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.

1941: Illinois

Area and Population.

Illinois, a north central state admitted to the Union Dec. 3, 1818, has an area of 56,665 sq. mi. The 1940 census gave the state 7,897,241 inhabitants, an increase of 3 per cent over the 1930 figures. Of these, 5,809,650 are urban and 2,087,591 rural. Chicago, with a population of 3,396,808, is the largest city in the state, and the second largest in the nation. The next ranking cities are: Peoria 105,087, Rockford 84,637, East St. Louis 75,609, and Springfield, the capital, 75,503.

The latest available statistics for racial proportions in Illinois, those of 1930, gave the following figures: 7,266,361 whites, 328,972 Negroes, 28,906 Mexicans, 5,946 Asiatics, and 469 Indians. Of foreign-born whites the leading nationalities are German, Polish, Swedish, Italian, Russian, and Czechoslovakian.

Education.

Education is compulsory for all between the ages of 7 and 16. Schools are supported by taxation, and a state fund, which for 1940-41 was $15,402,777.96. The 1938 school census gave Illinois 1,936,806 inhabitants of school age, of whom 84 per cent were enrolled in schools. By the 1939 statistics there were 11,445 public-school districts with 941,707 pupils, and 973 high schools with 372,461 pupils. They employed a total of 48,919 teachers. The average salary for teachers was $1,682.62. The state Legislature, in 1941, passed a law setting higher requirements for new public-school teachers, and another creating a commission to codify the state's education laws.

Closely related to the educational system is the public-library system, headed by the State Library. According to Statistics of the Libraries of Illinois published by the State Library in 1941 more books were distributed by libraries in 1940 than ever before. The State Library sponsors a bookmobile, which, during the period from December, 1940 to September, 1941, traveled 7,807 miles and distributed 29,288 books.

Agriculture.

Illinois is one of the important agricultural states. Nearly 90 per cent of its area is tillable. Crops and weather conditions vary widely, since the state extends 385 miles from north to south. The aggregate value of the principal crops for 1940 was $354,721,000. Corn led with a valuation of $205,991,000. Hybrid corn was grown extensively. Oats were second with a valuation of $45,749,000. The yields of oats and barley were the highest on record. The crop of soybeans, lower than that of the preceding year, was the largest grown by any state and was 44 per cent of the total production of the country. The apple and peach crops totaled less than in preceding years due to adverse weather conditions, but the pear and grape crops were larger than average. The year's total acreage of truck crops in the state was 16 per cent greater than in 1939 but 12 per cent below the ten year average, 1929-38.

Livestock.

Livestock on Illinois farms was valued, Jan. 1, 1941, at $255,217,000. The number of cattle had increased to 3,061,000 head. This number was exceeded only twice in the past seventy-four years. Dry, cool weather prevailed during 1940 and caused the most severe shortage of stock water in years. In 1940 Illinois ranked fifth among the states in income from milk and dairy products, second in chicken production, and sixth in egg production.

The world's largest grain and livestock markets are in Chicago. With the state's fine highways and many railroads, the marketing of farm products is not difficult, an important factor in the state's agricultural prosperity.

Industry.

Illinois, with her natural resources ranks high among manufacturing states. Meat packing, steel works, rolling mills, the manufacturing of farm products and electrical supplies, printing and publishing are the leading industries. Manufactured goods produced in 1939 were valued at $4,795,201,154.

During 1940-41 many industries expanded, especially those producing explosives, chemicals, airplane engines and guns. Building was also an important industry, largely due to defense. Major defense projects in Illinois were the new $25,000,000 munitions plant at Wilmington, barracks and other buildings at Camp Grant, a $1,400,000 veterans' hospital, a $10,000,000 modernization and expansion program at Chanute Field, a troop housing project at Savanna, expansion of the U. S. Arsenal at Rock Island, and of Scott Field, and improvements at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base in Chicago, Fort Sheridan, and the Great Lakes Naval Training Station.

Mineral Products.

Ranking sixth among the states for the total value of its mineral products, which amounted in 1939 to $210,295,738, Illinois made substantial gains in several items during 1940. This was especially evident in the production of petroleum, which rose to 146,788,000 bbl., compared with 94,302,000 bbl. valued at $101,200,000 in 1939, the Salem pool again being chiefly responsible for the great increase. Open-hearth steel, in which Illinois ranks fourth, totaled 4,963,457 tons, a gain of more than a million tons over 1939; and shipments of pig iron were also greatly expanded, the amount for 1940 being 4,093,623 tons, valued at $73,882,065, compared with 3,203,846 tons in 1939. The state rose to first place in the production of fluorspar, in 1940, the amount being 104,698 tons.

