Page:EB1922 - Volume 31.djvu/458

422 lion in 1900. The fishing trade had been considerably improved by the introduction of new methods (especially steam trawlers and motor cutters), and the export of fish products had in 1915 increased to 67,000 tons from 28,000 in 1900. The cultivation of the soil is also constantly improving, though in a smaller degree, and dairy farming after the Danish method has been introduced, by which the production of butter has been greatly improved. Some woollen factories have been established, but capital is lacking to provide as many as are needed. In its innumerable waterfalls (the greatest and most accessible estimated to represent about 4 million horse- power) Iceland is in possession of almost inexhaustible motive- power, and it was to be expected that considerable industries might grow up in Iceland in the near future, both Danish and Norwegian companies with extensive capital having already petitioned the Althing for concessions to utilize some of the greater falls. Up to 1921, however, the water-power had only been used to produce electric light in some of the towns. Communications are constantly developing, and driving roads have been made in almost every district; bridges have also been constructed over most of the rivers (while a scheme for the construction of a railway was under consid- eration in 1921). A telegraph cable to Shetland was opened in 1906 and telegraph and telephone lines inland have been extended practically throughout the whole country. In 1917 a wireless tele- graph station was erected in Reykjavik. The lighthouse system is yearly improving, and at Reykjavik a modern harbour with quays and cranes has been built. In 1914 Iceland acquired its own steam- ship company, which in 1921 controlled six mail steamers. A lunatic asylum and a sanatorium for tuberculosis (at the cost of the State), together with some minor infirmaries, have been established. From 1912 onwards there came into force a system of complete prohibi- tion of the import and making of any liquor containing more than 2 % of alcohol, with the exception of medical requirements and de- naturalized spirits for industrial use.

See Dansk-Islandsk Forbundslav (1918) ; Stjornarskrd konung- srikisins Island (1920); Statistique de I Islands, Nos. 1-25; Starfskrd 1 stands (1917); Valtyr Gudmundsson, Island am Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts (1904) ; P. Herrmann, Island, das Land und das Volk (I9H-) (V.G.) IDAHO (see 14.276). In 1920 the pop. was 431,866 as against 325,594 in 1910, an increase of 106,272, or 32-6%. The rural pop. in 1920 numbered 312,829, or 72-4% of the total, and the urban 119,037, or 27-6%, both increasing at nearly the same rate. The average number of inhabitants per sq. m. increased from 3-9 in 1910 to 5-2 in 1920. Boise, the capital and the largest city, had in 1920 a pop. of 21,393 (17,358 in 1910). The pop. of the other chief towns was as follows: Pocatello, 15,001; Twin Falls, 8,324; Idaho Falls, 8,064, and Nampa, 7,621'.

Agriculture continued after 1910 to be the principal source of wealth, despite rapid developments in mining and the lumber industry. The most significant growth came in the portions of the state south of Salmon river. In northern Idaho, although the value of farm crops showed an increase in 1910-20, the total acreage remained about the same. The following table indicates the extent of agricultural development at the last three census periods :

Number of farms. Acreage (improved) Average acreage (total) Value of farm property

1900 1910 1920

17,471 30,807 42,106

1,413,118 2,778,740 4,511,680

183-4 I7I-5 I98-9

$67,000,000 $305,000,000 $716,000,000

In 1920 15-7 % of the land area of the state was in farms and 53-9 % of the farm land was improved. Nearly two-fifths of all farms were in the group containing between 100 and 174 ac., but this group was declining in favour of larger and smaller holdings. The average value of land and buildings per farm was $13,811 as compared with $7.955 in 1910. The number of mortgaged farms nearly doubled in the 10 years. Tenant farming was not a serious problem, for nearly 63 % of all farms were operated by their owners. There were 41,598 white farmers and only 508 coloured farmers. Of the former, 35,284 were native born. The value of all crops for Idaho in 1910 was $126,459,766 as compared with $32,880,915 in 1909. Although the total value of cereals in 1919 ($43,118,428) showed an increase over 1909 ($16,026,676), it was not so marked as the increase in the value of hay and forage crops (1919, $50,807,437; 1909, $12,101,- 239). In the same decade the value of the potato crop increased 755-5% an d of the sugar-beet crop 236%. _With the increased acreage there came a decline in the average yield per acre of such crops as oats, wheat, barley and potatoes. Horticulture was important in the fertile valleys of the N. as well as in the irrigated districts of the S. and E. The production of strawberries in 1919 was 494,818 qt. ; apples, 3,648,640 bus. ; peaches, 279,101 bus. ; plums and prunes, 485,325 bushels. Although Idaho is still important as a stock-growing state, the growth of this industry has not kept pace with the development in crop raising. The table in opposite column indicates comparative gains during the decade ending 1920.

