1942: Illinois

Area and Population.

The area of Illinois is 56,665 sq. mi., which places it 23rd in size among the states. By the 1940 census, the state had a population of 7,897,241, comprising 73.6 per cent urban, and 26.4 per cent rural. The population included 387,446 Negroes, and 5,593 of other races than whites or Negroes. Among the foreign-born whites the largest groups are Poles, Germans, Italians, Swedes, Russians, and Czechs. Ranking third in population among the states, Illinois is ninth in density, with an average of 141.2 persons per sq. mi.

Chicago, with a population of 3,396,808, is the state's largest city, and the second largest in the nation. The cities which rank next in size in the state are Peoria, 105,087; Rockford, 84,637; East St. Louis, 75,609; and Springfield, the capital, 75,503.

Education.

The 1940 census gives Illinois 2,521,877 persons between the ages of 5 and 24. Of this number 58.1 per cent are enrolled in schools. Education is compulsory in Illinois between the ages of 7 and 16. Schools are supported by taxation and a state fund. The common-school expenditure for 1941-42 was $15,816,499.30. The latest school statistics give the state 12,015 public elementary-school districts, with 941,707 pupils and 34,134 teachers; also 973 high schools with 372,471 pupils and 14,795 teachers. The average annual salary of all teachers was $1,682.62. The state's schools of higher learning are now giving special defense courses to fit the students for military service or wartime vocations.

Closely related to the educational system is the public-library system headed by the State Library. For the administration of library service the state is divided into six regions, and a bookmobile is operated throughout the entire area. Illinois cooperated wholeheartedly in the Victory Book Campaign of 1942. At the end of the first eleven months approximately two million books had been collected, and a large percentage distributed to camps and USO centers here, as well as to the men abroad.

Agriculture.

Illinois is an important agricultural state, as nearly 90 per cent of its area is tillable. According to the latest census reports the state has 213,439 farms valued at $2,537,117,306, and averaging 145.4 acres each. The gross value of farm products in 1941 totaled $497,762,000, which was an increase of 43 per cent over that of 1940 and the highest since 1924. As usual corn was the leading crop, with a valuation of $276,940,000. Illinois is the nation's largest producer of soybeans, the 1941 crop being valued at $73,692,000. The State Department of Agriculture estimated that the 1942 corn crop would be 20,000,000 bu. less than that for 1941, and the soybean crop would be about 14,000,000 bu. more. Oats and wheat were also important among the 1941 crops. Truck crops were valued at about $5,527,000.

About two thirds of the gross market value of all agricultural products in Illinois comes from livestock and livestock products. The State Department of Agriculture requires strict regulation, quarantine, and inspection of livestock whenever necessary. Illinois ranks sixth among the states in the number of beef cattle, and fourth in the number of horses. The latter have steadily decreased since 1913, but on Jan. 1, 1941, there were 572,000 horses and colts on Illinois farms. The state is third in the value of poultry, and ranks high in egg production. Illinois produced about 6.2 per cent of the nation's total farm income in 1941. In 1942 the State Fair, under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, was cancelled, since the fair grounds at Springfield have been converted into a military reservation for the duration of the war.

Industry.

The war has had a marked influence on industry throughout Illinois. During 1942 many factories were reopened, others worked overtime and still others were converted from the manufacture of peacetime to wartime products. Meat packing, steel work, rolling mills, the manufacture of farm implements and electrical supplies, printing and publishing, make up the leading industries. Illinois has unusual facilities for the manufacture of synthetic rubber. A commission has been established to study the possibilities of such an industry, and it is believed that in the near future the manufacture of synthetic rubber may be highly important in the state.

Defense.

A special session of the 62nd General Assembly was called after our country's entrance into the war, to make provision for state defense. A state Council of Defense was established, money was appropriated for the Illinois Reserve Militia, certain measures were taken to guard the health and defense of the state, and punishment provided for the stealing of motor vehicle tires. Local organizations for civilian defense were set up over the state. In addition to the defense projects started in 1940-41, an ordnance plant, one of the largest, was begun at Illiopolis during 1942.

Finance.

The state's total gross debt outstanding in 1941 was $160,783,000.

State Officers.

Governor, Dwight H. Green; Lieutenant Governor, Hugh Cross; Auditor, Arthur C. Lueder; Treasurer, William G. Stratton; Attorney General, George F. Barrett; Secretary of State, Edward J. Hughes; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Vernon Nickell.

United States Senators:

Scott W. Lucas, C. Wayland Brooks.