The rebuilding of Chicago's airport was also important. It is now the largest airport in the world, with 10,000,000 sq. ft. of runways.

Legislative and Other Matters.

The 62nd General Assembly convened in January, 1941. Some important bills passed, other than those already mentioned, were: modernization of Illinois aviation laws, poor relief and other relief measures, Federal-state aid to dependent children, extension of the Legislative Council until 1945, greater unemployment compensation and old-age assistance. A new state Department of Public Safety was created, which will handle public safety, penal administration, and the fight on crime.

In July it was announced by the Director of Public Works and Buildings, that Illinois will receive $5,000,000 as its share of a special Federal fund for construction and improvement of highways. The state will add one fourth of that amount.

Louis L. Emmerson, secretary of state from 1916 to 1928, and governor from 1929 to 1933, died on February 4, 1941. (See also MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.)

Finance.

The assessed value of all property in the state in 1939 was $5,293,228,751 of which $4,856,823,406 was real and personal property.

State Officers.

Governor, Dwight H. Green; Lieutenant Governor, Hugh Cross; Auditor, Arthur C. Lueder; Treasurer, Warren Wright; Attorney General, George F. Barrett; Secretary of State, Edward J. Hughes; Superintendent of Public Instruction, John A. Wieland.

United States Senators:

Scott W. Lucas, C. Wayland Brooks.

1940: Illinois

Area and Population.

Important both as an agricultural and industrial state, Illinois has an area of 56,665 sq. mi. In population, according to the 1940 census, it still ranks third among the states, the new figure being 7,897,241 compared with 7,630,654 in 1930, an increase of 3.5 per cent. The 1940 census figures for the largest cities are as follows: Chicago, 3,396,808; Peoria, 105,087; Rockford, 84,637; Springfield, the capital, 75,503; and East St. Louis, 75,609.

Education.

According to the 1938 school census, Illinois had 1,936,806 inhabitants of school age, 84 per cent of whom were enrolled in schools. For the school year ending June 1939, there were 11,445 public school districts with 941,707 pupils, and 973 high schools with 372,461 pupils, employing a total of 48,919 teachers. The average salary for teachers was $1,682.62. Schools are supported by local taxation, and a state fund which for 1939-40 was $13,872,726.27.

Illinois has 57 major colleges and universities, including five normal schools and the University of Illinois, which are supported by the state.

Agriculture.

Illinois is one of the leading agricultural states. Nearly 90 per cent of its area is land suitable for crops. According to the report of the State Department of Agriculture for 1939-40, Illinois has 231,000 farms with a total income of $531,396,000, placing Illinois fourth among the agricultural states. Livestock was valued at $250,185,000 and poultry at $14,132,000. Illinois produced more soybeans during 1939 than all other states combined. It ranked second in corn, sweet corn, and hogs; and third in oats, poultry and livestock.

With the world's largest grain and livestock markets located in Chicago, and with a fine highway system and numerous railroads, the marketing of farm products is not a difficult problem. These are all factors in the state's agricultural prosperity.

Industry.

With her natural resources in coal and petroleum, Illinois ranks among the leading manufacturing states. Meat-packing, steel works and rolling mills, the manufacture of agricultural implements and electrical supplies, printing and publishing, are the largest industries. By the 1937 statistics, the latest available, there were 11,764 industrial establishments in the state in that year. These produced goods valued at over five billion dollars.

Mineral Products.

The year 1939 brought notable increases in all the important minerals of Illinois. The amount of petroleum produced nearly quadrupled that of 1938, the total being 94,302,000 bbl. as against the already expanded production of 24,000,000 bbl. in the previous year. The Salem pool furnished about one half of the new extraordinary amount which ranked Illinois fourth among the oil-producing states. Illinois continued in third place for the mining of bituminous coal, with 46,450,000 tons. Doubled production of feldspar amounted to 75,257 tons. Open-hearth steel manufacture was increased from 1,950,224 tons to 3,292,345; with a relatively proportionate rise in Bessemer steel to 723,398 tons.

Finance.

On October 1, 1939, the bonded indebtedness of the state was $177,130,500. There was no floating debt. It has been the policy of the state to reduce the indebtedness each year and spend no more than can be expected in revenue.

The total disbursements by the Public Welfare Department during 1939 amounted to $52,549,317. Almost two-thirds of that amount was paid in old-age assistance to approximately 133,900 persons.

Legislative Matters.

