1940: Rhode Island

Area and Population.

The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is the full name of this smallest state in the Union. It has an area of 1,248 sq. mi. of which 233 are water.

The Federal Census of 1940 gave the total population of the state as 713,346, a gain of 3.8 per cent over the 1930 population of 687,497. The population of the principal cities and towns are as follows (1940): Providence, 253,504; Pawtucket, 75,797; Woonsocket, 49,303; Cranston, 47,085; East Providence, 32,165; Newport, 30,532.

Education.

The number of inhabitants of school age for the school year 1939-1940 was 194,013. Of these 63,815 were in elementary and grammar grades; and 47,631 in the several categories of high schools. The state expenditure for schools, including Federal aid, was $768,725.42. Excluding supervisors' and principals' salaries, which range from $4,000 to $5,000, the average salary for a teacher in public and high schools is $1,650.13.

Provision was made by the 1940 Legislature, for the creation of a special commission to study existing laws relating to education throughout the state. The bureau for the blind was transferred from the jurisdiction of the Department of Education to the Department of Social Welfare, and provision was made for readers for the blind in institutions of higher learning. The Director of Education was authorized to make a study of the curricula offered by the public schools, for the purpose of planning a more practical educational program. Through vocational counselors within the schools each pupil is to receive assistance in selecting studies which will fit him for some specialized occupation or profession upon his graduation from high school or college.

Agriculture.

Important high lights in the field of agriculture were the enactment of legislation governing the activities of cattle-dealers operating in Rhode Island, and appropriation by the General Assembly for increased participation in programs for control of Bang's disease in cattle. There has been a tremendous growth of the potato industry in the state; the 1940 crop was the largest in the state's history. Among notable experiments by the Experiment Station at the Rhode Island State College, one of the most novel deals with hurricane damage to fruit trees. It constitutes an effort to determine proper treatment for uprooted, storm-damaged trees. The results will not be known until 1943.

Industry and Labor.

The objectives of the Department of Labor have been the safeguarding, maintaining and improving of labor standards, and the carrying through of its accident prevention program; protecting the rights of labor; safeguarding employees against occupational injuries; developing and maintaining harmonious labor relations. A mediation board has been instituted to handle disputes.

Under the minimum wage law, in the retail trade a minimum of 30 cents an hour has been established in cities over 20,000 in population, and 27 1/2 cents an hour in cities under 20,000. There has been a speeding up in hearings for workmen's compensation cases.

Legislation.

Among the more important legislative matters which became law in 1940, were the following: a permanent visiting committee for the state institutions was created, and an advisory council in the Department of Social Welfare to assist in promoting the interests of the blind.

The caucus law was extensively changed, and certain radical changes were made in the election and voting machine laws, as the result of the recommendations of a special commission appointed at a previous session to study the subject. A new charter was granted the City of Providence. There was reorganization of the General Assembly upon the basis of recent population figures. A new military code was adopted.

The machinery of the state civil service act, passed in 1939, has been set up, and all state positions have been classified. Examinations are being held for key and subordinate positions. However, at the biennial state election, held November 5, 1940, the Republican party, responsible for the inauguration of civil service, was defeated at the polls, and the Democratic party assumed control of state administrative government on the first Tuesday in January, 1941.

Finance.

The cash on hand in the general treasury, July 1, 1939, was $1,691,417.31. The receipts for the year were $20,163,854.58, making a total of $21,855,271.89. The disbursements had been $19,074,398.99. The cash balance, June 30, 1940, was $2,780,872.90. The net bonded debt of the state, June 30, 1940, was $26,769,977.32.

The grand total of the budget for the fiscal year 1940-41 was $15,180,983.27. Public assistance administration was allotted $145,400. The total appropriation for public assistance in the matter of direct aid was $2,324,768. For soldiers' relief, $92,765; for children's care, $241,800; the total for child welfare amounted to $481,510.

The unemployment compensation board received $22,000 for employment service (Wagner-Peyser Act) matching funds. For the regulation of banking and insurance, an appropriation of $50,485 was made.

Banking.

On June 29, 1940, Rhode Island had 12 licensed National Banks with deposits of $107,958,779; loans of $46,062,223; and investments of $34,041,062. Twenty-three licensed State Banks had deposits of $394,545,385; loans of $136,411,321, and investments of $245,892,742.

State Officers.

Governor, J. Howard McGrath; Lieutenant Governor, Louis W. Cappelli; Secretary of State, Armand H. Cote; Attorney General, John H. Nolan; General Treasurer, Russell H. Handy; Director of Education, Dr. James F. Rockett.

United States Senators:

Peter G. Gerry, Theodore Francis Green.