1942: Washington

Area and Population.

The state of Washington, in the northwest corner of continental United States, has an area of 68,192 sq. mi, ranking it 19th among the states, and a population of 1,736,191 (1940) ranking it 30th in that regard. This was an increase of 172,795, or 11.1 per cent over the 1930 census figure.

The leading cities, with their 1940 population figures, are: Seattle (368,302), Spokane (122,001), and Tacoma (109,408). Important cities of less than 100,000 population include: Everett (30,224), Bellingham (29,314), Yakima (27,221), Aberdeen (18,846), Vancouver (18,788), Walla Walla (18,109), and Olympia, the capital (13,254). These figures have been raised substantially in the cases of Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Bremerton, and Vancouver, as centers of defense industries and military and naval posts. Seattle increased to an estimated population of more than 500,000 in 1942. Even greater proportionate increases are estimated for Bremerton and Vancouver, shipbuilding centers which have more than doubled in population in the past two years. The more spectacular increase of the two was experienced by Vancouver, which was formerly chiefly a trading center for an agricultural hinterland. The location there of a Kaiser shipyard and an aluminum plant have brought unprecedented demands for over-night expansion of such social services as schools, streets, public housing projects, sanitation facilities, and recreation.

Race problems do not loom large in the state of Washington, where less than 3 per cent of the total population is non-white. This fact facilitated the recent wartime re-location of persons of Japanese descent, with a minimum of social friction. Among the countries ranking highest in the contribution of foreign-born residents to the population of the state are Sweden, Norway, Germany, and England.

Education.

Education is free and compulsory through the elementary school years. Schooling is furnished through 2,095 local public school districts. Of the total, 379 are rural districts maintaining one-room schools. The total enrollment in public day schools for the year ending June 30, 1942, was 388,688.

The state current operating expense for public schools during the year 1941-42 was $32,845,972. The average salary (including superintendents, principals, supervisors, and teachers) was $1,756 ($1,941 for men; $1,672 for women). The average for teachers in one-room schools was $1,248.

One of the most significant educational developments of the past year was the progress made in school district reorganization and consolidation. On Dec. 11, the State Committee reported that a total of 354 former districts had merged into 57 new districts since Jan. 1, thus effecting substantial financial savings.

Another significant development of the year was the distribution of substantial emergency grants of state and Federal aid to hard-pressed defense communities which have experienced abnormal population increases.

Agriculture and Industry.

The financial status of Washington agriculture improved steadily during 1942, largely due to the stimulus of the war effort. In certain areas adjacent to military and naval posts and large defense industry centers, farmers benefited from increases in the price of bottled milk. Prices for other dairy products and for meat likewise netted farmers substantial increases. Many sections of the state experienced acute shortages of agricultural labor during the harvest season, which at times seriously threatened the saving of crops. However, appeals to civic pride and duty brought sufficient after-hour help from the ranks of urban labor to prevent serious crop losses.

All lines of industry experienced greater or lesser labor shortages during the year, due to manpower demands made by the armed forces and to the incentive of high wages in defense industries.

As in the first World War, the present conflict makes heavy demands on the timber resources of the state, which form its basic industry. By the end of the year, it was announced that 2,500,000 tons of critical materials were being released for defense use through substitution of wood products, including enough steel for construction of 100,000 medium tanks. Such substitutions of wood for metal are made in army trucks, aircraft, boats, railroad cars, storage batteries, trailers, and containers. Until September, lumber workers migrated in large numbers to higher paying jobs in shipyards and similar strictly defense industries. At that time, the Government 'froze' workers in the lumber industry.

Legislative Matters.

Since the state Legislature holds its regular sessions in odd-numbered years, legislative developments of 1942 were restricted to items of popular legislation. Initiative 151, providing for liberalized old-age assistance payments, was defeated at the polls. A proposed constitutional amendment which would empower the Legislature to levy a state income tax also failed.

A great deal of interest attached to pre-legislative activity of the State Grange, which obtained signatures to petitions that would ensure legislative consideration for a bill enabling public utility districts to condemn and purchase private power properties on a state-wide or regional basis, instead of being restricted to county-wide limits as in the past.

One of the greatest challenges facing the people of the state is that of forest conservation. Governor Langlie has already made public the text of a bill which he will present to the 1943 legislature on this subject. This measure would establish a new state forest board to control fire protection, reforestation, state timber sales, and all other such matters now under separate agencies. This measure would also provide for state control of logging practices on private lands, and provide for sustained yield methods of timber production and harvesting.

Defense Production.

The greatest expansion in defense production occurred in the Puget Sound area, where estimates of the number of workers added during the year ran as high as 100,000, with promise of continued expansion during 1943. During the year, emphasis shifted from increased hirings at the large Boeing aircraft plant in Seattle to the five largest shipyards in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton area, which added some 23,000 employees in 1941 and approximately 45,000 in 1942. Most of the needs of these firms have been for skilled labor, the most difficult of all to secure. Such difficulties have necessitated resort chiefly to in-service training, and up-grading of present employees. A potential labor supply of the greatest importance consists of women, who invaded shipbuilding and aeronautic crafts in increasing numbers during the year. The chief problems of defense employment are expansion of housing facilities for incoming workers, increase of pre-employment and in-service training programs, and full utilization of woman power. Attendant problems include transportation, recreation, hospitalization, and education.

Finances.

The state budget for the 1941-43 biennium (April 1 to March 31) totals $256,694,351, of which $74,061,877 (including Federal aid) is for social security (exclusive of unemployment compensation and industrial accident compensation).

While gasoline rationing has made a cut in the gas tax revenue used for highway construction and repair, there has also been a decreased need for road construction and repair, caused by decreased usage.

State Officials.

Governor, Arthur B. Langlie; Lieut.-Gov., Victor A. Meyers; Secretary of State, Belle Reeves; State Treasurer, Otto Case; State Auditor, Cliff Yelle; Attorney General, Smith Troy; Supt. of Public Instruction, Pearl A. Wanamaker.

United States Senators:

Homer T. Bone, Monrad C. Wallgren.