The state's legislative body is called the General Assembly and is composed of two houses, the Senate with 51 members and the House of Representatives with 153 members. They meet biennially in the odd years. A special session was called by Governor Horner in April 1940, at which the following were the most important laws passed: an appropriation of $5,200,000 for old-age assistance, and an amendment to increase the maximum monthly pension from $30 to $40; an amendment to the Unemployment Compensation Act to remove taxes (payable by employers) from employees' salaries of $3000; and a bill providing for construction and operation of processing plants to convert Illinois coal into smokeless fuel.

Political Events.

The state was saddened by the death of Governor Henry Horner on October 6, 1940. He was nearing the completion of his second term. John Stelle, Lieutenant-Governor, succeeded to the governorship for the remainder of the term. Other prominent Illinoians who died during the year were former Governor Charles S. Deneen and Chief Justice Norman L. Jones of the state Supreme Court.

The Democratic National Convention met in Chicago in July and renominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for President of the United States. In the November national election Illinois gave a majority vote for Roosevelt for President, but with the exception of Secretary of State, elected a state Republican slate.

State Officers.

Governor, Dwight H. Green; Lieutenant-Governor, Hugh W. Cross; Secretary of State, Edward J. Hughes; Auditor, Arthur C. Lueder; Treasurer, Warren Wright; Attorney General, George F. Barrett; Superintendent of Public Instruction, John A. Wieland.

United States Senators:

Scott W. Lucas, C. Wayland Brooks.

1939: Illinois

Area and Population.

Illinois, a north central state containing 102 counties, has an area of 56,665 square miles. The population, estimated in 1937 to be 7,878,000, was, by the 1930 census, 7,630,654. Of these 7,266,361 were whites, 328,972 Negroes, 28,906 Mexicans, 5,946 Asiatics, and 469 Indians. Of foreign-born whites 15.6 per cent were Germans, 14.2 per cent Polish, 9.1 per cent Swedish, 9.1 per cent Italian, 7.1 per cent Russian, 6.1 per cent Czechoslovakian, 5.9 per cent Irish, 4.1 per cent English, 3.7 per cent Canadian, 3.2 per cent Austrian, and 2.8 per cent Hungarian.

The capital of the state, Springfield, with 71,864 inhabitants, is surpassed in population by four other cities: Chicago with 3,376,438; (1930); Peoria, 104,969; Rockford, 85,864; and East St. Louis, 74,347.

Education.

By the school census of June 1938. Illinois had 1,936,806 inhabitants of school age, 84 per cent of whom were enrolled in schools. There were 11,957 elementary school districts with 962,970 pupils enrolled, and 978 high schools with 358,768 pupils. A total of 48,665 teachers received an average annual salary of $1,502.56. Schools are supported by local taxation and the state distributive fund. For 1937-38 the latter amounted to $13,813,319.01.

Illinois has 57 major colleges and universities, including those supported by the state.

Agriculture and Industry.

Illinois is one of the important agricultural states, with corn ranking first. The 1938 average corn yield per acre, according to the latest statistics available, was 45 bushels, second only to the 1937 average. All other crops except oats had large to record yields. The total area of principal crops harvested was estimated at 18,978,000 acres valued at $301,782,000, slightly lower than the ten-year average for 1927-36.

In 1939 one of the $1,000,000 Farm Research Laboratories operated by the United States Department of Agriculture to find new uses and outlets for farm products was allocated to Peoria. It will employ at least 150 scientifically trained men.

Illinois leads in the number of farmer cooperative associations, and also in the new industry of manufacturing plastics from corn waste.

Mineral Products.

In the total value of the mineral products of Illinois, which amounted in 1937 to $133,437,554, bituminous coal has the leading place, the state ranking third in the Union for that product. The output for 1938 was 40,650,000 tons from 969 mines in operation, as against 51,602,000 tons valued at $89,271,000 in 1937. The flow of petroleum in 1938 more than trebled that of the preceding year, furnishing an estimated 24,000,000 bbl., largely through increased activity in the Centralia district. This gave the state the rank of fourth in oil production. Illinois still led the states in 1938 in shipments of fluorspar, in spite of a greatly reduced production of 35,368 tons. Shipments of 4,357,119 bbl. of cement were valued at $5,993,644. Because of the industrial recession of 1938, production of pig iron, in which Illinois ranks fourth, dropped more than fifty per cent to a total of 1,519,572 tons (value, $30,899,012); and the manufacture of open-hearth and Bessemer steel, in a corresponding proportion, to 1,950,224 tons.

Industry.

