White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-04-02

IN very real sense the Pacific
Coast states have been the West
ern colonies of America. The West
has always supplied an expansion
chamber for our restless and ambi-
tious mixed population. Due to its
great distance across the continent
from the centers of population on the
Atlantic Coast and the east side of
the Mississippi Basin, the great areas
of mountainous, desert and high
plains country, only few great rail
highways have been built from coast
to coast. The Pacific States face the
worlds greatest ocean-a relatively
empty ocean-with vast backward
populations massed on it's eastern
side.
The growth of the Pacific region
has therefore been retarded by many
causes, some natural, some artificial.
Had the great valley of California, for
instance, fronted on the North Allan
tic with the magnificent Bay of San
Francisco looking out upon Europe,
the historian and economist would
tell you that it probably would have
been independent and self sustaining
for 200 years or more.
From the standpoint of Industrial,
and foreign trade growth, nations and
large economic areas pass through
we'll defined stages of development.
First, the region is exploited pure
ly for it's raw material resources and
remains dependent upon older dis
tricts for transportation equipment,
tools and the requisites of commerce.
Second, the necessities of the es-
tablished population begin to be sup
piled by enterprising persons or
groups manufacturing the needs Of
the region from raw materials at hand
or imported and fabricated or assem-
bled. This stage of progress gradu-
ally expands until a large part of the
demands are made on the ground.
The region is then said to be self,
sustaining Only such commodities
are imported from foreign nations or
the older states, as either cannot be
produced or can be so much more
easily supplied from abroad that the
cost of local production would be
prohibitive as business proposition.
Third, as the region becomes we'll
populated, grid-ironed with efficient
transportation facilities and stabilized
economically, local enterprises based
upon raw materials available, become
attractive for large scale enterprises
and foreign investors. Surplus prod
ucts are manufactured on quantity
production basis. The output far ex-
ceeds the demand of the region and
the surplus is available for export,
either to the parent states or abroad.
The West an American Colony.
.
it's great and varied resources has al
ways been the safety valve for Amer
lean people and American politicians.
Its existence has made possible the
American policy of isolation and free
dom, heretofore, from entanglements
in European complications and colon
ial ambitions in other parts of the
globe.
The land grant railroads were con-
ceived and financed in recognition of
this policy.
At the close Of the Civil War the
great armies were disbanded and par.
ticipated in the Westward movement,
taking up free land west of the Miss
issippi, establishing new communities
and transforming prairies and plains
into great farms, definitely stimulated
by the invention and production of
the mechanical grain harvester.
Consequently the Mississippi
region developed into region of ex-
port Of raw materials as soon ais pro-
vided with transportation arteries and
thin overlap of man power.
The agricultural production of Yves
tern States far exceeds the consum p
ton and very largely the output moves
in foreign trade, because the Missis-
sippi Valley supplies the agricultural
needs of it's dense population and
great cities along the Atlantic Coast.
BY exporting, the producing sections
are thus not invaded and prices are
not destroyed by unhappy competi-
ton. The prosperity Of agriculture on
the Pacific Slope is thus sustained by
foreign trade.
The export of wheat from the
Northwest, either as raw grain or as
flour is typical illustration of the
great movement Of surplus commodi-
ties. Over SO million bushels Of
wheat and three million barrels Of
flour were the exports of the COM
modities in 1925.
Export of Forest Products
The wonderful forests of the Pacific
Northwest have supplied the trans
portation lines the principal tonnage
available from the region. The lex
port Of this commodity" has been pre-
dominately domestic, lumber being