Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-10
THE MIDSUMMER OUTLOOK

WITH the days rapidly approach
ing the middle of July, it is
possible to get a fairly accurate
view of the crops of the nation ano
the outlook is good on the whole
In some parts Of the country fur
Their south. the grain crops are al.
ready made and harvested, and the
threshing machines are busy. New
wheat is coming into Chicago by
the train load, these days. The
prospect for the nations wheat crop
is seer in the falling prices. I,
looks as though wheat might linger
around a dollar a bushel this year.
But we are going to have a big
crop of wheat and corn also-more
than we can use ourselves, with
a handsome surplus to export to
nations less fortunate than our own,
if they have cash or credit to buy
it with.
In Montana also, the crop out
look is good-better than average
we should say. Here the grain crops
are not out of danger yet, though
in many sections they have almost
passed the danger line. In some
sections more moisture is badly
needed. In a few places, the crops
are already burning up, or have
been burned up for lack of moist
ure. These are only a few spots
in the state, however. Generally
speaking, the grain crops over the
state look fine and give promise
of bumper crops. Here and there
reports of damage from hail and
storm come to us. These are the
incidents of every crop year, how
ever. There is still time for dam
age from hot winds. But by and
large it looks like the best crop
year Montana has had for the last
five or six years, and farmers and
business men are feeling encour-
aged over the outlook.
In northern Montana and eastern
Montana the development of oil
fields begins to have some consid-
cradle influence on the business
situation. A good many persons
have been plucked from poverty
and their feet set on financial in
dependence in these sections by rea-
son Of the oil boom. And the best
of it is, that they are finding the
oil-lots of it, both in the Cat
Creek and Kelvin districts. Der
ricks are going up everywhere in
Sweet Grass district and if con-
t;nued success in getting the oil
continues in that field, oil is going
to be a big factor in building up
Great Falls and northern Montana.
Already we feel its influence in
a mild way in business circles in
this city, and a veritable boom is
or at the new Oil fields.
The metal situation is better.
Since the Anaconda Copper Mining
company resumed operations in this
state, its payrolls have been slow
~ and steadily increasing every
month. If they have not yet reach
ed high water mark, they are get
ting there as fast as possible, and
already are a good deal larger than
they were before the shut down
came. Copper still remains low,
shading IA cents, but its tendency
is at least not downward but rather
the opposite. From a state stand
point the copper market is not SO
vital a matter to us as it was before
the Anaconda company purchased
the Connecticut Brass company,
thus securing a steady outlet for all
the copper and zinc it can produce,
but a higher price for these two
metals would add to the prosperity
of the state and we are naturally
hopeful that it will come about.
Lead also is going up some, and
silver remains steady at the gov
ernment pegged price,
Liberty bonds are all above par
now. The investment demand for
them fully equals the supply. That
ard cheap money have floated all
the Liberty issues up to par or
better. There has been a good deal
Of kicking by those who bought
bonds and wanted to sell them
about the discount they were
forced to make in past months, and
the k;ckers generally say the gov
eminent ought t. have done some
thing to keep them at par right
along. The government could not
have done this in anyway except
enc, and that was to buy them at
par itself when they were offered.
1t was willing to do that in a small