1942: Maryland

Area and Population.

With an area of 10,577 sq. mi., including 690 sq. mi. of inland water surface, Maryland ranks 41st in size among the states. The population was 1,821,244, according to the 1940 census, ranking the state 28th in that regard. Negroes comprise 16.6 per cent of the total population, numbering 301,931; other races total 832.

Baltimore, the largest city, and chief commercial and financial center of Maryland, ranked 7th in size among the cities of the United States, according to the 1940 census, with a population of 859,100. An estimate made recently by the Post Office Department placed the population in 1942 at well over 1,000,000. Other large cities in the state are, Cumberland, 39,483; and Hagerstown, 32,491. The capital is Annapolis, with 13,069.

Education.

The total enrollment, in 1941-42, in the state's 1,233 public schools was 398,029, and there were 5,350 elementary and 3,547 high and vocational teachers. Current expenditures for public education amounted to $22,052,982. Equalization of salaries of Negro with white teachers went into effect in January 1942, as a result of 1941 legislation and state aid included in the supplementary budget.

Since Pearl Harbor, the teachers and school officials have made cooperation with the nation's war effort a major objective. This effort has centered around the following activities: Training of children and adults in first-aid and air-raid precautions; promoting the sale of war stamps and bonds; aiding in the campaign for the collection of paper, rubber and scrap metal; accelerating and adjusting the school program to prepare youth more quickly for employment; professional training for aid in the agricultural program and service in the armed forces. Because of Maryland's proximity to Washington, with its need for additional government workers, together with the number of war industries in the state, and enlistment in the armed services, the loss of teachers, especially from high schools in certain counties, became increasingly alarming. The consolidation of schools, coupled with transportation of pupils to more distant centers, continued.

Agriculture.

Production of most crops in Maryland in 1942 exceeded the figures for last year and the average for the last ten years. The growing season, on the whole, was more favorable than is experienced ordinarily. Prices for practically all farm products were relatively high and the chief factor which prevented the year from being especially favorable for agriculture was a serious shortage of farm labor. Maryland farmers were called upon for substantially increased production of milk, meat, eggs, poultry, tomatoes for canning, and soybeans. In addition, they were urged to grow as much as possible of their home food supply. In spite of great difficulties, farmers of the state exceeded their quota in practically all products. The dairy industry, which is the largest source of farm income, had to cope with a particularly difficult situation in its effort to meet the greatly increased demand for milk, due to increased population. The experienced, year-around labor essential to dairy farming, was most difficult to obtain and hold. Notwithstanding these difficulties, Maryland dairymen kept production above the preceding year's.

High prices for all kinds of livestock and the increased need for meat have encouraged expansion in the numbers of animals raised. The immense broiler industry on the Eastern Shore continued its rapid growth of the last few years. The fact that millions of pounds of chicken meat can be produced in a few weeks is making that industry an important factor in meeting the shortage of meat, and there is every indication that there will be a strong demand for increased production for at least the duration of the war. Egg production from January through September was 9 per cent above the same period last year. The commercial apple crop was above that of 1941, and the average; and while the peach crop was not quite up to 1941, it was above the average. In response to the call for oil-producing crops, Maryland farmers grew a record crop of soybeans, but encountered serious difficulty in saving them because of rainy weather and shortage of labor and machinery.

Industry and Defense.

Industrial employment in the Baltimore industrial area, including clerical, shipping, and all other employees for the year 1939, showed a total of 150,000 employees. A complete check of manufacturing companies shows that, as of May 1, 1942, this same area had 250,000 employees. It is estimated that approximately 202,000 of all manufacturing employees are now working in war industries in the Baltimore industrial area. In 1941, there were only 40,000 engaged in such industries. Using the 1929-31 period as a basis of 100 per cent, industrial payrolls in May 1942 had increased to 284.4 per cent. Shipbuilding and aircraft manufacture account for a large proportion of the new workers.

Finance.

When the fiscal year ended on September 30, 1942, the state's cash balance stood at $26,779,085.72, a record increase of more than $4,000,000 over the 1941 cash balance, giving the state a surplus of $10,348,000, also the highest on record. The bonded indebtedness was further reduced by nearly $4,000,000, bringing the total state indebtedness to $36,359,000. Income from all sources during the fiscal year reached a new high of $78,492,727.37, which was over $11,000,000 more than for the same period last year. Disbursements for the same period were $74,391,507.59. The amount spent for relief totaled $3,989,067.28; in addition to this amount, however, Federal relief funds disbursed amounted to $3,381,392.68. Because of Maryland's excellent financial condition at the close of the fiscal year, Governor O'Conor stated that a further reduction in the state tax rate, now the lowest in eighty years, would be possible, also the reduction or elimination of the state income tax, and that for the first time it would not be necessary to float a bond issue during the next two years.

Banking.

On June 30, 1942, Maryland had 63 National Banks with deposits of $447,953,000, loans of $75,312,000 and investments of $223,234,000. The 112 State Banks had deposits of $434,177,415, loans of $125,507,134, and investments of $204,055,104. The 11 mutual savings institutions had deposits of $255,643,949, loans of $35,815,928, and investments of $183,550,358.

Legislation.

As Maryland's General Assembly meets in odd years, there was no special session in 1942. The Legislative Council, which showed such excellent results during the last session of the Legislature, however, held numerous meetings during the year, and it is expected that they will have a definite program to present to the 1943 Legislature.

Politics and Elections.

So slim was the chance thought to be of a Republican being elected over Governor O'Conor, that up to a few days before the deadline for candidates to file for election, no Republican gubernatorial candidate had appeared. Finally, Theodore R. McKeldin, a public speaker of Baltimore City, was 'drafted' to run against the Governor. A dull and lifeless campaign followed, and it was not until the first election returns started to roll in that surprises came. McKeldin showed remarkable strength in the early returns from Baltimore. Final returns from the city gave O'Conor a lead of only 3,641 votes, the lowest majority received by a Democratic candidate for governor in twenty years. Governor O'Conor, however, picked up in the counties, and finally won with the slim majority of 16,817 votes. Daniel Ellison defeated his Democratic opponent, Joseph M. Wyatt, to become the first Republican Congressman from the Fourth Congressional District in nearly half a century.

State Officers.

Governor, Herbert R. O'Conor; Secretary of State, Thomas Elmo Jones; State Treasurer, Hooper S. Miles; Attorney General, William C. Walsh; State Comptroller, J. Millard Tawes; State Superintendent of Schools, Albert S. Cook; Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Milton A. Record.

United States Senators:

Millard E. Tydings; George L. Radcliffe.