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Show as crude ingots, our zinc in the form of concentrates and our lead in an unrefined condition, leaving it to others to refine and fabricate the products and to receive the benefit of the additional labor, power, and materials required ta the processing. We even buy back some of the finished products made from our metals and see still others pass by on their way to the Coast'and to the Orient and to the islands of the sea. Surely the time has come for us to undertake to apply vision and intelligence to the proper utilization of our resources and thereby realize on our God- given inheritance. In the mining, milling, and smelting cf our non- ferrous metallic ores some 13,000 persons normally are employed directly. In the mining,- milling, smelting, refining, and fabrication of the five chief non- ferrous metals produced in the United States, some 300,000 persons are employed directly. Utah produces one- seventh of the national output of such metals, and should she undertake to refine and fabricate as well as mine,, mill, and smelt, she would require more than 40,000 direct workers, instead of the 13,000 now employed, representing an increase of over 300 percent. Moreover, Utah's enormous stores of ncn- metallic minerals scarcely have been touched and it is pertinent to note that the national production of non- metallies is of greater economic importance than is the production of the metals. Then too, conditions are favorable for the production of an imposing list of chemical compounds from our salt and coal and other materials. With home markets provided by an expanded industrial development, the entire available agricultural area of the state could be utilized, with distinct advantage to our farming group. i . Finally, such expanded industrial development would enlarge transportation requirements, and increase the demand for services by lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, and others and make for an enlarged wholesale and retail business, arid extended banking, building and construction activities and incidental manufacturing. There are two primary requisites to the visioned industrial development- an ample supply of water for industrial purposes and an enormous supply of electrical energy at extremely low unit cost. The development of the required supply of eleotrical energy, in turn, under the conditions prevailing in Utah, calls for an enormous supply of water, so the matter finally resolves itself into the necessity of providing such supply of water. Proximate sources of water have long since been appropriated or are available only at exorbitant costs, with the single exception of the water in the Great Salt Lake, Unfortunately,, the brine in the Lake is- net suitable for industrial, power or irrigation purpose in its present condition of salinity. The supply of water to the lake, however, is suitable for all these purposes and out of this fact has grown the proposal to dike off that portion of the lake lying east of the chain of islands, thus forming a fresh water reservoir or reservoirs. The Great Salt Lake Diking Project contemplates the construction of dikes connecting the islands with the mainland and with each other. It is proposed to construct the dikes of natural materials hydraul- ically dredged from the lake bed and to provide very flat side s. lopes to - 34 - |