1942: New Jersey

Area and Population.

Although one of the smallest states, ranking forty-fifth in area, with 8,224 sq. mi., New Jersey for over a century has been one of the leading industrial states in the Union, standing sixth in the value of its manufactured products. It is also known as 'The Garden State' due to the many fine small farms that dot the landscape everywhere, and which furnish produce for the metropolitan markets of New York and Philadelphia. In population, New Jersey ranks ninth in the nation with a total of 4,160,165. Of these 3,394,773 live in urban communities and 765,392 in rural areas. There are 3,931,087 whites in the state, and according to the 1940 census, 226,973 Negroes and 2,105 others including 211 Indians and 1,200 Chinese. Of the total population, 699,356 are foreign-born. Newark is the largest city with a population of 429,760. Jersey City has 301,173; Paterson, 139,656; Trenton, the capital, 124,697; Camden, 117,536; and Elizabeth, 109,912.

Education.

In the school year, 1941-42, the state operated 1,657 elementary schools with an attendance of 513,222, and 299 high schools with an enrollment of 206,401. The average teacher's salary for the year was $2,123, and total expenditures for the schools amounted to $108,697,744 including a debt service of $15,674,483.12. The main school legislation, passed during the year, permitted Boards of Freeholders, in second-class counties, to establish county vocational schools to be known as 'Emergency Schools.'

Industrial.

New Jersey has held the rank of sixth among the states of the Union in the value of its annual production of manufactured goods in each census since 1850. In diversity of industry, New Jersey is not outranked by any other state in the Union. The smelting and refining of copper is the leading industry. During 1942 New Jersey industry turned to war production and became one of the leading states in the amount of war contracts. The last biennial census of manufactures (1939) showed that 436,475 wage earners were employed in 7,064 plants. Estimates reveal that some 75,000 more were employed by the end of 1942. At the end of the fiscal year June 30, 1942, the total had reached 452,715. A report at that time revealed that 1,795 plans for new industrial plants, additions and alterations were approved during the fiscal year of 1941-42, and 749 new plants began functioning, giving employment to 5,658 additional male and 4,856 female wage-earners.

Agriculture.

In 1942 New Jersey farmers responded to the Government's call for more production by planting 793,200 acres with standard crops. This is approximately five per cent above 1941 and seven per cent better than the 10-year average from 1930 to 1939. Staple crops such as corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, hay, potatoes and soybeans showed a five per cent acreage increase with an estimated value of crops produced set at $33,328,000. Milk production showed an increase of two per cent over 1940, with a production goal of 1,030,000,000 lb. assured. Commercial truck crops averaged five per cent above 1941, with a white potato harvest of 10,136,000 bu. New records were set in hog production, 158,000 pigs having been raised. This is 23 per cent more than in 1941. During the Revolution, New Jersey was actually the 'breadbasket of the Revolution.' Today, despite the handicaps of insufficient labor, the farmers are rallying to the Government's appeal to provide more vegetables, especially in South Jersey, for the dehydration plants which are to be operated at enlarged capacity.

Agriculture in New Jersey is highly intensified and the state holds first place in the nation in gross income per acre (about $52), although production costs are high.

Legislation.

During the year a Director of Civilian Defense was appointed by the Governor to head the Defense Council, and more than twenty other measures relating to defense were enacted into law, including those providing funds for the Defense Council and State Guard and fixing adequate penalties for violators of the rationing laws. The necessary legal machinery was also set up to make possible the swift apprehension and conviction of saboteurs. In addition, $25,000 was set aside for the physical rehabilitation of rejected draftees. Bills were passed providing for the interconnection of the state's available water-supply system and provision made for emergency bus lines to various defense areas. Another war measure was a bill which will allow school children to volunteer for work on the farms to prevent a labor shortage because of the induction of young men into the armed forces.

Political.

