1941: Indiana

Area and Population.

Admitted to statehood Dec. 11, 1816, Indiana ranks 37th in size among the states, with an area of 36,291 sq. mi., including 86 sq. mi. of inland water surface, according to remeasurements of the United States undertaken for the 16th census in 1940. In population it ranks 12th, numbering 3,427,796 according to the 1940 census. Indianapolis, the capital, is the largest city, with a population in 1940 of 386,972, and estimated at the end of 1941 to be more than 400,000. Other important cities — all manufacturing centers — with their populations in 1940 are: Fort Wayne, 118,410; Gary, 111,719; South Bend, 101,268; Evansville (whose city limits exclude a considerable metropolitan area), 97,062; Hammond, 70,184; Terre Haute, 62,693; East Chicago, 54,637; and Muncie, 49,720. The census of 1940 placed the center of population of the United States for the sixth time in Indiana — in Sullivan County, two miles southeast of Carlisle.

Education.

In the school year 1940-41 there were in Indiana 2,102 elementary schools, 674 combined elementary and high schools, and 165 senior, junior-senior, and junior high schools. The enrollment in elementary grades was 459,434; in secondary school grades 196,795. A college degree is now required for a license to teach in the elementary, as well as in the secondary grades. The state contributes $700 per teaching unit to the salary of elementary and high school teachers. The average salary of all teachers in 1940-41 was $1,321.15. The expenditure for public schools was $52,932,410; the tuition fund support for schools from the proceeds of the gross income tax was $13,677,300, and the total distributed to the schools by the state was $19,956,198.

Agriculture.

The marked shortage of precipitation noted in recent years continued in 1941. On Dec. 30 the Indianapolis office of the weather bureau reported an accumulated deficiency since Jan. 1 of 10.67 inches. The drought is being combatted by means of dams in the creeks and runs — the Indianapolis Water Company is building a ten-mile reservoir in Fall Creek, above the city — but in many parts of the state surface wells were dry for a considerable period during 1941, and farmers had to haul water. The extensive and growing use of hybrid corn for seed, has, among other results, largely offset the effect of the lack of moisture upon that crop.

Mineral Products.

National increases in industrial production during 1940, due to defense needs, were reflected in Indiana's figures for two special items in which the state ranks third in the Union: pig-iron and open-hearth steel. The latter rose to a total of 8,421,956 tons, compared with 6,486,502 in 1939; and shipments of the former advanced to 5,333,915 tons with a value of $97,407,800, compared with 3,780,364 tons valued at $68,164,618 in the previous year. Coal too was mined in greater quantities, totaling 18,565,000 tons; and production of coke, for which the state ranks also third, advanced to 6,412,700 tons, from 4,878,033 tons in 1939.

Legislation.

The biennial session of the General Assembly, January-March, was marked by the attempt of the Republican majority in both Houses to abolish the centralization of authority in the hands of the Governor, especially of appointive power, as effected in the McNutt administration. The present Governor is a Democrat. Bills were passed, over the Governor's veto, placing this power in three-men boards consisting of the Governor and two other elected officials (all of whom were Republicans). This, however, was declared unconstitutional by the Indiana Supreme Court on June 26, and the appointive power remained with the Governor and the heads of the various departments and offices. The so-called 'reorganization act' of 1933, however, was repealed, and the highly centralized system it established was broken up. Prohibited also was the levying of contributions of a percentage of the salaries of state employees, by political organizations such as the 'two per cent club.'

A State Personnel Act established a merit system of appointment and tenure of office in the Department of Public Welfare (where such a system had already been effected to comply with Federal requirements), in the State Board of Health, the State penal, correctional and charitable institutions, the Library and Historical Department, and several other agencies.

The acquisition by the Federal Government largely through private subscriptions, of the Cox woods in Orange county, one of the few tracts of virgin timber left in Indiana, and the addition of 39,000 A. to Federal forests in 1940 and 1941, making a total of 72,465 A. approved by the National Forest Reservation Commission, were significant of the growth of the conservation movement. The year 1941 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the first state parks: Turkey Run, Centennial and McCormick Creek parks. The state now has more than 14,000 A. in state parks; well over 100,000 A. in state forests; and more than 110,000 A. in private ownership, in supervised forest land classification.

Defense.

Munition plants and other national defense works put into operation during the year were the powder plant at Charlestown, the largest in the world, the ordnance proving ground at Madison, the Kingsbury ordnance plant in La Porte County, and the Burns City powder storage plant. Construction of a naval ordnance plant near Indianapolis was begun in 1941, and other defense plants were projected. Contracts for military, naval, and aeronautic equipment were distributed among most of the manufacturing cities of the state, the largest aggregate being in Indianapolis.

Finances.

The total receipts of the state treasury, during the year July 1, 1940, to June 30, 1941, were $147,043,855; disbursements were $143,175,941. The state, as such, has no standing debt, but four state institutions had debts of $7,421,000 at the end of the fiscal year. The total debt of counties, cities and towns, townships and school units was $149,039,138, and the local special assessment debt of counties, cities and towns was $16,061,906.

The State Department of Public Welfare, in the year ending June 30, 1941, recorded payments for relief of $6,672,186; and for unemployment compensation, $6,717,499.

Banking.

On June 30 there were 382 state and 124 national banks in Indiana. The capital resources of the two groups amounted respectively to $59,517,849 and $51,840,441; deposits, $504,974,209, and $592,845,963; cash and balances with banks $180,798,422 and $233,082,918; U. S. government securities $116,959,487 and $173,243,067; state, county, and municipal bonds $21,731,582 and $35,879,860; general market bonds $27,461,467 and $30,567,039; loans and discounts $202,843,201 and $165,196,656.

State Officers.

Governor, Henry F. Schricker; Lieutenant-Governor, Charles M. Dawson; Secretary of State, James M. Tucker; Auditor, Richard T. James; Treasurer, James M. Givens; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Clement T. Malan; Attorney General, George N. Beamer.

United States Senators:

Frederick Van Nuys, Raymond E. Willis.