Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-28

are on the eve of a big prosperous bust
ness in lumber, he believes.
John w. Graham of John W Graham
& Co, the largest concern in the book,
stationery and sporting goods lines in
this part of the country. says every
branch of his business is picking up
and looking much better. Every month
since February has shown improvement
and this September is better than Sep
TENDER. 1920
A. F. Lindsay, president of the Fl
deity National Bank, said il would take
several crops to get some of the farm
ers out Of debt. As against that, he said,
savings banks deposits were about the
same as last years total at this date.
George Greenwood, vice president Of
the old National Bank, said the credit
position has been improved measurably
as in the more favored agricultural dis
tricts there has been substantial liqui-
dation.
Roy Gill. president of the Holley Mason
Hardware Company, reported his concern
doing 65 to 20 per cent of normal bust
ness.
We are from three to four years be
hind In dwelling construction he said,
"and there is 4 great shortage of houses.
Railroad rates ere discriminative. The
charge, Pittsburgh 10 Spokane IS the same
eIs Pittsburgh to Seattle Hardware
dealers have considerable stocks"
Spokane men say there Is a bigger out
put from Cuoer DAlene mines now than
usual. That territory produces from 50
TO 20 per cent Of all the lead in the L.
S. Various Spokane men are owners Of
large mining properties in that belt.
fho II har hat un+
sidered satisfactory. There would be more
construction If wages and materials were
reduced. Common labor was $3.50 n day
and has not been below 81. Brick lay
ers commanded IS a day and carpenters
SO to 81 for seven and one half hour
day. Rents were said to be low despite
the shortage of houses, and living costs
probably lower than in the vast matority
of other cities Of the size of Spokane.
There were more electric ranges percapita
in Spokane than elsewhere In America,
and light and power were low in price.
Practically everyb body seen in Spokane
was pretty we'll satisfied that conditions
were much improved. At the same time
everybody talked of the remarkable OPP
portunities for improving the whole sit
uation in the Northwest if the vast irri-
CATION project for Idaho and Washing
ton were put through. Nowhere on earth
was there so much land so easy to trans
form to fruitful farm purposes and so
much surplus water going to waste. The
production of the Northwest could be
doubled, it was declared, II the water was
turned upon the thirsty soil.
Together with this failure to employ
the excess water for the farm, they de
clared, there was a waste of potential
energy that was shocking. Today there
Is potential power in the streams of
Washington equal to Q 100000 horse power
9nd only 341 400 horse power are en-
. pIoyed. or little more than per cent,
while California has 10 per cent of its
hydro-electric power barnessed and profits
greatly thereby, and Montana has e
per cent of its water energy working.
The needs of the world for more food
stuffs, the ever rising cost Of coal and
the requirements of industry in the
Northwest, they declare. make necessary
the earnest attention of the people to this
subject They say it is the concern Of
the East just as it is of the West. for the
food problem is national not sectional,
and the utilization of these natural water
resources is a thing for Federal develop
ment and not for private enterprise They
say the addition to the national wealth
through the crops, through taxa alton and
through lessened cost Of food would cover
the costs within a measurable period and
the country cannot long delay the re-
clamation of the arid stretches Of the
West or the low lands of tho Mississippi
water shed or the other districts in which
great areas now are national waste spots.
These people Of the interior Of the North
west are not all content either with the
present rates of the railroads They
think they are both too high and dis
criminatory. They want a readjustment.
They complain also of the wastes in dis
tribution which make costs to the con
sumer so high as to restrict consump
tion while curtaiIing the profits Of the
producer.
They want the people of the East to
come in larger numbers and see the
Northwest
What they are doing to promote tourist
traffic is so big as to lift that work
into the line of an industry. They have
scenery that surpasses anything else in
he Republica they believe. and they
have. excellent roads which they propose
to make better until they are ideal
Any one who thinks these people in This
!. FAR corner of the Republic are not for
word looking citizens had better come
and see them Copyright, 1921, by Public
Ledger Company.