Election of Albert W. Hawkes, Republican, as United States Senator, over Senator William H. Smathers, Democrat, featured the November election in New Jersey. In the 1943 Congress, New Jersey is represented by two Republican Senators; 11 Republican and 3 Democratic Congressmen. Senator George H. Stanger of Vineland presides as President of the State Senate, and will act as Governor in the absence of the chief executive, Charles Edison. During the year, State Treasurer William H. Albright died and the Legislature elected in his place State Senator Robert C. Hendrickson of Woodbury.

Finance.

Operating under wartime conditions, New Jersey has anticipated losses in revenue from gasoline taxes and automobile license fees, but was aided greatly by the netting of $1,035,467 through the holding of a 49-day racing meet at Camden, the first in many years with pari-mutuel betting allowed. The 1942-43 state budget provides an expenditure of $36,397,668.12, while the highway budget amounts to $36,297,250. The state ended the fiscal year on June 30, 1942, with a bonded debt of $60,850,000 and a cash balance of more than $4,000,000. Adequate funds were provided for emergency relief through an appropriation of $4,000,000. Relief costs, however, have declined greatly during the year due to both men and women finding employment in the war effort. In fact, an all-time record for plant employment was set in September when the Labor Department reported 698,000 engaged in industrial work. Unemployment compensations declined in 1942 but the laying off of some 11,750 people engaged in WPA activities in the early part of December 1942 may cause an unexpected drain.

Commercial banks of the state have deposits of more than $700,000,000, with 108 trust companies, 25 state banks, 23 savings banks, and 2 savings associations operating.

State Officers:

Governor, Charles Edison; Secretary of State, Joseph A. Brophy; Comptroller, Homer C. Zink; Treasurer, Robert C. Hendrickson; Auditor, Frank Durand; Attorney General, David T. Wilentz.

United States Senators.

W. Warren Barbour, Albert W. Hawkes.

1941: New Jersey

Area and Population.

New Jersey, though the fourth smallest state in the Union, with an area of 8,224 sq. mi., yet ranks sixth industrially. It has an extreme length, north and south, of 166 mi., and an extreme width of 52 mi. One of the original thirteen colonies, it is known by a number of nicknames, the one most prevalent being the Garden State. According to the 1940 census, New Jersey had 1,962,234 males; 1,967,412 females, all whites; and 111,097 non-white males and 119,422 females. Leading cities are Newark, with a population of 429,760; Jersey City, 301,173; Paterson, 139,565; Trenton, the capital, 124,697; Camden, 117,536; and Elizabeth, 109,912.

Education.

The total enrollment of pupils in the New Jersey schools, for the school year 1940-41, including evening schools, was 766,394. Teachers numbered 29,513. The total expenditure on public education in the state amounted to $113,511,145.67.

Agriculture.

One of New Jersey's most important resources is agriculture, the farm value of all the state crops being estimated by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to have been $121,355,000 for 1940, and the total investment more than $325,000,000. Milk produced the greatest revenue, $33,000,000, while vegetables netted $20,000,000. Other sources of farm incomes were: eggs, $14,500,000; nursery stock, $12,000,000; poultry, $8,500,000; grain, $7,000,000; hay, $5,580,000; potatoes, $5,075,000; tree fruits, $4,000,000; berries, $3,000,000; sweet potatoes, $2,000,000; baby chicks, $2,000,000; hogs, $1,700,000, and miscellaneous items, $3,000,000.

In 1941 there were 25,835 farms in the state, with a total area of 1,874,000 acres. New Jersey herds lead the nation for milk production per cow, and the state ranks high as a producer of tree fruits, small fruits, and cranberries. Recently, cultivated blueberries have come into great favor. About $19,000,000 was spent in 1940 on 19,500 New Jersey farms on feed for livestock and poultry, and $15,000,000 on 12,300 farms for labor.

Industry.

