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Show What can we expect in social changes? Irriga- tion and land management promote stable farm- ing, crop variation, and improved livestock pro- duction. This condition should provide new in- centives for farmers and correspondingly should greatly increase farm opportunities. Industrial growth will offer an enlarged field of employment, increased personal incomes, and higher standards of living. This will be felt throughout the basin by rural and urban residents alike. With improved and more widespread transportation, urban centers will create new and larger markets. The complex interrelated cycle of social and economic improve- ment will proceed. With this growth will come greater use of conservation facilities and improved public health. The natural resources can provide ready material for many industries. With electric power available, sufficient water at all times, and new and improved techniques, processing of such local resources as copper, lead, zinc, iron, manganese, petroleum, coal, lignite, gypsum, and others can be achieved. Pres- ent industry allied to agriculture, such as canning, meat packing, and processing of dairy products, will increase due to greater diversity of crops, increased farm production, larger markets, and better indus- trial conditions. New industries, using raw mate- rials from other areas, may be established to serve the basin market. Still other industry may be lo- cated in the basin because of opportunities it offers for decentralization. The future of this immense basin, covering one- sixth of the Nation, has potentialities of providing abundant living. The Missouri River Basin can remain one of the Nation's great basic food pro- viders, but it can also be a much better balanced region economically. In shaping the program to progress toward these desirable goals, those respon- sible should consider ultimate development to be only that which best serves the needs of the people. The term "ultimate" does not imply final develop- ment, but rather continuing increments of improve- ment to meet the expanding and changing needs of the people. In this process of attaining greater control and use of the water resources, constant guard must be maintained against those economic and political pressures which would defeat the objective of maximum benefit to the greatest num- ber of our people over the longest period of time. 281 |