governor Henry Horner on October 6, 1940. He was nearing the completion of his second term. John Stelle, Lieutenant-Governor, succeeded to the governorship for the remainder of the term. Other prominent Illinoians who died during the year were former Governor Charles S. Deneen and Chief Justice Norman L. Jones of the state Supreme Court.

The Democratic National Convention met in Chicago in July and renominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for President of the United States. In the November national election Illinois gave a majority vote for Roosevelt for President, but with the exception of Secretary of State, elected a state Republican slate.

State Officers.

Governor, Dwight H. Green; Lieutenant-Governor, Hugh W. Cross; Secretary of State, Edward J. Hughes; Auditor, Arthur C. Lueder; Treasurer, Warren Wright; Attorney General, George F. Barrett; Superintendent of Public Instruction, John A. Wieland.

United States Senators:

Scott W. Lucas, C. Wayland Brooks.