Ranking sixth in the nation in the value of production, New Jersey's position as an industrial state has been strengthened by the fact that billions of dollars in defense contracts have been awarded to Jersey firms by the Federal government. Industrial building during 1941 showed the greatest increase in the history of the Labor Department. Through its exceptionally favorable geographical location, with unsurpassed transportation systems, including highways, railways, interstate tunnels and bridges, airports and water-borne traffic facilities, New Jersey has a diversity of manufactures that is not equalled by any other state. The smelting and refining of copper leads in the industrial resources of the state, with airplane manufacture now ranking high. Other industrial assets are petroleum refining, manufacture of chemicals, electrical supplies, paints and varnishes, meat packing, the canning of fruits and vegetables, production of woolen and worsted goods, refining and alloying of gold, silver and platinum, dyeing and finishing of textiles, manufacture of radio apparatus and phonographs, foundry and machine-shop products, and pottery.

In 1939, according to the U. S. Bureau of Census, there were 2,753,570 workers employed in manufacturing plants in New Jersey, and the total value added by manufacture in these establishments was $1,524,113,554. Reports made by 1,525 manufacturing concerns to the Department of Labor in 1941 revealed an increase of 56,846 factory workers, with a corresponding increase of $12,607,724 in the monthly payrolls. The state continues to lead as the greatest producer of zinc in the East, with a production of 91,406 short tons in 1940 compared with 88,716 in 1939, with a value of $11,507,318.

Legislative Matters.

The Legislature passed the following important bills during the year: creating a commission of seven members to make recommendations for the revision of the State Constitution; creating a State Mediation Board for labor disputes; establishing a Defense Training Commission to study vocational requirements of defense plant workers in the state, particularly the employment and training of persons between 40 and 55 years of age. Other bills enacted set up a new Milk Control Board with a director; amended the State Racing Commission Act so as to include harness racing; and provided a new method of taxing railroads. Among the supplemental appropriation bills passed were those providing for the installation of a two-way radio for the State Police; for the organization of a rural dental program, and for aiding families who sustained losses through a forest fire in the vicinity of Lakewood. A $500,000 appropriation was set up for the State Defense Council, which was given authorization to organize municipal defense councils. A new office, Secretary for Defense, was also established. A law was passed providing free transportation for private-school pupils (including parochial) on the same conditions affecting the public-school pupils. The 400-acre tract owned by Colonel and Mrs. Charles Lindbergh was accepted as a gift to the state.

On December 15 the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill giving full defense powers during the emergency to the Governor, who immediately named Brigadier General Richard P. Williams as his 'Secretary of War.' General Williams is to coordinate all defense activities in the state.

Finance.

New Jersey at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 1941, had a cash balance of $2,358,093.87, an increase of $382,290.96 over June, 1940. For the operation of the state government from July 1, 1941, to June 30, 1942, the Legislature voted an appropriation of $36,455,023. In addition, a highway appropriation of $50,629,000 for the calendar year ending December 31, 1941, was voted, and the Governor allowed it to become a law without his signature. Continued improvement in finances was shown by the Department of Public Accounts, with the assets of municipalities amounting to $381,656,827, as compared with $120,462,805 in 1940. Tax collections jumped from 55 per cent in 1934, to 80 per cent in 1940. Retirement of $121,000,000 bonds by the state on July 1, 1941, reduced the state debt to $116,055,000, a drop of $78,045,000 from an all-time peak reached in 1935. New Jersey's gross bonded indebtedness at the end of 1941 was $107,000,000. This was a reduction of $48,615,000 during the year. The net debt at the end of the year was $63,000,000. During 1940 the assets of state banks, trust companies and savings associations, numbering 160, increased by $29,358,884, to a total of $1,551,873,981. Deposits and liabilities amounted to $1,393,360,957.

State Officers.

Governor, Charles Edison; Secretary of State, Joseph A. Brophy; State Comptroller, Homer Zink; State Treasurer, William H. Albright; State Auditor, Frank Durand; Attorney General, David T. Wilentz; State Commissioner of Education, Charles H. Elliott.

