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Show moving into 1974 Moab and Southeastern Utah must have a pretty-well pretty-well diversified economy and a good deal of resiliency to have finished 1973 in as good condition as we find things this week. A year marked by shortages of a number of commodities -- particularly fuel products -- has cut drastically into our travel industry. Layoffs in mining and milling have undoubtedly added to the unemployment rolls. And increased costs of living and doing business have added their toll: All in all, however, things could be a whole lot worse ir. this part of Utah. The outlook for the new years is filled with questions, ques-tions, but despite the unknown factors, the year shouldn't be as grim as some expect. Given sufficient fuel to keep the wheels turning, local industrial concerns should have just about "bottomed out" in activity and should be heading uphill from this point. The uranium industry, although at its lowest ebb in two decades, looks increasingly good. Atlas Minerals, Moab's largest uranium-connected firm for many years, seems to be moving as quickly as possible toward construction of vast improvements at their Moab mill, to coincide with the development develop-ment of large new deposits of uranium ore. Rio Algom, at the end of their firstfull year of production, product-ion, is operating at capacityHn Lisbon Valley. The solar evaporation process at the Texasgulf, Inc. Cane Creek potash operation is so successful that it is bringing widespread interest and promise of long life for that industry which was so troubled for so many years. Development of new copper properties and the construction of a new mill to handle the copper ores appears to be a good likelihood now in the Lisbon area, with Centennial Development making optimistic statements after a year's partnership with Keystone-Wallace Keystone-Wallace Resources in analyzing the potential there. And the demand for energy source material gives every indication that the next few years will see continued con-tinued activity locally in oil shale - connected construction, con-struction, coal dep.osit development and power plant planning. The oil industry in northern Grand County-continues County-continues to keep activity at a high pitch. Wirhin the community, the start-up of a new sewing plant, as announced in last week's T-I is a welcome addition to the community. It should provide pro-vide that important "second income" dollar to many community families feeling the pinch of inflationary prices. And even in the travel industry, so troubled by talk of fuel shortages, there are indications that 1974 might hold some surprises. Visits from residents of the Wasatch Front, rather than from the east and midwest mid-west and west coast, could make the difference, with resident Utahns from populated counties using the gas shortage as an excuse to see their own state this year, rather than some of the better known watering spots considerably further away. Local government appears to be moving efficiently effi-ciently along, facing for the first time in many years, the prospect of initiating economies to match revenues reve-nues not increasing as rapidly as they once did. The one area in governmental operations which seems to be needing more emphasis at this time is the move to initiate a new city-county form of government here. Although given a selection of twelve forms to choose from, committee members who have worked on the project don't feel that any one of the alternatives given them would be the very best form for this County. Hopefully, this year's Legislature will modify mod-ify the statutes enough to give the local committee what it needs to proceed on to a voter decision in the fall. There is an old theory that you can never have it so bad that someone else doesn't have it worse. In viewing the year-end analyses from other parts of this troubled world, Southeastern Utah remains a pretty good place to live. |
