1941: Nevada

Area and Population.

Admitted to statehood Oct. 31, 1864, Nevada ranks 6th in size among the states, with an area of 110,540 sq. mi.; included in this total area are 738 sq. mi. of inland water surface. In population the state ranks 48th, numbering 110,247 according to the United States census of 1940, an increase of 21.1 per cent since 1930. Reno, Nevada's largest city, has a population of 21,317. The next largest city is Las Vegas, 8,422. The capital, Carson City, with 2,478, is by far the smallest capital city in the United States. The population is racially divided as follows; native white, 93,431, foreign-born white 10,599, other races 6,217. The total area of Indian reservations and settlements is approximately 800,000 A., with an Indian population of 5,891.

Education.

In 1940-41 the total school enrollment was 21,695, a substantial increase over that of the 1939-1940 school year. Enrollment was divided as follows: kindergarten, 931; elementary schools, 14,853; high schools, 5,911. The number of elementary schools was 240, high schools 40, and kindergartens, 15. The state employed 928 teachers, of whom 284 were men and 644 women. Their compensation in salaries totalled $1,528,734.00. The average yearly salary paid in 1941 to teachers in the elementary schools was $1,449, as compared with $1,433 in the 1930-1940 school year; and $1,883 to high-school teachers, as compared with $1,866 in the previous school year. There were 1,581 pupils graduated in the elementary schools in 1941, and 1,055 pupils in the high schools. The total amount paid for education in Nevada during the 1940-41 school year was $2,894,156.40.

The 1941 State Legislature provided an increased amount for educational programs, including the financing of the already planned building program at the University of Nevada. Through the active cooperation of the Department of Education, shop facilities were added in many schools, as a material aid to the National Defense program.

Agriculture.

On April 1, 1940, Nevada had 3,573 farms with a farm area of 3,785,116 A., of which 451,688 were crop land. On January 1, 1942, there were in the state 338,501 beef cattle, 19,720 dairy cows, 15,522 swine, 513,541 sheep, 204,806 chickens, 7,210 turkeys, 410 geese and 10,233 beehives on farms. Horses numbered 35,154, and mules 1,257. The total value of livestock on farms on April 1, 1941, was $21,272,363.

Industry.

The approximate totals of production of industry in Nevada during 1941 were as follows: value of manufacturing $20,581,713; wholesale gross sales $23,249,000, retail gross sales, $61,828,000; agricultural products, sold and used, $12,132,935; mineral production, $40,000,000; a grand estimated total production of $170,000,000.

Minerals.

The total value of the gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc produced from ores, old tailings, and gravels in Nevada exceeded in 1940 any year since 1918, according to statistics of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. Gold production expanded slightly, and large increases over 1939 were recorded in both quantity and value of each of the four metals. Gold production in Nevada in 1940 was 383,933 fine ounces, with a value of $13,437,655, greater than in any year since 1912; silver, 5,175,928 fine ounces, valued at $3,680,660; copper, 156,908,000 pounds, valued at $17,730,604; lead, 7,998,000 pounds, worth $749,900; and zinc, 23,366,000 pounds, valued at $1,490,958. The total value was $37,089,777. These figures compare with a production in 1939 of 361,518 ounces of gold, 4,316,029 ounces of silver, 133,194,000 pounds of copper, 8,472,000 pounds of lead, and 12,456,000 pounds of zinc — valued in all at $30,480,870.

Nevada's copper output in 1940 increased 14 per cent in quantity and 24 per cent in value over 1939, and was greater in quantity than in any year since 1928, and in value since 1937. In the Robinson district of White Pine County, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Corporation (largest industrial enterprise in the state), continued to hold its position as the state's leading copper producer; this company also operated the McGill copper smelter, the only smelter in Nevada. The Pioche district of Lincoln county accounted for over 60 per cent of the lead production, and almost 90 per cent of the zinc production.

The production of all strategic metals was greatly increased. Tungsten production was 1,748 short tons, the Mill City mines being the largest individual source of tungsten ores in the United States. Mercury and antimony production increased. Nevada will shortly commence heavy production of magnesite; two plants designed to produce metallic magnesium, having a combined capacity of over 60,000 tons of the metal, were planned for operation early in 1942.

Nevada ranks first in the United States in the production of turquoise. Many other semi-precious gems are mined in the state, among them wonderstone, precious opal, rose quartz, lapis-lazuli and bloodstones are especially noted.

Legislative Matters.

In spite of the fact that a legislative session was held in 1941, little of outstanding importance occurred. Much of the activity of the State Legislature could better be classed as shaping events for the coming year, rather than having immediate effect at the time they occurred. Possibly the passage of a driver's license law, approved on March 31, 1941, was the outstanding piece of constructive legislation; this law became effective on July 1, 1941 and has been well administered by the State Highway Department. The passage of a law to permit bookmaking in Nevada, and the passage of large appropriation bills for the benefit of the State University and State Prison, were also noteworthy.

There was continuance of freedom from harassing taxation; no state taxes on income, inheritance, estates, or such intangibles as stocks, bonds, notes, mortgages, bank deposits or securities, and no sales taxes. This demonstrated a continuance of the same sound business principles that have given Nevada a balanced budget and a treasury surplus.

Political and Other Events.

Political activities in Nevada were completely overshadowed by the World War. The appointment of Hugh A. Shamberger as Director of the State Council of Defense by Governor E. P. Carville, resulted in Nevada having a State Council months in advance of America's entry into the World War. The Council was financed by an emergency appropriation of $10,000.00 passed by the 1941 Legislature.

The biggest defense expenditure in Nevada was the commencement of construction of a magnesium plant at Las Vegas, at an estimated cost of $63,000,000, and the development of magnesite at Brucite and Gabbs Valley, with attendant plant construction. The naval ammunition depot near Hawthorne was improved and enlarged at heavy expense. The development of military airports throughout Nevada, as at Reno, Carson City, Austin, and Fallon, was another important defense item.

On Admission Day, October 31, 1941, the former United States Mint building at Carson City was officially dedicated and opened to the public as the Nevada State Museum.

Finance.

The state of Nevada has a treasury surplus and has no bonded debt to outside interests, due to the fact that all outstanding bonds are held by state departments, having been purchased for the benefit of state trust funds. The bonded debt as of June 30, 1941, was $542,000. Trust funds, not including the Nevada Industrial Commission's funds, comprised investments with a par value of $3,390,533.79. Trust funds of the Nevada Industrial Commission, as of June 30, 1941, had a par value of $2,672,000. Nevada received $2,115,580.43 for highway construction and improvements during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1941.

The state relief expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1941, were as follows:

Total resources of the 3 savings and loan associations for the calendar year ending Dec. 31, 1941, were $305,575.75. There were 7 National Banks, one of which, the First National Bank of Nevada, had 10 branches operating in Nevada. The combined resources of these banks was $44,712,000, and their deposits, as of June 30, 1941, were $41,153,000. There were 6 State banks with deposits, as of Dec. 31, 1941, of $41,300,000.

State Officers.

Governor, E. P. Carville; Lieutenant Governor, Maurice J. Sullivan; Secretary of State, Malcolm McEachin; State Treasurer, Dan W. Franks; Attorney General, Gray Mashburn; State Controller, Henry C. Schmidt; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mildred Bray; State Auditor, Don G. LaRue.

United States Senators:

Pat McCarran, Berkeley Lloyd Bunker.