United States Senators:

William H. Smathers, W. Warren Barbour.

1940: New Jersey

Area and Population.

New Jersey, the fourth smallest state in the Union, has an area of 8,224 sq. mi. The state has an extreme length, north and south, of 166 mi. and an extreme width of 52 mi. The census figures of 1940 give New Jersey a population of 4,160,165, an increase of 2.9 per cent over 1930 (4,041,334).

Leading cities in the state are Newark, with a population of 429,760 according to the 1940 census; Jersey City, 301,173; Paterson, 139,656; Trenton, the capital, 124,697; Camden, 117,536, and Elizabeth, 109,912.

According to the 1930 census, New Jersey had 844,442 foreign-born whites, plus 1,413,329 native whites of foreign parentage. Negroes numbered about five per cent of the total. Italians led in the number of foreign-born whites with a total of 190,858, followed by Germans, Polish, Irish, Russians, English and Scotch.

Education.

Statistics for the school year of 1939-1940 in New Jersey were as follows: elementary schools, 1,719; high schools, 291; pupils enrolled in elementary schools, 313,044; pupils in high schools, 201,023; expenditures of county and school districts, $111,988,497; average of teachers' salaries, $2,057.55; number of teachers, 28,595.

Agriculture.

The farm value of New Jersey crops for 1940 was estimated at $110,000,000 by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, compared with a value of $104,000,000 for the 1939 crop. Generally speaking, the prices of most crops were higher in 1940 than in 1939. A total of more than 160,000 tons of 'Garden State' tomatoes were used by New Jersey canneries during the season, for canning, and in soups and catsup. An increase of about 2,000 dairy animals was reported for the year, bringing the total to 206,000. The poultry market continued to expand. Sales at the fruit and vegetable auctions totaled 4,247,627 packages valued at $3,281,341, while sales in the egg and poultry auction markets amounted to $4,315,330. Milk continued to be the principal source of farm income in 1940, totaling between $32,000,000 and $33,000,000.

Industry.

New Jersey ranks sixth among the states in the annual value of its manufactured goods; in diversity of industry it is not outranked by any other state, and in many of the most important lines of manufacture, it ranks high. Smelting and refining copper are among the leading industries, followed by petroleum refining, the manufacture of chemicals, electrical apparatus and supplies, paints and varnishes, meat packing, canning of fruits and vegetables, production of woolen and worsted goods, gold, silver and platinum refining and alloying, dyeing and finishing textiles, the manufacture of radio apparatus and phonographs, foundry and machine shop products. In 1937 the number of wage earners in manufacturing industries was 436,745, the amount paid in wages that year was $523,504,000, and the value of manufactured products amounted to $3,253,246,000.

In the production of recoverable zinc in 1939, New Jersey retained her place as second in the Union, with 88,716 tons, a slight gain over 1938.

Legislative Matters.

Passage of so-called election-reform legislation featured the sessions of the New Jersey Legislature in 1940. One of the bills, which called upon first-class counties to install voting machines before September 1, 1940, had a companion bill which gave the State House Commission the right to purchase the machines for the counties if they failed to do so. However, it was found that the voting machine concerns could not fill a contract before Election Day, so nothing was done in 1940. Another bill provided for the division of Hudson County into four criminal Judicial Districts. The Legislature named the four judges, but a court ruling curtailed their powers and a bill is pending to abolish the law. A child-labor bill restricting the employment of children under 12 was enacted into law, as was a bill setting up a Horse Racing Commission of four members, who were named by the Governor. The Governor also signed a bill abolishing the State Financial Assistance Commission. (See also CHILD LABOR.)

Political Events.

