1941: Utah

Area and Population.

Admitted to statehood Jan. 4, 1896, Utah ranks 10th in size among the states, with an area of 84,916 sq. mi., including 2,570 sq. mi. of inland water surface, according to remeasurements of the United States undertaken for the 16th census in 1940. In population it ranks 40th, numbering 550,310 according to the 1940 census. The majority are of the Teutonic and Nordic races, with 1,900 Negroes and a comparable number of Mexicans, Chinese, and Japanese. Salt Lake City, capital of the state, is the largest city, having a population of 149,934, with an additional 61,689 in the suburbs and adjacent towns, making a metropolitan population of 211,623. Other principal cities are Ogden, 43,688; Provo, 18,071; Logan, 11,868; Brigham, 5,642; Murray, 5,740.

Education.

In the 1941 school census an increase in the school population was recorded for the first time since 1933. There were 143,576 children of school age, 6-17 years inclusive, compared with 142,736 in 1940. Not since 1933, when there was an all-time high of 149,068, has there been an increase. In fact, each year since has shown a decline. The increase this year is due to the influx of population caused by defense activities. Of the total number of children of school age, 12,174 are 6-year-olds. This is the largest number in this age group in several years. There are 12,496 in the 17-year group. The census also shows that between the ages of 10 and 17 there are only 230 illiterates in the state.

The total expenditure for education in 1939-40 was $13,271,591.42, including salaries, which averaged $1,376.19 for the 4,608 teachers, principals, and supervisors in the elementary and high schools of Utah.

According to the 1940 biennial report, 393 elementary schools enrolled 78,394 pupils; 84 junior high schools enrolled 21,400 pupils; 76 senior high schools enrolled 37,427 pupils.

Almost every school community boasts an excellent school band. This is a favorite extra-curricular activity. Many outside activities are encouraged, and the membership in each of the following indicates how popular they are. Future Farmers has 3,500 members; the 4-H Clubs have an enrollment of 5,873, distributed through 239 communities; the Boy Scouts number 15,000; the Girl Scouts 1,398; and membership in the Girl Reserves is 600.

In June 1940 Utah was notified that $15,000,000 had been appropriated by the Federal Government for use in the vocational departments of trades and industries to train for national defense. This program was well under way during 1940-41, due to the cooperation of the schools. In the universities of the state, civilian aviation training was inaugurated, along with many classes in defense work and training for defense positions.

Mineral Products.

With a 38 per cent gain in 1940 in the total value of Utah's metals — gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc — bringing the amount to $86,585,499, the state ranked first in the Union in that regard. This was chiefly due to the increase in copper production, which rose even beyond the previous high of 1937, to 463,728,000 pounds. Utah still remained second however to Arizona for copper, although the rise in Utah was more than 33 per cent above 1939, when 343,780,000 pounds were valued at $35,753,120. Next in importance was gold, of which there were produced 355,494 oz. in 1940, worth $12,442,290. Silver, in which Utah ranks next to Idaho, amounted to 12, 172,299 oz., worth $8,655,857. Lead and zinc shared in the generally increased mineral production for the year, the former amounting to 76,688 tons, the latter to 43,788 tons.

Events of the Year.

The Deer Creek Dam in Provo Canyon has been completed ahead of the estimated schedule. This is the largest earth-filled dam constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation. The reservoir will extend six and one half miles above the dam into Heber Valley, and will hold 150,000 acre-feet of water. The Provo River Project, with the Deer Creek Dam and its two other divisions, Utah Lake and the aqueduct, will supply supplementary water for 100,000 acres of farm land in Utah and Salt Lake valleys.

Utah, with the other 47 states, has an important part in national defense. Many new industries are being established. A modern powder factory at Spanish Fork, built by the Illinois Powder Manufacturing Company, cost about $500,000. The small arms plant at Salt Lake City will be ready for production early in 1942. Built at a cost of $30,000,000 by the government, the production end will be turned over to the Remington Arms Company. Other defense plants operating now are the Utah General Depot at North Ogden, consisting of a supply and storage depot and warehouses; and Hill Field, an Ordnance Depot, at Clearfield.

Additions and improvements have been made to accommodate the Seventh Bombardment Squadron stationed at Fort Douglas. The municipal airport has been enlarged and improved, and barracks have been built at the airport to accommodate some of the men. During the year the Salt Lake Reception Center at Fort Douglas, comprising many new buildings, has been built to facilitate the induction of selectees into the army. The Wendover Bombing Range, another defense project, has had an appropriation of $1,500,000, which has been expended or contracted for. The government has advanced through RFC $126,000,000 for the further enlargement of the Columbia Steel Plant at Provo. This enlarged plant will turn out annually 1,550,000 tons of pig iron, 840,000 tons of open-hearth steel ingots, and 500,000 tons of steel plates, all for utilization on the Pacific Coast. Steady employment to 3,000 men will be given when the plant is completed.

Legislative Matters.

The time of the Legislature was almost entirely taken up with the consideration and passage of bills which reorganized the entire set-up of the state government. Governor Maw suggested in his message to the Legislature: (1) the elimination of the scores of boards, commissions, departments and other official agencies created by past Legislatures, which now carry on the state's function and spend the state's money; (2) the classification of the state's activities into as few units as possible; and (3) the creation of an organization to administer each classification.' The departments created during the session were: Finance, Engineering, Public Welfare, Lands and Water, Service and Inspection, Health, Publicity and Development, Board of Higher Education, Tax Commission, and the Liquor Commission. The heads of each of these departments are responsible directly to the Governor.

Finances.

Due to the reorganization of the state government during 1941, appropriations are now made as needed, through the Department of Finance, in almost all cases. The Department of Finance administers all state funds, including purchasing, state budgets, income from state lands, all state investments, state insurance fund, firemen's fund, teachers' retirement fund, and all other state funds formerly administered by state agencies.

An estimated budget was prepared, for the biennium 1941-43, of $9,886,281.06, with an estimated revenue of $7,438,500 plus $173,883.29 left from a surplus at the beginning of 1941. Public welfare expenditures during 1941, including $34,398 for child welfare, amounted to $8,891,645.

Reflecting an upward trend in business activity, Utah special tax collections in a five-months period from July 1 to November 30 increased 17.58 per cent over returns in the same period last year. These special taxes include: Income, and corporation franchise, beer, cigarette, inheritance, olcomargarine, sales and use, and gasoline. The special tax returns amounted to $5,805,401.07, compared with $4,937,244.30 during the same five-months period of 1940.

According to the biennium report issued in 1940, the state-chartered banks had total deposits of $86,815,669, and the national banks doing business in the state had total deposits of $74,138,893, making a total of $160,959,562.

State Officers.

Governor, Herbert B. Maw; Secretary of State, E. E. Monson; State Treasurer, Oliver G. Ellis; Auditor, Reese M. Reese; Attorney General, Grover A. Giles; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Charles H. Skidmore.

United States Senators:

Elbert D. Thomas, Abe Murdock.