1942: Minnesota

Area and Population.

Minnesota, in the north central part of the United States, is known popularly as the 'Gopher State.' It has an area of 84,068 sq. mi., of which 4,059 are surface water. According to the 1940 census the population was 2,792,300, an increase of 228,347, or 8.9 per cent, over that of 1930. The rural population makes up 50.2 per cent of the total. The foreign-born white inhabitants numbered 294,904 in 1940. Included in this group were 67,161 Swedes; 52,025 Norwegians; 42,047 Germans; 22,060 Canadians; and 20,152 Finns. The largest cities are Minneapolis, 492,370; St. Paul, the capital, 287,736; Duluth, 101,065; Rochester, 26,312; St. Cloud, 24,173; and Winona, 22,490.

Education.

In 1941-42 the 8,339 elementary school districts of the state had 325,247 pupils, and 661 public accredited secondary schools had 187,612 pupils. The total public-school expenditure in 1940-41 was $54,787,998. The average monthly salary for teachers in the elementary and high schools, outside of the three cities of the first class, is $137. Teachers in the ungraded schools receive an average monthly salary of $76.

Agriculture.

In 1941 Minnesota had 178,965 farms, with a total area of 30,857,747 acres. The gross income from crops was $289,055,000; from livestock and livestock products, $370,558,000; and from government payments, $19,619,000. Originally a wheat-growing state, Minnesota now is noted principally for its livestock and dairy products. Poultry and egg production alone exceed $20,000,000 annually. Minnesota produces more butter than any other state. It also ranks among the first in the production of barley, corn, and oats. The farmers' total cash income in August 1942, was increased 36 per cent over the same period in 1941, and reached a new high of $130,000,000.

The livestock market at South St. Paul in 1942 was the second largest in the nation. Other important industries in the state are meat packing, valued at $198,124,044 in 1939; butter making, $78,029,000; and flour and grain milling, $67,437,432.

Mining.

It is estimated that the 1941 output of iron ore mined in Minnesota was 64,000,000 long tons, with a value of approximately $160,000,000, increasing by one-third the output of the previous year. Two-thirds of the iron ore mined in the United States comes from Minnesota.

Industry.

According to the 1940 census, there were 6,460 wholesale establishments in the state employing 37,523 persons with an annual payroll of $60,716,000. There were 40,448 retail stores with 106,282 employees and a payroll of $104,204,000. Minnesota wage totals were up 27 per cent for the first six months of 1942.

Political and Other Events.

In the November election Governor Harold E. Stassen and Senator Joseph H. Ball were re-elected by large majorities. Governor Stassen announced before the primaries that if elected he would resign at the end of four months to enter active service in the Navy. Consequently the race for lieutenant governor, normally not of very wide interest, this year assumed unusual importance. Ed Thye, the Governor's choice, was elected. The Republican state-wide ticket was elected to give that party control, for the first time in ten years, of every elective office in the state. The Republicans will have majorities in the Senate and House of the State Legislature, which convenes in January, 1943. Only one Congressional seat was lost by the Republicans, Harold Hagen, a Farmer Labor candidate, being elected in the ninth district.

Minnesota industry is mobilized for war with many war-production activities in the state. Defense is also well organized on the home front, with a total of about 143,000 volunteers, including 6,200 home guards, air raid wardens, auxiliary police and firemen, and a group of 4,000 women known as Victory Aides.

Finance.

Total receipts and disbursements for all funds for the year ending June 30, 1942, were $200,989,345 and $188,244,599 respectively. The state's four principal trust funds totaled $117,427,842 for the same period. Unpaid bonds and certificates of indebtedness in 1942 amounted to $106,064,533; and the assessed valuation of taxable property (1941) was $1,293,760,653. The state debt has been reduced from $133,775,313 on July 1, 1938, to $106,064,553 on July 1, 1942. There was a cash balance of $2,813,000 on June 30, 1942. A postwar reserve fund of nearly $10,000,000 is being accumulated to help absorb unemployment and to care for needed public works.

Social Welfare.

During the year ending June 30, 1942, $6,625,819 was spent on general relief in Minnesota. The relief case load over the past two years has been decreasing at the rate of 743 cases, or 3.3 per cent per month, exclusive of seasonal trends. In January 1942, 76,869 persons were reported to be on relief in the state — a reduction of 30 per cent over that of 1941. In old-age assistance 62,928 pensioners received a total of $18,009,045, or an average of $22.42 per month. On June 30, 1942, there were 15,390 persons employed on WPA projects compared with 28,915 persons a year ago. A total of $4,147,532 was spent on dependent children in 1942; $353,802 was spent on the blind; and $803,878 was spent for disabled veterans.

Banking.

On June 30, 1942, Minnesota had 486 state banks, 1 mutual savings bank, and 4 trust companies, with deposits of $334,641,655; 186 national banks had deposits of $909,903,000 and resources of $999,640,000.

State Officers.

Governor, Harold E. Stassen; Lieutenant Governor, Ed Thye; Secretary of State, Mike Holm; Treasurer, Julius A. Schmahl; Auditor, Stafford King; Attorney General, J. A. A. Burnquist; Commissioner of Education, H. E. Flynn.

United States Senators:

Henrik Shipstead, Joseph H. Ball.