The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-04
MONTANA IS GETTING THERE
BUSINESS SHOWS MARKED I'M
PR0vEMENT THIS YEAR
Q. H. Mcleod, General Manager of
the Missou1a Mercantile Conn
pany, Says EAgriculturally the
State Is Coming to the Front
The Copper Industry Has Seen a
Great Revival.

c. H. Mcleod, vice president and
general manager of the Missoula Mer-
camille company. the largest jobbing
house In Montana, was in the city yes
terday. Withdrawing with G l o e
reporter at the Ryan he gave some in
teresung data on the industrial con-
clifton of Montana.
mere has been a marked improves
ment IN business since the first Of the
year, and, taken in general, all lines
OF trade and industry have done bet
Ter this year than at any time since
1892. We are looking for a large COM
parat1ve Increase in the business done
this FALL. The jobbers are all we'll sat-
isfled with trade conditions, and the
reuall men have done an equally good
business during the last six months
All classes of trade have felt a steady
stimulus during the last eighteen
months, and we all look for the big
gest trade in the history Of Montana
for this year.
Alphabetically Montana is fast
coming to the front. While not strict
~ an agricultural state, the several
FERTILE valleys, including the Gallatin
and the Bitter Root country, afford
excellent facilities for growing the best
produced on the Western slope coun-
try The rye harvested in the Gallatin
valley is superior to any in this coun-
try, and finds a market all over the
world. This particular crop for this
season will be very large, and only
serves to further that branch of agri-
culture in the state There Is some
thing in this valley which is peculiarly
adapted to rye, and what but little
time ago was an experiment is now an
important industry of the state, and
promises to rank among the principal
diversions of the state.
THE copper industry has seen a great
revival very recently. The Butte and
Anaconda Copper Mining company's
mines are being operated at present al
most in their entirety, and the great
capital which has been invested in
that branch of the states resources
!, is now finding easy outlet, being a
source of continual profit to the mine
owners. Inequality of the Montana
copper requires no explanation and
we are getting in a position now where
we can more than supply our share of
the worlds consumption. The mine
operators of Montana have made i'm
mense fortunes while the more con-
sentative capital which has invested
In mercantile1Ipu pursuits has been salts
fled with less handsome, but harder
earned profits.
"Of late years. competition has been
tries of everyad description are going in
to the state from time to time and
compete With9the older concerns. Mon
tana is big state, and there Is room
for everybody, as the tide of immi-
grafton is fast finding it's way Monta-
naward.
1.-THE cattle industry of the state
perhaps, felt the stress of the hard
times less than any, and since 1895
there has been steady increase in the
market value of beef, which, of course,
has had its salutary effect in giving
life to the local industry. However,
this year fewer cattle will be shipped
from Montana than in the past, as the
ranges last year were in very poor
condition, and to protect themselves
the cattle men shipped feeders as we'll
as beef cattle from the state. Only
beef cattle will be shipped this year,
as the ranges were2 never in finer con-
dition, and it will not be necessary
for the cattle men to send away their
scrawny stock to be fattened in either
Minnesota, Iowa or Nebraska. The
young steers and COWS will be kept
on the ranges to be developed for the
market, next year, which means Just
so much additional revenue to the in
vestors in the industry, as the cattle
will bring rs per cent more in the
spring of the year. Outside states will
nave to go somewhere else this year
for their feeding stock. The St. Paul
market seems to be quite popular with
the stockmen, and will doubtless get
large portion of the business this fall.
"Our freight rates have been quite
high in Montana, but we expect be-
fore long to secure a more equitable
schedule of rates between local points,
which will greatly benefit the mer-
chants of our own state. OF course,
Montana is new state, and the cost
of railroad construction has been quite
heavy, but as the business Of the
roads increases a more reasonable rate
will undoubtedly be fixed by the COM
panies operating in our state. There
is a bright future for Montana, and
the next five years WILL without ques-
ton, witness a marvellous develop
ment in the innunerable resources of
the state"