1940: Texas

Area and Population.

With a total land area of 265,896 sq. mi., Texas is the largest state in the nation. Its irregular shape aids in giving it the imposing dimensions of 773 mi. for the greatest distance from east to west, and 801 mi. for the greatest from north to south. Extending through slightly more than ten degrees of latitude, the range in climatic conditions is increased by the fact that the southernmost part is at sea level while the northern part lies on a plain which reaches more than 4,000 ft. in altitude. The extreme south is sub-tropical; the north, middle temperate. From east to west there is an equally striking range in precipitation; it is more than 60 in. annually along the Louisiana border and less than 10 in. in the extreme western part. Physiographically, the area of the state is a tilted plain rising from the Gulf coast to the Panhandle Plains and the Trans-Pecos Plateau, with mountains rising in the west to a maximum of more than 8,000 ft.

The population, according to the 1940 census, was 6,414,824, an increase of 10.1 per cent over the population of 5,824,715 in 1930. Nevertheless, Texas dropped from fifth to sixth in rank among the states in this regard. The principal cities, with their populations according to the 1940 census, are: Houston, 384,514; Dallas, 294,734; San Antonio, 253,854; Fort Worth, 177,662; El Paso, 96,810; and Austin, the capital, 87,930. Of the total population of 5,824,715 in 1930 the principal classifications were as follows: whites, 4,283,291, or 73.5 per cent; Negroes, 854,964, or 14.7 per cent: Mexicans, 683,681, or 11.7 per cent. Of the white population only 98,396, or 1.7 per cent, were foreign-born.

Education.

The state system of public education receives its support in the proportion of approximately two-thirds from the state and one-third from local sources. During the 1938-39 school year, there were 6,735 school districts of which 5,715 were common-school districts and 1,020 independent districts. The system is headed by a nine-member State Board of Education, appointed by the Governor, and serving without salary. The actual administrative work is headed by a State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is elected by popular vote to a two-year term. There is a movement to make this office appointive by the State Board of Education.

The scholastic population of Texas was 1,579,841 for the school year 1938-39. The total number of public schools was 11,540, of which approximately 1,300 were high schools. Of the 1,291,911 children actually enrolled at date of the last available school census, 307,652 were in high school, and 983,259 in the lower grades. The state contributes about $42,000,000 annually to the support of the public schools, revenues coming largely from sales tax on gasoline and gross receipts tax on petroleum, but with some contributions from ad valorem, cigarette sales, and poll taxes, miscellaneous fees paid by corporations, and by supplementary appropriations from the general fund. The available school fund is apportioned annually on the basis of about $22 per capita for each pupil. In addition, about $6,500,000 annually is distributed to the poorer districts from a special equalization fund. White teachers' salaries, exclusive of administrative positions, average about $1,200 annually; Negro teachers' salaries about $750.

The principal public issues relating to the public schools during 1940 were: (1) reorganization of the entire system for the purpose of more unified administration; and (2) maintenance of the teachers' retirement fund recently set up, into which the teachers have paid $6,500,000, whereas the state has defaulted in paying an equal amount as provided by statute.

Agriculture.

The value of crops produced in Texas during 1940 amounted to approximately $335,500,000, while income from livestock amounted to approximately $300,000,000, figures in both instances including both cash sales and the value of products consumed on farms. Increased yields of nearly all crops and livestock products, and somewhat higher prices in most instances, gave the farmers a larger income in 1940 than in the previous year.

The principal crops in 1940, with the production and farm value, were: Cotton, 3,285,000 bales, $147,825,000; cottonseed, 1,463,000 tons, $31,747,000; corn, 90,324,000 bu., $46,968,000; grain sorghums, 46,397,000 bu., $24,126,000; wheat, 29,355,000 bu., $18,787,000; oats, 37,125,000 bu., $10,395,000; rice, 16,005,000 bu., $11,684,000. Other crops included citrus fruits, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, peaches, pecans, and tomatoes.

Leading livestock products were beef, milk, and butter, wool and mohair, poultry products, including a large turkey crop, and pork. Agricultural developments were characterized during the year by a continued increase of feed crops and livestock development, to utilize land taken from cotton cultivation under the Federal agricultural program. The cotton acreage in Texas in 1940 was 8,721,000 A., as compared with an average of 16,200,000 A. for the 1927-29 period. Reduction in farm tenantry and the mechanization of farms were characteristic of 1940 and the immediately preceding years.

Mineral Products.

The total value of mineral production in Texas in 1940, according to preliminary estimate, was about $800,000,000, of which approximately 70 per cent was from petroleum. Severe proration of petroleum production, under orders of the Railroad Commission of Texas, maintained a steady crude market despite the increased production of oil in Illinois and some other states, and the increased national stocks of surplus gasoline.

It is chiefly her oil resources which make Texas the leading state in the Union for total mineral wealth. In 1939 the amount of petroleum produced from the Texas oil fields was 484,527,000 bbl. In addition, the state showed an 18 per cent increase in the output of natural gas, totaling 1,298,000,000 M. cu. ft. While sulphur production was below that of 1938, at 1,665,785 tons, the state still furnished 80 per cent of the total for the United States. Production of helium gas, in which Texas stands alone, was again increased in 1939, to 6,281,811 cu. ft.

Industry.

There is a developing iron, steel, and machinery manufacturing industry, especially in the coast cities, and an increasing production of chemicals. The most significant individual development of the year probably, was the beginning of erection of a plant of the Dow Chemical Company at Freeport for the extraction of magnesium from sea water, chiefly for use in aircraft manufacturing. Several airplane factories, shipbuilding plants, and other industries were begun late in 1940 as part of the national defense program. Industrial activity, somewhat dull in the early part of the year, was greatly quickened in the last months. The composite index of Texas business activity during 1940, as compiled by the Bureau of Business Research of the University of Texas, exceeded all post-depression levels.

Finance.

Total expenditures of the state government during the fiscal year ended August 31, 1940, were $165,717,612. The general fund continued to accumulate a deficit which amounted to $28,000,000 by the end of the fiscal year. Reform and simplification of the complicated administrative and fiscal systems of Texas has been an issue in recent years. The Texas constitutional provision for old-age pensions sets a maximum of $15 monthly from state funds, but state payments during 1940 averaged less than $10 due to failure of the legislative session of 1939 to find additional sources of revenue. During 1940 some headway toward integrating social security efforts was made by the State Board of Public Welfare, set up by the last Legislature to take the place of the Old-Age Assistance Commission and some other social agencies.

Political and Legislative Matters.

In state affairs, political interest during the year centered in the race of Governor W. Lee O'Daniel for re-election to a second term of two years, in opposition to seven opponents, including State Railroad Commissioner Ernest O. Thompson, and Mrs. M. A. Ferguson, a former Governor. The chief issue was old-age pensions. Governor O'Daniel won, with a majority in the first primary election. There was no session of the Legislature during 1940. The principal issues before the regular session which began in January, 1941, are again social security and state finance, as during the prolonged session of 1939.

State Officers.

Governor, W. Lee O'Daniel; Lieutenant Governor, Coke R. Stevenson; Secretary of State, M. O. Flowers; Comptroller of Public Accounts, George H. Sheppard; Treasurer, Charlie Lockhart; Auditor and Efficiency Expert, Tom C. King; Attorney General, Gerald C. Mann; Superintendent of Public Instruction, L. A. Woods.

United States Senators:

Tom Connally, Morris Sheppard.