In November, Charles Edison, of West Orange, former Secretary of the Navy, was elected Governor of New Jersey, over his Republican opponent, Robert C. Hendrickson, State Senator, of Woodbury. Republicans, however, retain control of the Legislature of 1941, which consists of 16 Republicans and 5 Democrats in the Senate and 41 Republicans and 19 Democrats in the House of Assembly. Mayor Meyer Ellenstein, City Commissioner Franklin and five other defendants were acquitted by a jury in the Newark meadow land conspiracy case after an 82-day trial; Chief Justice Thomas J. Brogan and Associate Justices Harry Heher and Joseph B. Perskie of the New Jersey Supreme Court were confirmed by the State Senate for new seven-year terms. Newark voters in a referendum defeated a movement to supplant the Commission government by the Council-Manager form.

Appropriations.

For the operation of the state government from July 1, 1940, to June 30, 1941, the Legislature appropriated $39,111,928, which is $123,000 less than for the preceding fiscal year. In addition, a highway appropriation of $42,807,000 was voted. For relief, the Legislature fixed the state's share of direct relief costs at 75 per cent of the total cost, not to exceed the maximum of $15,000,000 a year. It is believed that the sum will be considerably less due to defense preparedness contracts which are now employing many who were idle.

State Officials.

Governor, Charles Edison; Secretary of State, Thomas A. Mathis; Comptroller, Frank J. Murray; Treasurer, William H. Albright; Auditor, Frank Durand; Attorney General, David T. Wilentz; Commissioner of Education, Charles H. Elliott.

United States Senators:

William H. Smathers, W. Warren Barbour.

1939: New Jersey

Area and Population.

One of the thirteen original states, New Jersey ranks 45th in size among the states of the Union with a total land area of 7,514 sq. mi. and a water area of 710 sq. mi. In population, according to the 1930 census, the state ranks ninth with a total of 4,041,334 residents. The largest cities are Newark, 442,337 (1930); Jersey City, 316,715; Paterson, 138,513; Trenton, the capital, 123,356; Camden, 118,700 and Elizabeth, 114,569.

New Jersey's topography is diversified, with high rocky hills, wooded slopes, and glistening lakes in the northern portion; level areas, devoted mainly to agriculture and industry, in the central portion; and large wooded tracts in the southern section. The eastern shore consists of about 125 miles of white sandy beaches washed by the Atlantic Ocean, while the Delaware River forms the western boundary of the state. It is generally known as 'The Garden State.'

Education.

Dr. Charles H. Elliott, State Commissioner of Education, reported marked progress during the year in many fields of educational activity, as well as in the provision of more adequate school facilities in New Jersey. The total enrollment in all of the various departments of the public schools for the school year 1938-1939, including evening but not summer schools, was 799,662. To instruct these pupils there were required 29,536 teachers. The children were housed in 2,133 school buildings. During the year there was an increase of 269 male teachers and a decrease of women teachers by 74. The total expenditure for public education in the counties and school districts of the state amounted to $111,988,497, which was $59,762,370 more than the total for the preceding year.

Agriculture.

Willard H. Allen, State Secretary of Agriculture, reports that, generally speaking, prices of most New Jersey crops were lower in 1939 than in 1938. The weather of the 1939 crop season was, on the whole, favorable except for the uneven distribution of rainfall during mid-summer. Fruits and most vegetable crops were excellent in quality and yield. Acreage of vegetables increased over 1938 while both poultry and dairy cattle totalled new record figures. The farm labor supply was adequate in 1939, and wages advanced in the latter months of the year as general business conditions improved.

Mineral Products.

The production of zinc, in which New Jersey ranks second in the Union, or next to Oklahoma, was lowered in 1938 from 101,408 tons (value, $13,461,309) in 1937, to 85,839 tons in 1938. At the same time, the output of glass sand, in which the state leads, rose slightly with a total of 273,363 tons valued at $419,104. Production of ball clay fell to the greatly reduced figure of 3,496 tons, and fire clay to 69,944 tons, the two having a combined value in 1938 of $382,078 compared with $514,671 in the preceding year.

Industry.

