The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-11-03
TRADE AND FINANCE LETTER
Some Instructive and Interesting
Features Of Southern Idaho

Features OF southern Idaho
The general outlook for the future
continues to grow more encouraging,
A reduction in the early abnormally
high price of cotton has caused in
creased activity in the textile indus
tries. The issuance of new securities,
so heavy during the first six months
of the year, has been at very low
z point during the last three months
and it now appears likely that the
years total will not be greater than
that of 1910. The cash reserves In
the banking centers are unusually
strong for this time of the year, and
the Treasury balances continue to
grow. The difficult Moroccan situa-
ton is now out of the way, and even
the war between Italy and Turkey
Offers few disquieting features. In
fact, the possession of Tripoli by Italy
will probably mean very great devel-
opment in that rich country.
As for the intermountain country,
fundamental conditions have not for
several years been SO good. Record
crops ard record prices are combin-
ing for the profit Of this section,
Southern Idaho
Out Of 100000 acres contained
within the boundaries of Idaho, TO-.
100000 are timber lands, 5000, 900
pasture, 100000 mineral lands, and
21,000,000 acres are arabic. This
great area of arabic land is almost
equally divided between the dry farm
ing sections and the irrigable lands,
and will eventually be still further
augmented by considerable portion
of the timber lands of the Panhandle
which will drift, acre by acre, into
the hands of farmers.
Notwithstanding the smallness of
her population (325,0O0), Idaho's
Idaho's total output for 1910 was
over $135,000,00O.0 Almost half
of this was in agricultural products
($60,000,00), and it is interesting
to notice that neither mineral produc-
ton, livestock or wool came second,
but manufactures, with a total of
$24,000,O00, of which the lumber in
dustry provided only third. This
is a remarkable showing considering
the youth of the state, its sparse pop
ulation, and the fact that only one
tenth of it is under cultivation, to-
gether with the other fact that only
a bare beginning has been made in
the Harvesting of the states water
power After manufactures come in
regular order; minerals ($15,6O0,-
O00), livestock ($9,600, oO0), lumber
$4,000, 900. fruit ($5,0O0,0O0, and
wool ($2.oOO,OOO)
Silver, gold, copper, tungsten, lead,
coal, phosphate and marble are
among Idaho's mineral products, the
last four in enormous quantities.
Idaho produces 400 of the lead of
the United States. Definite informa-
ton cannot be obtained as to the
coal reserves of the Paye+te river val
ley, the Teton basin, and southeastern
Idaho, nor as to the phosphate or
marble of the southeastern counties,
although immense supplies are known
to exist.
There are now important power
sites on the Snake river at st. An
thony, Idaho Falls, American Falls,
Minidoka, Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls,
Upper and Lower Salmon Falls, OK
bow Tunnel, and Thousand Springs,
as well as on the Bear, Salmon, Spo-
kane, Malad and Payette rivers.
The Snake river between St. An
thony and Payette Is capable of pro-
DUNG more power than any other
stream in the United States. This
plentitude of power, coupled with the
wonderful agricultural possibilities
of southern Idaho makes certain
very dense population before many
more years have gone. The develop
ment Of the future is foreshadowed
In that Of the past for in the last
20 years the population has been
multiplied by four and the assessed
valuation by six.
Already Idaho has 1880 miles of
railroad, $500 mi es of telegraph
and $4,000 miles of telephone wires.
There are 10000 miles of irrigation
canals and laterals, representing an
investment of $29,500,000. Ten
thousand miles of these canals lie
in southern Idaho, and represent
$28,0OO.000 of the expenditure. For
this sum 100000 acres of land have
been put under canal, 1850, 900 acres