The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1919-06-12
ADDRESS OF j. B. ELDRIDGE.
Vice President of Idaho Mining AssO.
citation Tells of Mining Industry.


The following is an abstract of an
address delivered at the meeting of the
| North Idaho Chamber Of Commerce at
Moscow, Idaho, on June 5, 1919, by
Hon. J. b. Eldridge, vice president of
the Idaho Mining association. The sub
| ject matter herein touches upon the i'm
portance of the mining industry in
| Idaho.
Declaring that good truck roads con-
structed in Idaho that would reach the
| inaccessible mining regions of the state
would increase the production of min
erals in Idaho from fifty millions of
dollars annually. to five hundred mil
lions of dollars annually, was the state
ment made at the meeting of the North
| Idaho Chamber of Commerce, at Mos
COW, Thursday, June 3, by J. b. Ell
bridge of Boise, vice president of the
/ Idaho Mining association, who deliver
ed Il most instructive address bearing
on the mining industry in the state
Mr.. Eldridge's address in part follows :
1T has been my good fortune to be
come Intimately acquainted with your
former fellow towpsman. Judge Viii
| liam NJ Morgan. Judge Morgan and
are fishing and hunting companions.
do not know what the judges former
reputation was when he lived at Mos
COW for truth and veracity, but since
moving to Boise it has become someth-
ing almost scandalous. He never gets
one less than a foot and half and
from that to three feet long and he al
ways gets the limit. But in spite of this
reputation Boise has adopted him as
one of its most beloved citizens. The
atmosphere of Moscow for turning out
! finished products is eXemplitied in the
chief justice as one hundred per cent
Moscow should be proud of its ,distin-
gniShed citizen, Judge William NJ. Nor
gan, for no more capable and conscien-
tious judge ever sat upon the supreme
bench of this state
II have been introduced To you as
vice president, with emphasis on the
vice, of the Idaho State Mining associa.
ton. Mining, Roads and Tourists
have been assigned to me as topic. 1t
may be1interesting to know that only
about 10 per cent of the known mineral
area of the state Of Idaho is suscept-
ible to practical mining operations on
account of the lack of transportation
/ Under normal conditions Idaho pro.
duces from its metals about fifty mil
lion dollars per annum. If the inacces-
sibe mining regions Of Idaho were
made accessible by building good truck
roads and the same transportation pro.
yided in the undeyeloped territory Ida
no would produce not fifty million dol
lars per annum. but five hundred mil
lion dollars per annum.
The mining industry of Idaho has
received little attention at the hands OF
the legislature The appropriation,
since 1903 at the time of the creation
of the mining department of the state
government have gradually increased
from about three thousand dollars pei
annum until the last legislature CAV,
the industry the magnanmous sum o.
tWenty-nine thousand dollars. BY com
pairing the products Of various indus
tries of the state a great injury is dis
closed. In normal times taking thu
year 1916 as a basis for the reason
that war prices did not so much prevail
we find Idaho produced in grain twent,
million dollars: hay thirteen million
dollars; sheep, cattle and wool. twenty
six million dollars; sugar and beets
eleven million dollars: horses. eight mil
ron dollars; dairy products. nine m
non dollars: and other products il
smaller amounts amounting in all +
one hundred and fifteen million dollars
The mining industry produced forty
nine million dollars for the same per
iod. The last legislature appropriate,
for live stock, horticulture and agri
culture. five hundred and sixty-on
Thousand dollars, or a total for all pun
poses of three million six hundre
thousand dollars. but only twenty-nin
thousand for the mining industry. tw
thousand of which is paid by the gee
logical survey. In other words tn
mining industry that produces thirt
ner cent of the total of all wealth q
ii he 1A1R I