Construction of large-scale irrigation projects received a set-back during the World War. About half the farms in the state were under

1910

1920

No. of horses No. of cattle No. of sheep Production of milk (gal.) Production of wool (lb.) ....

189,322 404,518 1,012,431 30,981,341 16,377,265

293.123 7H.903 1,654,771 52,365,498 17,860,962

Mining. Mining continues to rank second in economic impor- tance. The following table shows the value of the mineral produc- tion in alternate years since 1910:

Gold

Silver

Lead

Copper

Zinc

1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920

$1,018,000 1,432,000 1,286,000 1,061,000 750,000 459,000

$4,268,000 5,011,000 7,412,000 8,013,000 8,709,000 8,379,000

$10,761,000 13.233.000 13,426,000 25,111,000 22,368,000 22,292,000

$ 753.ooo 1,224,000 2,166,000 12,633,000 1,278,000 491,000

$ 33,000 1,127,000 685,000 2,190,000 4,212,000 1,785,000

irrigation in 1920. In 1909 the total acreage actually under irriga- tion was 1,430,000, though existing projects were capable of putting water on a total of 2,388,000 acres. In 1920 over 2,000,000 ac. were under irrigation. Incidental to irrigation has been the construction of a number of drainage projects costing (1920) $1,706,462, and providing drainage for 55,732 ac., less than one-tenth of I % of the area of the state.

The total value of the mineral production in 1920 was $33,557,708. Lead is first in importance. The most important lead mines are in the Coeur d'Alene district of the Panhandle, including the Her- cules, the Tamarack and Custer, Hecla, and Bunker Hill and Sullivan mines. The mines of central Idaho are again becoming important after the lapse of half a century, and successful developments of lead-silver and lead-zinc ores have been made in Lemhi and Custer counties in the east-central part of the state. The extraction of silver is in most sections of the state incidental to lead mining. The niost striking developments in the years just preceding 1921 were in the mining of zinc. The Interstate-Callahan mine in the Coeur d'Alene is probably the third largest producer of zinc ore in the United States. Other properties in the same region have shown good yields in the past few years. Some zinc also is produced in central Idaho. The copper resources of the state, while widely distributed, are only in the first stages of exploitation, due largely to the inaccessibility of the best ores. The largest copper-producing area is in Custer county, though some development has been made in Lemhi, Sho- shone and Adams counties. The Seven Devils range in Adams county is one of the most extensively mineralized copper belts in the west. Gold is produced in northern and central Idaho partly by milling quartz ores and partly by dredging. One concern, operating in central Idaho, has produced by dredging as much metal-bearing material in a year as all the lode mines in the state combined. The latter are chiefly found in the Coeur d'Alene. Tungsten in increasing amounts is being mined, chiefly in Lemhi county, which contains a more complete variety of precious, useful, and rare minerals than any other county in the state. In south-eastern Idaho are great quantities of phosphate rock, of which 30,000 tons weffe mined in 1920. Low-grade coal is being developed irt small quantities near the Wyoming line, and there has been some prospecting for oij.

Manufactures. Although Idaho is by no means a manufacturing state, there has been a marked growth during the past decade both in the number of establishments and in the value of their products. The following are the chief industries, in order of importance: lumber, flour and grist mills, car and railroad shops, printing and publishing. Over 98% of the employees are males over 15 years of age; 71 %of the establishments are owned by individuals or firms and 27% by corporations. The total value of all manufactured goods in 1914 amounted to $28,453,000. Of this 47-7 % was rep- resented by lumber products. The cuts are chiefly of soft woods, 40% being white pine. Idaho contains the largest body of standing white pine in the world.

Government. The Legislature of 1919 completely reorganized the state civil administration in so far as the limitations imposed by the state constitution permitted. The Administrative Con- solidation Act abolished some 46 boards, commissions and offices. The resulting changes gave Idaho a consolidated form of state government, or, as it is locally called, a cabinet or " commission " form of government, with the governor at the head, assisted by nine departmental " commissioners." These nine departments are: Agriculture; Commerce and Industry; Finance; Immigra- tion, Labor and Statistics; Law Enforcement; Public Invest- ment; Public Welfare; Public Works; Reclamation. Each commissioner, salary $3,600, is appointed by the governor and, except " those under the constitution who are appointed for specific terms," may be removed by him at his discretion. The Act further provides that in certain departments designated officers shall be appointed by the governor, but these are com-