The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-01-17
MANUFACTURING
NEW POSSIBILITY
SURVEY SHOWS MONTANA TO BE
PROMISING FIELD FOR SEW
ERAL NEW INDUSTRIES
IRON and Steel Mills and Paper Manu-
factories Are Among the Potential
tiles; Success of the Copper Rod
and Wire Mandatory.

wealth of basic industrial materials
combined with the vast fuel and
mower and 1.-THE growing
importance of the western N
oriental markets." in the BELIEF OF
the state department of agricul-
ture. The views of the state de-
partment are expressed in an optI-
mistic review which is soon to be
issued by the division of publicity.
The booklet is in effect a survey
of the states industrial resources,
present and potential, and G. ID.
Greenfield, Jr., is the author.
According to experts the review
states, 1.-THE prairie Ignite of eastern
Montana, if made into producer gas
and then the energy be changed into
electricity is equal in energy value at
$500 a ton to Pittsburg bituminous
coal at 5000 a ton.
Growth May Be Slow
'The emergence of industry In
Montana from the extractive to the
manufacturing stage, however, will
not be a sudden transition but a slow
growth along two lines. One will be
a more complete fabrication for sale
in western and oriental markets OF
the raw materials now produced in
large quantity. The other will be a
development of industries, utilizing
resources of Montana, that in the be-
ginning at least will primarily manu-
facture tools and appliances required
bv the eXtractive and other industries
already established. The copper rod
and wire mill at Great Falls is an in
stance of the industrial transition
along the first line; the manufacture
of some mining machinery, such as
hoists and ore cars in the mining dis
tricts, and the assembling and par
tial fabrication of oil drilling equip
ment by machine shops in the oil dis
tricts. are instances of the second
line of development to be anticipated.
In other words the development will
be in accord with the axiom that near
ness to market is the most important
of location considerations to the larg-
est number of manufacturing enter
prises.
''There are some real opportunities
for new manufacturing plants In
Montana to supply the needs OF the
present available markets. Looking
at the matter from the angle of the
needs of ~extractive industries already
established and the possibility of fill
ing these needs with products made
out of Montana resources, the predic-
ton would appear justified that the
next step forward in this state will
be the establishment of iron and
steel mills and then of paper mills.
e'The coal, metal mines and smell
ters use large quantities of iron and
steel products. The northwestern oil
fields are big users of pipe and steel
tanks. The building and other mis-
ceIlaneous industries are users of iron
and steel products. The farms OF
the northwest require barbed and
woven wire fencing. Establishment
of iron and steel works in the state
would make possible the establish
ment of many specialized plants serv-
ing markets now available for such
products as gas engines for farm use,
wind mills, pumps, certain kinds OF
farm machinery, tin cans for the
northwestern and intermounta1n can
neries, and a large variety of present
metal goods-buckets, cups, dishes,
and novelty goods, hardware of va
rious sorts and speciality goods.
First Step Pointed Out
cit is likely that the first step look
ing to an iron and steel industry in
Montana will be a plant doing ma
chine work and making steel castings
from scrap steel in an electric fur
mace. Scrap iron from the agricul-
tural and mining regions is compare
lively abundant and is of the high
est grade for reworking. There is
no plant in the northwest utilizing
the scrap, although the market is
large for steel castings. 1t is assert
ed that the differential in transporta-
ton costs in favor of such a home
plant would insure its success against
present holders of the market. In
California there are over 60 such
foundries.
cat present such castings must
come from either Minneapolis or Salt
Lake. The demand for such a plant
consists of steel castings for mining
and smelling machinery, railroad
equipment, oil field equipment and
many small repair parts for tractors
and farm machinery.
GA plant turning out metals OF
which large quantities are used by ex-
tractive industries already establish
ed in the northwest, would logically
seem to follow, especially in view of
the fact that Montana is n of the
largest producers of the metals in
such alloys.
"The first essential in any contem-
plated industrial program Will be de-
tailed and comprehensive survey OF
the raw and process resources OF