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Show How Montana Fared in the Hew Century's First Year Before many days Montana, like the i rest of them, will have reached the j point where the season suggests retro- j spect, says the Anaconda Standard in j its annual Christmas edition. Not many words are required wherewith to tell the story of the commonwealth's ! career during the new century's first twelvemonth. It has not been an era especially eventful in any of its aspects, as-pects, yet it has been a season distinguished dis-tinguished by the evidences of thrift and prosperity in every sphere of industrial in-dustrial life within the state. It is a famous fact that physical Montana is noteworthy for the number of days, each calendar year, during which it is favored with clear skies and bright sunshine. The like of this is true, for the year soon to close, with respect to Montana's social life, its industrial efforts, ef-forts, its business record. It has been a year of immunity from evils. To be sure, there prevails in Montana's mining min-ing circles, even at this 'hour, a feeling , of concern in respect to the things that . the future is likely to bring. Possibly there has been more or less warrant, of late, for a feeling akin to uncertainty, uncertain-ty, yet the Standard believes it to be the whole truth that there is no warrant war-rant for anxiety" or unrest. If the closing weeks of the year witness reduction re-duction in the number of men usually employed in the larger mining properties proper-ties or smelters, still it Is a fact that for the year the payrolls have been largely beyond precedent. Passing conditions con-ditions in the world's markets, involving involv-ing the supply of copper, furnish no reason whatever for distrust .among Montana's working forces and business men. For the year 1901 the average of prevailing prosperity can be marked with conservative estimate and yet be marked high. That result is especially noteworthy in view of the fact that this year Montana's Mon-tana's wage-working forces moved into the eight-hour era. The practical tests do not show that eight-hour shifts equal the old system in respect to product prod-uct actually turned out. The contrary is true. The experience of the year, however, has put on trial the proposition proposi-tion that the industries of the state, taken all in all, can reasonably adapt their operations to the eight-hour system. sys-tem. This experience certainly does I not furnish a negative to that proposition; proposi-tion; on the contrary, the inference is the other way. For the success of all classes within Montana's industrial range the sustaining of copper's price is absolutely essential. To that policy, ! notoriously those who manage Montana's Mon-tana's great mining properties are fully committed, and, meanwhile, a passing lull in the activities of production, disappointing dis-appointing as it may be and grievous in its operation cn some of the wage-workers, wage-workers, as confessedly it is, should not be exaggerated into an ominous portent of dark days to come. The remarkable re-markable fact is that the hindrance to prevailing prosperity for Montana lurks not in wage questions or supplies of ore or the demands of the market. The real threat to activity is found, strangely enough, in the tangled lot of litigation which has, in very recent I years, involved the state's greatest mining properties. It is a mass so confusing that only those directly engaged en-gaged in handling it have any idea as to how it runs or where. It has come much nearer, within recent times, to bringing industrial Montana to a dead halt than any other agency. It is baneful business which may prove to be far-reaching as well as bad. The Standard is not able to discern the faintest indication that the end of it is in view, or even the approach toward the end. For one thing. Montana makes a shining showing in the census returns that were officially summed up this year. It is perfectly well known that for many, communities in the state the taking of the census was work performed per-formed in a shabby way in some of the cities and towns the school population popu-lation and the lists registered voters make ridiculous the census returns prepared pre-pared under the authority of the federal fed-eral government. But even at that the gain in population for the decade ending end-ing in 1900 was gratifying. Beyond a doubt. Montana is the home of 300,000 people. The census report sets down the population of the state at 243,329. That is an admirable advance; the official of-ficial records gave Montana 20,,"95 white inhabitants in 1870. There was an increase to 39,159 for the census of 1880. In 1890 the count was 132,159. It is next to impossible to show the gains for the past ten years by counties, since many of these, in the process of the state's growth, have received new boundaries, seven counties appearing In the census report now for the first time. Spite of this carving, the official figures, practically finished this year, show gains in population for all the counties except three, which were heavily drawn upon for the setting up of new counties. As for minerals, Montana has the official figures of last year and its immediate predecessors to go by. They give to her the magnificent mag-nificent mark of a seventy-million-dollar annual production, that splendid total recording, in round numbers, the value of the gold, silver, copper and lead which Montana gave to the world, last year, in the form of new wearth duK out of the earth's depths. There will be no material change in the Rg- ures that will sum up this year's product. prod-uct. That the year about to end has been one of material Drogress in Montana is shown in the increased valuation of the taxable property of the state. There has been a sraln all alone the line. The total assessed valuation of the property prop-erty of the state this vear was $16-787.593. $16-787.593. as compared with $153,401,594 I