Improvement in New Jersey industry and business during 1939 was reported by State Labor Commissioner John J. Toohey, Jr. Industrial construction in 1939 practically doubled that of 1938, with the year's total reaching nearly $60,000,000. There were 66,000 or 15 per cent more workers in December 1939, than at the same time in 1938, with an aggregate weekly payroll of $2,441,341 representing a gain for the year of 27.3 per cent. Average weekly earnings were $27.96, a rise of 10.6 per cent. More than 1,000 new industries located in the state during the year.

Finance.

The Legislature appropriated the sum of $39,234,693 for conducting the business of the state for the fiscal year from July 1, 1939, to June 30, 1940. This was about the same as the amount for the last fiscal year. In addition the sum of $35,228,660 was appropriated to the State Highway Board for the calendar year which ended December 31, 1939. The question of relief furnished a vexing political problem. It was solved, however, by the passage of a referendum on an amendment providing for a $21,000,000 bond issue, by a vote of 391,604 to 344,483. This relief fund was further augmented by the division of $3,000,000 from 1939 highway funds; $3,000,000 from sinking fund reserves (if available); $2,000,000 borrowed from the State Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund, and $2,000,000 from the grade-crossing elimination fund.

Political and Legislative Matters.

The Republican-controlled Legislature of 1939 was beset by the failure of Senate and House to agree on important bills. As a result, the measure controlling the set-up of the Racing Commission failed of passage, and the matter was left to the 1940 Legislature. The latter was organized on January 15, with Roscoe McClave of Bergen County as speaker.

Herbert J. Pascoe, of Union County, presided over the 1939 sessions of the Legislature during which a total of 404 bills and resolutions were written into laws, while hundreds of measures failed to come out of committee hands. Labor failed to get through its maximum hour and minimum wage law for intrastate workers, or to obtain the passage of bills creating the State Labor Relations Board and curbing the Chancery Court's injunction power in labor disputes.

Among the important laws passed was one forbidding the use of foreign uniforms or the display of alien military symbols of salute. A bill voiding legality of future common-law marriages was passed, as was one increasing from 40 to 45 miles an hour the auto speed limit in certain areas. However, this bill will not become effective until Sept. 1, 1940. A dispute over a compromise on taxes owed by railroads resulted in the matter being left in the hands of the court. An appointment by Governor A. Harry Moore that caused considerable discussion was that of Frank Hague, Jr., of Jersey City, to succeed Thomas Glynn Walker, as a lay judge on the Court of Errors and Appeals. During the year through a $25,000 fund supplied for the purpose State Labor Commissioner, John J. Toohey, Jr., set up an organization to enforce rigid observance of the minimum wage law governing the employment of women and minors in the state.

Happenings of the Year.

In January, the United States Circuit Court of Errors and Appeals in Philadelphia upheld the injunction against Mayor Frank Hague and Jersey City officials in the C.I.O. — Civil Liberties case. The court declared unconstitutional Jersey City's ordinance on public meetings, but later agreed to review the case. In February, the New Jersey Title Guarantee & Trust Company of Jersey City, with five branches, was placed in the hands of State Banking Commissioner Louis A. Reilly. It had 39,000 depositors and deposits of $23,000,000 and was insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Robert W. Allen was named WPA Administrator for New Jersey succeeding William H. J. Ely, who resigned in order to run for United States Senator. In March, the City of Newark and the State of New Jersey compromised on a $2,317,000 debt to the State Highway Department, charged against the city when Route #21, the McCarter Highway, was built. New Jersey was given the National Safety Council award as the state which handled the highway safety problem most efficiently in 1938.

In April the conviction of Ellis H. Parker, and his son Ellis Jr., for the kidnapping of Paul Wendel in Trenton as an aftermath of the Lindbergh case, was upheld by the United States Supreme Court. They were convicted in 1937 at Newark and the father sentenced to six years in prison while the son was given a three-year term. A mis-trial was declared in the Newark meadow-land conspiracy case involving Newark City officials. The Motor Vehicle Department reported that 28,134 autos were taken off the road in 1938 through failure to pass the required inspection tests.