Illinois ranks among the leading states in manufacturing because of abundant raw materials, cheap coal and fine transportation facilities. Chicago is the world's center for wholesale slaughtering and meat packing. The manufacture of iron and steel products also is an industry of prime importance in Illinois. During 1939 many new industries located in Illinois. Industrial products of the state are valued at approximately a billion dollars annually.

Legislative Matters.

Among important laws passed in 1939 by the 61st General Assembly were the following: a law making women eligible for jury service; an amendment to the Unemployment Compensation Act increasing its benefits; a bill creating the Illinois Development Council for promoting industrial, agricultural, cultural and recreational progress in Illinois; the codification of the probate and the revenue laws; revision of the relief laws so as to cooperate more directly with Federal Works Projects; and laws regulating trucking.

City Manager Plan for Chicago and Other Cities.

See MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.

Political and Other Events.

In April 1939 Edward J. Kelly was reelected Mayor of Chicago on the Democratic ticket, with about 180,000 more votes than his Republican opponent, Dwight H. Green. On the death of James Hamilton Lewis, the state's senior United States Senator in April, his place was filled by Governor Horner's appointment of James M. Slattery, formerly chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission.

An unusual event in the spring was the $2,000,000 art exhibit held at Bloomington, Illinois. Paintings borrowed from famous galleries included Old Masters and great moderns. This exhibit, far from metropolitan areas, attracted thousands from throughout central Illinois.

In the fall the fine collection of Italian Old Masters which had been exhibited at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco, was on view for a time at the Chicago Art Institute.

Finance.

On July 1, 1939, the bonded indebtedness of the state totaled $180,429,500.

Welfare and Correction.

The Illinois Emergency Relief Commission administers relief to the needy. The sum of approximately $72,000,000 was appropriated for relief for the biennium beginning in July 1939. During August 1939 there were 133,933 persons receiving old-age assistance. The maximum received was $30 per month, but a special session of the Legislature was called to amend the law so as to take advantage of increased Federal aid for old-age assistance.

Among the special institutions under the jurisdiction of the Department of Welfare are the following; the Research and Educational Hospital, Chicago; Dixon State Hospital and the Lincoln State School and Colony for the feeble-minded; School for the Deaf, and School for the Blind, Jacksonville; Industrial Home for the Blind, Chicago; State Training School for Girls, Geneva; State Training School for Boys, St. Charles; State Reformatory for Women, Dwight; Illinois State Farm for Men, Vandalia.

On July 1, 1938, the total population of the institutions was 52,958, an increase of 48.9 per cent in ten years.

State Officers.

Governor, Henry Horner; Lieutenant-Governor, John Stelle; Secretary of State, Edward J. Hughes; Auditor, Edward J. Barrett; Treasurer, Louis E. Lewis; Attorney General, John E. Cassidy; and Superintendent of Public Instruction, John A. Wieland.

United States Senators.

Scott W. Lucas, James M. Slattery.

1938: Illinois

On December 3, 1938, Illinois celebrated 120 years of statehood. Third among the states in population, with an estimated 7,878,000 in 1937, Illinois had by the 1930 census 7,630,654 of whom 7,266,361 were whites, 328,972 Negroes, 28,906 Mexicans, 5,946 Asiatics and 469 Indians. Of foreign-born whites 15.6 per cent came from Germany, 14.2 per cent from Poland, 9.1 per cent each from Sweden and from Italy, 7.1 per cent from Russia, and other appreciable numbers from Czechoslovakia, Ireland, England, Canada, Austria and Hungary.

Major cities and their population are Chicago, 3,376,438 (1930); Peoria, 104,969; Rockford, 85,864; East St. Louis, 74,347; and Springfield, the capital, 71,864. The area of Illinois is 56,665 square miles, ranking it twenty-third in size among the states.

Agriculture.

Illinois is one of the important agricultural states, with corn ranking first among its products. In 1938 corn averaged 45 bushels per acre, second only to the 1937 average. The total production of grains was 19 per cent higher than the ten-year average, 1927-36; hay and forage production 25 per cent higher and soybeans and cowpeas more than three times the average for the same period.

Mineral Products.