last year, an increase of $13.35.999. The I eain in valuations was almost wholly I uoon the real and personal property of j the state, exclusive of the railroad val- nations. Everv countv reported to the state board of equalization a gain in j valuations of real, and personal prop- ertv. It is worthv of remark that while the mining interests of the state fnr-I fnr-I nished a proportionate share of the increase in-crease In valuations, the bulk of ttv gain is found in the products of the ranch and farm and the sheep, cattle and horse interests of the state. The wool output of Montana this year has been placed approximately at 3U.000.000 pounds. The average price received re-ceived was 13 cents. Nearly all of the wool was sold outriaht. very little having hav-ing been consigned. This is esti.natcl to have yielded to the growers about $4,000,000. The cattle have yielded about $10,000,000. The horses taken from the ranges and shipped out of tne state, some to distant South Africa and others to the farming sections of the east, brousht about $2.2"0.COO into Montana, Mon-tana, a larger vear's sale than was ever recorded. Lartre sums were received from the sheen sold for mutton, as well as from the farming products, fruit, portltrv and the like. A reliable estimate esti-mate places the total vield of the live stock and tannine interests of the state this year at $28,000,000. The farming area of the state has increased about 10 per cent. This represents the gain In new farmers, as well as the acquisition acquisi-tion of adloinlne lands bv established farmers. The annual reports of the state board of live stock commissioners commission-ers and the state board of shepp commissioners com-missioners are not vet prepared. The prices, realized for cattle this yenr were about 2.") cents ner 100 weight better than last vear. Cattle were remarkably free from disease this vear. and there were few cases reported of cattle stenl-ine. stenl-ine. This winter thus far has been verv favorable for cattle, the stock entering en-tering the winter in fine condition. In the work of railroad extension Montana had. durine 1901. a generous share. It Is an interesting fact that, within a few davs. for the first time in history, old Virginia Citv and the famous fa-mous Alder Gulch reeion have been brought directlv into railway connection connec-tion with the world, bv means of the Northern Pacific's extension in Madison county. In Choteau and Cascade counties coun-ties the Great Northern is rapidly approaching: ap-proaching: the completion of the cutoff cut-off that will materially shorten the distance dis-tance and Hehten the axade between Fort Benton and Great Falls. This is the most important piece of railroad work in the state durine several years. The Burlineton has completed its line known as th Toluca branch, that runs from a point in Montana to Cody, Wyo., opening ud a rich section of both Montana Mon-tana and Wvomine that never before had railroad connection. The Great Northern has plans on foot for extensive exten-sive railroad building in Flathead countv. for the purpose of tapping the Canadian coal fields to the north. The Great Falls and Canada road, which has passed into the control of the Great Northern, is to be broadened to standard eauee earlv next vear. There is a strone probability that the much-talked-of line between Billings and Great Falls will be built next year. The plans said to have been decided upon are to extend the Burlington northwest north-west from Huntlev. Its present connection connec-tion with, the Northern Pacific, to a iunction with the Montana Central near Monarch. Durine this vear the condition of the public funds was such as to permit of generous appropriations for several of the state's Institutions of learning. One of the results is that, some of them have been permitted to increase their facilities in the wav of buildings or equipments. One gratifying result of the vear's achievements is the practical completion of Montana's new state-house. state-house. It is a handsome structure, ample, am-ple, in most of its appointments, an adornment for the citv of Helena, and a buildine creditable to the state. The citv of Helena has been twice favored durine the year, preparations having been well advanced for the erection in that citv of a federal building, to which generous appropriations have already al-ready been voted. These items are a part of the aggregate which has given a new and cheerine impetus to the capital citv of Montana. The year has brought the citv of Helena fully into the current of erowth and advance and prosperity. With apparent good reason, rea-son, the citizens of Helena reckon that the citv's davs of tress and of trial are well behind them, and that the prosperous present is the forerunner of a future abundant in promise. The sentiment of eood will and of well-wishing well-wishing for the capital citv is one in which all loval citizens of Montana cor-diallv cor-diallv share. Indeed . Montana comes to Christmas-tide Christmas-tide with abundant reason for good cheer. So ereat is Butte's aggregate of growth for the vear that, were the city put in comparison with what it was at former holidays, it would hardly recognize itself. Millions have been spent in Anaconda since last Christmas in permanent betterments. The regions that centers in Missoula has garnered thrlftv harvests. Recently the president presi-dent of the United States has spoken about irrieation In words which, were they heeded, would speedily bring a vast domain in Montana ud to a splendid splen-did realization of an Enelish economist's econo-mist's famous nhraze about turning sand to gold. In presence of these months of healthful erowth, of substantial sub-stantial gains, of favorine conditions, of respite from political rancor, of shelter shel-ter from adverse nhvsical visitations and of aboundine blessines, Montana can enter the holiday season in hearty accord with the sentiment that it i3 and ought to be a merrv Christmas. |