Montana State University Bozeman - Montanan Yearbook (Bozeman, MT)

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ufactures. There is every indication that our position as an industrial state is improving rapidly. Our population is increasing at the rate of about four percent a year, while our manufactured product shows an increase of 13 per cent in the same interval of time. Were Montana to develop her full share of manufacturing industries of the nation she would increase her population by 125,000 people, her annual income by $150,-000,000 and her invested capital by 8100,000,000. It is not out of the realm of possibility for us to expect this development, or even such as might rank the state above the average and somewhere near the greater industrial states of the East. As time goes on and our people secure confidence we may expect that fewer of our raw materials will be shipped out in the crude state. We produce one seventh of the nation’s copper and one sixth of the zinc. If we did one-seventh of the manufacturing of copper and zinc into their ultimate products we would add 60,000 people to our population and would bring in $47,000,000 of invested capital. We produce one-twenty-fifth of the lead used. If we made that portion of the lead pipe, lead sheet, and paint pigments used we would add 5,500 people and bring in $10,000,000 of capital. 'The Big Stack,” Anaconda Butte. Montana The area of Montana is 94,078,880 acres.

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MONTANA THE STATE By DEAN E. B. NORRIS The history of the development of a new state naturally starts with the exploitation of the three obvious natural resources,— the soil, the mineral deposits, and the timber. Civilization in Montana started with placer mining as its chief means of productivity. Following this came the more permanent lode-mining and, almost concurrently, the development of agriculture and lumbering. It is but natural that many people should continue to think of the three activities,—mining, agriculture and lumbering, as the only types of productive effort in the State. The extent of the industrial development in Montana in the past few years is little appreciated, while the possibilities for future development are even less understood. Still less, perhaps, is there proper appreciation of the importance of industry to the development and economic stability oil Gusher of the State. At the present time nearly one-fourth of the people of Montana are dependent upon manufacturing industries and the value of our industrial products is at least equal to that of our agricultural products. We rank 39th among the states in population and we occupy the same numerical rank in the value of our man- ''The Richest Hil! On Earth” Electricity production averages S2,000,000 kilowatt hours per month.

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We produce 7 per cent of the nation’s wool. If we made 7 per cent of the blankets, textiles and carpets that are used we would bring in 75,000 more people and $36,000,000 of capital. If we only manufactured our own share of the lumber produced we would add 16,000 people and $10,000,000 of capital. We produce one-fourth of the silver and one-twentieth of the gold of the nation. If we made our share of the finer products from these precious metals we would have 35,000 more people in Montana and $15,000,000 more in capital invested. We have reason to be proud of the growth of our milling industry, which can supply Montana’s flour with one month’s output and must ship out the production of the other eleven months. And yet if we milled all of our own grain production we would have 6200 more people dependent upon that industry and would have $16,000,000 more invested. These are but suggestions from a long list of possibilities for the greater use of the raw products now exported from the state. There are also many undeveloped resources which are beginning to attract attention and which will eventually result in greater in- R xluct»on Work . Great Fall Montana ranks second amony the States in the production of zinc.