OCR Text |
Show THE ST ATE' 3 PROGRESS. Tho State of Utah has had its tips and downs, as the country in genoral has had, during- tho past year. Its most serious loss was tho falling off in tho metal production of tho mines, but tho coal production has been good and valuable. And tho agricultural, live stock, and wool interests of the State have done remarkably well. Tho State has progressed in population and developments devel-opments fairly, nnd has enormous resources re-sources yet in store. The saline deposits de-posits of tho Stato aro very large, tho iron deposits arc probably about the richest and most extensive of anywhere in the county. In hydro-caTbons Utah is especially rich, not alono in tho vast deposils but in tho great extent and vriot3' of the hydro-carbons available. In oils she is proving her qualit". Iu stone Utah has everything desirable, from tho onyx and tho marblo to tho best of sandstone and limestone. It has natural paint deposits, it has phosphate beds, it has gypsum, it has natural wax and natural gas. And thoro is no telling tell-ing what may bo found yet under the surface of the State. Some 3-cars past it was developed that tho ores of radium ra-dium were carried here, and tho remoteness re-moteness of tho deposit was all that, prevented it being drawn upon. In industries, tho great industry is mining and smelting; next como agri: culturo and live stock raising. These latter have had a most prosperous year, and many new irrigation enterprises are bvpnf: tho foundation for tho re clamation of largo and fertiJo tracts of land hitherto part and portion of tho desert, which is desert only in name, being richb productive when water is applied to tho soil. Tho dry farming farm-ing experiments, under the auspices of the Stato aro pointing the way lo a now stylo of farming industry which will bo the redemption and reclamation of tens of thousands of acres now bold to bo arid lund and untillablc. The results re-sults of these experiments in dr3' farming farm-ing year by 3'oar have been vastly encouraging, en-couraging, and they wero especial' so during tho year that has .just closed. Utah as a fruit State is rapidly taking its proper position and chief of all in quality of fruit, and certainby iu possibilities possi-bilities of production there is nothing left to be desired. Utah can produce fruit enough lo bo a factor in th fruit markets of the whole couutn-. Tn canneries and creameries and in the general industries thnt go along with civilization, Utah shows her full share. It is a good Stato and is destined des-tined to be a glorious Stato some da3 But it will be a long time in full developing, devel-oping, because of tho immensity of its resources and of tho cost of fiuding and operating in many directions which at present are forbidding. But tho Stale will gradually come into its own, because be-cause a State with tho diversified and magnificently rich resources that Utah is possessed of is bound to be evontually one of the great States of the Union. And when tho whole community becomes be-comes ready to free itself from the shackles of .f tyrannous ecclesioslieism and the people all determine to strike out for themselves on individual lines, each doing tho best possible that he can. maintaining for his own uso and profit tho accretion of his own industrv', then Utah will be a great Slate indeed! |