OCR Text |
Show Taxpayers Assn. Sees Turnover from Farming to Manufacturing in Utah During the past fifty years there has been a two and one-half one-half times increase in Utah's population. pop-ulation. Despite this large population popula-tion gain, Utah has failed to hold its natural increase in population (excess of births over deaths). As" of 1950, Utah's net loss by state to state migration was 91,000. Utah had a net outward migration migra-tion during each of the first four decades of the present century. million in 1900 to $248 million in 1954. Much of this change is the result of a greatly expanded copper cop-per producing industry. While the economic developments develop-ments that have taken place in Utah during the past fifty years have been significant, the changes that have taken place in government govern-ment have been even more startling. start-ling. Between 1900 and 1954, state taxes in Utah multiplied 70 times and Federal taxes paid by Utahns multiplied 300 times. Local property pro-perty taxes in Utah increased about eight fold between 1916 and 1954. Although government functions and activities have expanded many fold since 1900, the framework and tools of government have remained re-mained relatively inflexible. Many governmental units, not only in Utah but throughout the nation, are attempting to conduct operations opera-tions with the same tools and techniques that were used when such operations were only one-fiftieth one-fiftieth or one. hundredth their present scope. This trend was reversed somewhat in the 1940-50 decade, when there was a net inward migration of approximately 14,000 persons to Utah. However, indications are that this inward migration to Utah from other states has stopped. stop-ped. There is a need for more reliable population data between decennial decen-nial censuses. Perhaps Utah might explore the possibility of expanding expand-ing the present annual school census cen-sus to provide accurate data on total state population each year. In 1900, 38 percent of Utah's population lived in urban areas with 62 percent living in rural areas. By 1950, these proportions were almost completely reversed Mm'th lirhan nnnnlafinn PfPniiTititlfr for 60 percent and rural population popula-tion for only 40 per cent of the total. Utah's labor force and the number num-ber of persons actually employed have grown at a rate somewhat greater than the rise in the state population during the past fifty years. Much", of this increase has occurred since the beginning of World War II. -The increase in Utah's labor force during the past fifteen years has been greater than the cumulative gain during the preceding forty years. Because of increased taxation and the decreased purchasing power or tne aonar, tne per capita "real" income of Utah residents in 1954 was nearly 25 percent below be-low the 1943 high. Although originally agriculture was almost the sole basis of Utah State's economy, its importance during recent years has been overshadowed over-shadowed by the growth of mining, min-ing, manufacuring, and other industries. in-dustries. Indications are that manufacturing manufact-uring in Utah is growing at a rate approximately twice as fast as the national average. However, despite the fact that Utah appears ap-pears to be coming of age in manufacturing man-ufacturing development, it still is far behind the average of the nation na-tion in total manufacturing activity. ac-tivity. The value of mineral production produc-tion in Utah has risen from $17 |