In June, King George and Queen Elizabeth of England visited New Jersey, stopping briefly at Red Bank, en route to New York.

The United States Supreme Court affirmed the decree holding Mayor Frank Hague of Jersey City had violated the constitutional guarantees of freedom of assembly, and refused to review the conviction of Ellis H. Parker and son. Banking Commissioner Reilly fixed a minimum of one per cent interest on all savings and time deposits in New Jersey banks. The voters of the state passed the referendum allowing the use of pari-mutuel betting in connection with horse racing, by a majority of 156,660.

In September the New Jersey Supreme Court upheld the Bergen County District Court decision declaring New Jersey's fair sales tax law invalid. The law was passed by the Legislature in 1938.

State Officers.

The chief officers of the State are: Governor, A. Harry Moore; Secretary of State, Thomas A. Mathis; Comptroller, Frank J. Murray; Treasurer, William H. Albright; Attorney General, David T. Wilentz; Finance Commissioner, Bernard L. Lamb; Auditor, Frank Durand; Commissioner of Education, Charles H. Elliott.

United States Senators.

William H. Smathers, W. Warren Barbour.

1938: New Jersey

Area and Population.

One of the thirteen original states, New Jersey ranks 45th in size among the states, with a total land and water area of 8,224 square miles of which 710 square miles are under water. The extreme length is 166 miles, and there are about 125 miles of beautiful white beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May. The maximum width is 57 miles.

In population, New Jersey ranks 9th, numbering 4,041,334 according to the census of 1930; 4,343,000 on July 1, 1937, according to a Federal estimate. In 1930 there were in the state 3,829,209 white persons, 208,828 Negroes and 3,297 belonging to other races. The largest cities are Newark, 442,337; Jersey City, 316,715; Paterson, 138,513; Trenton, the capital, 123,356; Camden, 118,700; Elizabeth, 114,589.

Agriculture.

Willard H. Allen, State Secretary of Agriculture, reports that abnormal weather conditions during the year were unfavorable to the farmer and that as a result the per acre production and total yields for most major products were below those of 1937.

Mineral Products.

The chief native mineral product of New Jersey is zinc, in which the state ranks second in the Union, or next to Oklahoma. Production for 1937 amounted to 101,408 tons, an appreciable increase over the 89,883 tons produced in 1936 (valued at $9,868,010). Ball and fireclay totaled about the same amount as in 1936, with 97,951 tons produced. Glass sand showed a slight advance over the preceding year, the amount being 243,301 tons, compared with 205,931 in 1936. Substantial amounts of stone, sand and gravel added to the total value of New Jersey's minerals.

Industry.

Industrial conditions, according to John J. Toohey, Jr., State Commissioner of Labor, are showing gradual improvement, which should continue during 1939. A decline in factory employment set in during August, 1937, and reached a low point in July, 1938. Then the upturn started and during October and November showed a decided advance. Weekly earnings also increased during the year. Commissioner Toohey reports that 1,263 new manufacturing industries settled in the state during the first eleven months of 1938.

Education.

Increased emphasis on a program of apprentice training for skilled laborers in industry was a feature of the activities of the State Department of Public Instruction during 1938, according to Dr. Charles H. Elliott, State Commissioner of Education, and will continue to be stressed during 1939. The total expense of education in the state during the fiscal year was $123,387,189 including state administration, teachers colleges and pensions. The number of teachers was increased by 123, the total being 26,769. Actual pupil registration, however, decreased by 11,948, the total for the school year being 811,564.

Finance.

The sum of $39,256,036 was appropriated for conducting the business of the state for the fiscal year starting on July 1, 1938, and ending June 30, 1939. This was $800,000 less than the recommendations of Governor Moore, and $1,800,000 below the last fiscal year appropriation.

Banking.