Bituminous coal, the leading mineral product of Illinois, in which the state ranks third in the Union, showed an increased production in 1937 of 51,240,000 tons, compared with 50,926,599 tons in 1936 with a value of $81,444,000. Petroleum made an astonishing rise of 66 per cent in 1937 through the discovery of important new fields, chiefly the Clay City and Noble pools. The total for the year was 7,499,000 bbl. as against 4,475,000 bbl. in 1936. The estimate for 1938 is 23,929,000 bbl. At the end of the year there were 2,208 active producing wells, and Illinois had risen from 13th place in oil production to 7th. Shipments of cement in 1937 were slightly below those for 1936, with a total of 4,713,734 bbl. Production of fluorspar, in which Illinois ranks second among the states, was 78,664 tons (value, $1,730,585). The manufacture of pig iron amounted to 3,357,959 tons; open hearth and Bessemer steel, in the production of which Illinois ranks fourth, totaled 4,785,095 tons; and beehive coke 2,599,048 tons.

Industry.

As a manufacturing state Illinois is a leader because of abundant raw materials, cheap coal, and fine transportation facilities. Chicago is the world's center for the wholesale slaughtering and packing of meats. The manufacturing of steel and iron products is the industry of second importance in the state. Others ranking high are printing and publishing, the manufacturing of electrical supplies, machinery, men's clothing, furniture, watches, etc. Products of Illinois industry are valued at approximately $5,000,000,000 dollars annually.

Education.

The 1936-37 statistics of the Department of Public Instruction, the latest available, give Illinois 11,980 public school districts and 980 high schools, with a total of 1,302,662 students and 47,819 teachers.

The state maintains five normal schools and a university. The University of Illinois at Urbana, ranking among the largest educational institutions in the country, celebrated its 70th birthday in 1938. During the year the Legislature appropriated money for a new building at the University and $1,000,000 for certain needy high schools in the state.

Legislative Matters.

The General Assembly, or legislative body, consisting of a House and Senate, meets biennially in the odd years. In 1938 there were two special sessions. In addition to appropriations for education already mentioned, important legislation passed included the Drivers' License Bill and the appropriation of $3,000,000 to the Welfare Department for new buildings.

During the year the organization of the Illinois Legislative Council, introduced as a bill three years before, was completed. It is composed of ten members from each House and a research staff, with Dr. C. M. Kneier, formerly of the University of Illinois, as director. Its purpose is to be a permanent fact-finding agency, with the findings available both to legislators and the public.

Finances.

For three years Illinois has been conducting its government on a 'pay as you go' basis. The revenue for the year ending June 30, 1938, came from the following sources: retailers' occupancy tax, 36¾ per cent; motor fuel tax, 17¾ per cent; motor vehicle license tax, 9¾ per cent; Federal aid for highways, 5½ per cent; Federal aid for old age assistance, 6½ per cent; utility tax, 4¾ per cent; liquor tax, 5 per cent; corporation and insurance tax, 5½ per cent; inheritance tax, 3¾ per cent; and all other revenues, 5 per cent.

This revenue was spent as follows: for relief, 17¾ per cent; motor fuel distribution to counties and cities, 8 per cent; state highways, 18¼ per cent; education, 13 per cent; interest and retirement of state debt, 9¼ per cent; old age assistance, 12¾ per cent; charitable and penal, 11¼ per cent, and all other purposes 9¾ per cent.

Of General Interest.

A flood in February, and two destructive tornadoes, one on March 15 at Belleville, and one on March 30 at Pekin, caused great damage to crops and buildings, with the loss of 22 lives at Belleville and 10 in or near Pekin.

The Division of Architecture and Engineering reported 37 major building projects during 1938, at a cost of $6,558,000. The Federal Government paid 45 per cent of this sum. Additional accommodations were built at state hospitals, penal institutions and normal schools. Final details were added to the Armory office-building, and to the Archives Building (housing that Division of the State Library) and these were occupied.

Contracts for road-building totaling $19,518,770.34, including both state and Federal funds, were awarded by the Division of Highways.

The year brought to a successful end the eight-year struggle to retain in Illinois the Air Corps Technical School of the U. S. Army, at Rantoul. The Federal Government has allocated $5,500,000 for its rebuilding.

State Officers.

During 1938 the chief officers were as follows: Governor, Henry Horner; Lieutenant-Governor, John Stelle; Secretary of State, Edward J. Hughes; Auditor, Edward J. Barrett; Treasurer, Louie E. Lewis; Attorney General, John E. Cassidy; Superintendent of Public Instruction, John A. Wieland.

Supreme Court Justices.

Paul Farthing, Norman L. Jones, Warren H. Orr, Clyde E. Stone, Elwyn R. Shaw, Francis S. Wilson and Walter T. Gunn.

United States Senators.

Scott W. Lucas (elected in November) and James M. Slattery (appointed April 1939 to fill the unexpired term of James Hamilton Lewis).