1942: Ohio

Area and Population.

Ohio, the first state to be formed out of the Northwest Territory, was admitted to the Union in February 1803. It includes 41,112 sq. mi. of land area, with 300 sq. mi. of inland waters. Most of the land surface is level or gently rolling but the Appalachian Plateau extends into eastern Ohio and there the land is hilly and moderately rugged. The highest elevation in the state is 1,550 ft. above sea level.

The total population of Ohio (census of 1940) is 6,907,612, including 520,773 of foreign birth (7.5 per cent) and 339,461 Negroes (4.9 per cent). Two-thirds of all the inhabitants live in cities of 2,500 or more. The state has eight cities with populations of 100,000, or more each: Cleveland, 878,306; Cincinnati, 455,610; Columbus (the capital), 306,087; Toledo, 282,349; Akron, 244,791; Dayton, 210,718; Youngstown, 167,720; and Canton, 108,401.

Education.

During the 1941-42 school year Ohio spent $141,539,586 for elementary and secondary public education. The school-age population was 1,404,918 and the total enrollment in public schools was 1,177,444, a decrease of 25,088 from 1940-1941. There were 21,652 pupils in kindergartens, 665,307 in elementary schools, 21,384 in special classes, 83,837 in junior high schools, 68,871 in senior high schools, 183,898 in six-year high schools, 127,993 in four-year high schools, 4,229 in vocational schools and 273 in high school postgraduate courses. In addition, there were 149,114 pupils in parochial schools and 7,309 in private academies.

The total number of public schools was 5,078, of which 3,828 were elementary, 127 junior high and 1,123 high schools. The state's 40,630 public-school teachers had average salaries of $1,471 in elementary grades, and $1,700 in high schools.

Agriculture.

Ohio is a state of diversified farming and, in 1942, corn, wheat, hay, oats and soybeans continued to be the most valuable field crops. Other major sources of farm income were livestock, poultry and dairy products.

Industry.

The index for pay rolls (1935-39=100) rose to 238 in September 1942, from an average of 170 for the year 1941. Similarly, the index for the number of employed persons increased from 126, the average for 1941, to 144 in September 1942. Increased employment and pay rolls were particularly apparent in the production of machine tools, foundry products, and drop forgings. The value index of non-residential construction reached 412 in July 1942.

Legislative Matters.

Since the Ohio Legislature convenes regularly only in odd years there was no session in 1942. There was, however, considerable demand for a special session to distribute a part or all of the surplus in the State Treasury to units of local government, particularly in the larger cities. This demand was refused by Governor Bricker.

Elections.

Ohio went Republican by a wide margin in the November elections. Governor John W. Bricker carried 86 of the 88 counties of the state and defeated his Democratic opponent, John McSweeney, by a vote of 1,086,937 to 709,599, thus becoming the first Republican Governor of Ohio to be re-elected for a third consecutive term. A total of 20 Republicans and three Democrats were elected to the United States House of Representatives as compared with 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats in 1940. (Ohio lost one seat in the recent reapportionment.) Both houses of the 1943-1944 State Legislature will be dominated by large Republican majorities.

Defense.

The 37th Division, formed from the Ohio National Guard, was sent overseas during 1942. Ohio also contributed its full share to the total number of men enlisted or inducted through Selective Service. The state continued to rank high in the production of materials for the war effort, particularly machine tools, planes, ground vehicles, aviation engines, automotive parts, rubber products, iron and steel. Numerous induction and training centers were located within the state, in addition to ordnance proving grounds and important shell-loading plants. Many colleges and universities introduced accelerated programs and special training classes for civilian defense workers and members of the armed forces.

Finance.

The legislative appropriation was $352,924,819.24 for the biennium, Jan. 1, 1941, to Dec. 31, 1942. Total expenditures in 1941 were $182,486,382.90. Included in this sum were $52,612,769.37 for public schools, $38,959,400.59 for old-age assistance and $17,904,029.23 for poor relief, a total of $109,476,199.19. Also included were expenditures of $11,947,012.58 for additions and betterments. At the end of 1941 the net treasury balance was $13,218,018.02. This surplus was increased to an estimated $27,000,000 by the end of 1942.

Unemployment Compensation.

During 1942 there was an increase over the previous year in the number of claims filed for unemployment compensation, but this can be attributed to the large amount of temporary unemployment during the period of conversion to defense production early in the year. Only 6,498 new claims were filed in October 1942, a decrease of 68 per cent from the corresponding month of 1941. The average weekly benefit for total unemployment was $12.27 in 1942. This was an increase of $2.17 per week over 1941, due to the adoption of a $5.00 minimum, an increase of the maximum from $16.00 to $18.00, and the new use of highest quarterly earnings as a base for computing benefits.

Old-Age Assistance.

Recipients of old-age assistance in Ohio in 1942 numbered 138,705, a slight decrease from 1941. The average monthly allowance advanced to a new high of $26.81, an increase of $3.26 over 1941.

State Officers.

Governor, John W. Bricker; Lieutenant-Governor, Paul M. Herbert; Secretary of State, Edward J. Hummel; Treasurer, Don H. Ebright; Auditor, Joseph T. Ferguson; Attorney General, Thomas J. Herbert; Director of Education, Kenneth C. Ray.

United States Senators:

Robert A. Taft, Harold H. Burton.