New Jersey's financial situation showed but little change during the year. In his annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1938, Louis A. Reilly, State Banking and Insurance Commissioner, revealed that the resources of the banks in the state had decreased since December 31, 1937, the total in June being $1,422,715,697 while in December it had been $1,455,800,139. The number of banking institutions dwindled by one, there being a total of 178, while one institution, the Margate Trust Company, of Margate City, had been taken over by the Commissioner. A law passed by the legislature set aside Saturdays during July and August as bank holidays.

Political and Legislative Matters.

The year 1938 in New Jersey was marked by a change in the governmental administration. A. Harry Moore, of Jersey City, who twice before had sat in the Governor's chair, took office for the third time on January 18, succeeding Harold G. Hoffman, of South Amboy. Governor Moore resigned as United States Senator from New Jersey and named John Milton, a Democrat, of Jersey City, to fill the vacancy. The fall elections witnessed a change in the Washington representation when former U. S. Senator W. Warren Barbour, Republican, captured the seat temporarily occupied by Milton, who did not seek a new term.

Important legislation enacted included laws requiring applicants for marriage licenses to pass syphilis tests, and making mandatory similar examination for expectant mothers. Bills were passed appropriating first $25,000 and later $18,000 for free distribution of pneumonia serum to indigent patients. In all, more than 300 new laws were added to the Statute Books, including fair trade legislation, which, while it discounts price fixing by the state, allows oil companies to adjust minimum prices so as to curb price wars. Laws were also passed creating local boards to participate in slum clearance programs.

The legislative session was featured by the passage of a bill allowing a referendum by the voters of the state on a change in the State Constitution which will allow, if passed, the use of pari-mutuel betting machines at horse-racing meets. The referendum is to be held June 20, 1939. New York World's Fair Commission for New Jersey was named early in the year, and in the closing days of the session an appropriation of $75,000 was made for the erection of a replica of the Old Barracks of Trenton at the Fair.

Happenings of the Year.

New Jersey was fortunate during 1938 and escaped major catastrophes, though a September storm caused much damage along the coast.

During the year there were several echoes of the Bruno Hauptmann case. Just before leaving office in January, Governor Harold G. Hoffman distributed to eleven persons the $25,000 reward offered by the state. Decision was filed in May by Federal Judge Clark, ordering removal of Ellis H. Parker and his son, Ellis, Jr., to Brooklyn, to answer a Federal indictment charging them with kidnapping Paul H. Wendel. In July, Federal Judge Philip Forman at Trenton dismissed a $450,000 damage suit brought by Wendel against Governor Hoffman, the Parkers, and others. The plea of John Hughes Curtis, of Norfolk, Va., found guilty of obstructing justice in the Lindbergh kidnapping case, was refused by the Court of Pardons. Curtis had sought the wiping out of the suspended sentence of one year in prison and $1000 fine.

On Feb. 11 the Edison Tower at Menlo Park was dedicated, and the 14-foot bulb which crowns it was lighted for the first time in honor of the 91st anniversary of the inventor's birth. On April 27 Bishop Thomas J. Walsh of Newark became the first Archbishop of the See of Newark, in a colorful ceremony at the cathedral.

On June 30 Swedish and Finnish residents of New Jersey paid tribute at impressive ceremonies at Swedesboro to the Swedish and Finnish colonists who had carved an American domain from the wilderness three centuries ago. Prince Bertil, third son of Crown Prince Gustav Adolph of Sweden, was the guest of honor.

State Officers.

The chief officers of the state are as follows: Governor, A. Harry Moore; Secretary of State, Thomas A. Mathis; State Comptroller, Frank J. Murray; State Treasurer, William H. Albright; Attorney General, David T. Wilentz; State Finance Commissioner, Bernard L. Lamb; Auditor, Frank Durand; Commissioner of Education, Charles H. Elliott.

United States Senators:

William H. Smathers, W. Warren Barbour.