1940: Oregon

Area and Population.

Oregon, central state of the Pacific group, has an area of 95,607 sq. mi. The census figures for 1940 give the state a population of 1,089,684, an increase of 135,898 or 14.2 per cent over the figures for 1930. The native-born white population make up nearly 90 per cent of the whole population, and with the foreign-born whites more than 98 per cent.

Oregon has only one large city, Portland, 305,394. This, with its metropolitan area, comprises more than one-third of the people of the state. Next in size come the capital city, Salem, 30,908; Eugene, 20,838; Klamath Falls, 16,497; Medford, 11,281; Astoria, 10,389; and Bend, 10,021. There has been no change in the rank of these cities since 1930. Of the thirty-six counties in the state five showed a decrease in population; the three showing the largest decrease (up to 21.8 per cent) lie in the wheat belt in the north-central part of the state along the Columbia River. The highest rate of increase was in Malheur County in the southeastern corner of the state, where the population increased by 75 per cent.

Education.

The public-school census of October, 1939, showed a total of 264,743 persons of school age in the state, which was a decrease of about 5,600 from the number in 1938. The enrollment in June, 1940, was 135,232 in elementary schools, or a decrease of nearly 2,000 over the previous year; and 62,763 in standard high schools, or an increase of nearly 2,500. The total number of standard high schools was 260 and the average per capita cost of maintaining such schools for the year ending June, 1940, was $113.95. The total number of public school teachers was 7,821.

Industry.

There were numerous indications of improved economic conditions in Oregon during the year 1940. The volume of retail sales for the first six months was reported to be about 9 per cent larger than for the same period in 1939, and the trend was maintained during the last half of the year. The income tax collections of the state for the year ending June 30, 1940, showed an increase of 1.5 per cent and pay roll taxes an increase of 11.8 per cent, placing Oregon at the head of the Pacific Coast states in this respect. In November, payrolls were reliably estimated to be 18 per cent higher than in the same period in 1939.

Mineral Products.

Production of metals in Oregon, including gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc, reached an all-time high in 1939, the total value being $3,268,134. Of this amount gold accounted for almost seven-eighths, the quantity mined having been 91,000 ounces valued at $2,860,515.

Political and Legislative Matters.

Eighty per cent of the registered voters in Oregon cast ballots in the November elections — the largest number in the history of the state. The vote for President and Vice President was 258,415 for the Democratic candidates, and 219,555 for the Republican candidates. All three of the present Representatives in Congress, two Republicans and one Democrat, were re-elected.

No session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly was held during the year 1940, but four referendum measures and five initiative measures were submitted to the voters of the state at the November elections. Five of these proposals were constitutional amendments: (1) removing the two-term limit for the secretary of state and treasurer; (2) revising the method of establishing the tax base; (3) repealing the double liability of stockholders of state banks; (4) increasing the pay of legislators; and (5) legalizing certain gambling and gaming devices and certain lotteries. The other four were legislative measures: (1) changing the date of the primary elections from May to September; (2) providing further regulation of the sale and use of alcoholic liquor (the so-called 'night-club' bill); (3) repealing the present liquor law limiting sale of hard liquors to state liquor stores; and (4) repealing the milk-control law. All nine of the proposals were defeated.

During the year the question of creating public utility districts for the purpose of securing and using Bonneville power was submitted to the voters and met with varying success. In Portland, for instance, the proposal was decisively defeated in May. On the other hand, five out of eleven such proposals submitted in various communities at the general election in November were adopted. At the same time four bond issues by existing districts were approved. A bond issue for the construction of an airport at Eugene was likewise approved.

State Officers.

Governor, Charles A. Sprague; Secretary of State, Earl Snell; Treasurer, Leslie M. Scott; Attorney General, J. H. Van Winkle; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Rex Putnam; Labor Commissioner, C. H. Gram.

United States Senators:

Charles L. McNary and Rufus C. Holman.