The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1957-12-06
basis for continued economi,
growth.
HOW DO WE ATTRACT t~ar.
NEWCOMERS? rs 5.
economic

HOW DO WE ATTRACT t~oo
NEWCOMERS? a
The Montana State Planning Board
in the October 1857 issue of INDUS
TRIAL HORIZONS suggests that the
states population growth between
now and 1870 depends on "our sue
cess in holding residents and on our
ability to attract newcomers to the
State. The Planning Board further
said that if Montana population grows
from now until 1870 at the same rate
it has since 1850, the population will
then be 1000. This would be a
46.6 per cent increase in population
between 1850 and 1870. The Census
Bureau predicts, however, that Mon
tana's population will grow only to
total of 715, 000-755,0 200 by 1870.
Even if Montana population should
increase by 1876 per cent as suggested
by the Planning Board, the rate of
growth would be considerably slower
TINA in all the Rocky Mountain states
for which the Census Bureau projects
60 per cent growth and the Pacific
Coast states for which the anticipated
growth is 80 per cent.
Population growth such as have
just described has some obvious
implications. The requirements for
essential public services continues
to increase and everything points
highways, recreational facilities,
and welfare programs.
AS college professor. am partic-
ularly interested in education. The
cost of educating a rapidly growing
will certainly be a major
problem of the immediate future.
President Lee A. DuBridge of the
California Institute of Technology
was reported in TIME magazine for
October %, 1857 as having said that
the cost of accommodating the college
population of the future will be so
high that 'the American people will |
either have to put up more money
Or shut up about sending their kids
20 college, This would appear to be
fair warning to the citizens of Mon
ANA where annual births have in
reased from range of 10,000-12,00
,or the period 1915-1946 to a yearly
ate of more than 1900 since 1854.
WILL
DOUBLE BY 1912
By 1912, said DuBridge, g. en-
'ollments in the nation as a whole
will surely be doubled We must
lot only double the capacity in Is
ears of plant that we have taken
100 years to build, but we must pay
or it in 1857 dollars :"
1t would appear that any hope for
tax reduction is wishful thinking.
The only relief for the individual
taxpayer appears to depend on de-
velopment of our productive re-
sources and a broadening of the
tax base.
Let us consider, then, Montana's {
ituation with respect to economic ,
rowth and the development, use and
OHJTOl Vi our UdCuEdl ToSOuTC6S. AS l.,
lembers of the Montana Reclamation !
association, you are most interested !
l Montana's water resources. ;
Montana is still primarily an agri- {
ultural state and is not far removed
rom the status Of a pioneer economy. +
Iuch of our action with respect to the |
evelopment and control of water re- I
)urces reflects our nearness in point t
{ time to the pioneer situation. The S
appropriation doctrine of water rights r
ased on the concept of 'first in time, V
rst in right" grew out of our pio- Z
eer experiences. We continue to Q
lace great emphasis on the priority r
octrine and on agricultural use of v
alter as being paramount. Il
1t became obvious early in the e
,ttlement history of Montana that
alter was the limiting factor in the v
.onomic development of semi-arid t.
,gion such as the one in which we S
We. 1t also became obvious that, in t.
ost instances some sort of group tt