Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1883-10-20
North American Review.
American Manufacturing Interests.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
MINING.
BY JOSEPH NIAIMo, JR.

Inc UOtal coal prOductS OF the UnlteQ
States amounted during the year 1880
to 1,067,576 tons, Of which about
one-third was used as generator of
power in the manufacturing industries
of the country. The population of the
United States increased from 81, 443,.
321 in 1860 to so, l55, 1888 in 1880, an
increase SO per cent; but the coal
product of the country increased from
Is, 173, 400 tons in 1860 to II, 067, 576
tons in 1880, an increase of 1858 per
cent. AS the demands for household
purposes probably did not increase very
much faster than the population and
the exports of coal amounted to 1877
059 tons in 1860 and only 615,260
tons in 1880, the increased product was
undoubtedly chiefly due to the increas-
ed demand for coal as source of
motive power in manufactures and in
internal transportation.
The mining of all metallic ores, other
than those of precious metals, is not
only intimately connected with, but al
most entirely dependent upon manu-
features. The increased production of
pig iron, from SS4,47 tons in 1860 to
1923, 1923 in 1882, was almost entirely
the result Of the growth of the iron and
steel manufactures of the United States.
This is shown by the fact that only
6,346 tons of pig iron were exported
during the year ending June 30, 1882.
TRANSCRIPTION.
The advantages realized by the trans.
portation interests of the country from
manufactures cannot be stated with
precision. About ten per cent. of the
East bound, and ninety per cent. of the
West bound traffic of the great East
and West trunk lines, consist of pro-
ducts of manufacture. From the best
information which can be procured, it
is estimated that manufactured articles,
together with materials and the coal
required for supplying motive power
in manufacturing industries, constitute
about one-half of the freight tonnage of
the United States. 1t is probable that
considerably more than one.half of the
freight receipts of railroads is derived
from the transportation of manufac>
tured articles and of material and coal
required in their production. This is
evident from the fact that the higher
and better paying classes of freight con-
sist chiefly of manufactured articles.
The rates per hundred pounds pre-
vailing at the present time on railroad
freights between New York and Chica.
90 are as follows: West bound, first
class, seventy-fve cents; second-class,
sixty cents; third-class, forty>fve cents;
fourth'class, thirty-fve cents. East
bound, firstclass, one dollar second
class, eighty-fve cents; ninth-class,
forty cents; tenth-class thirty>five
cents.
1t may be observed here that very
considerable portion of the products of
agriculture is consumed upon the farm,
or in the immediate neighborhood
where they produced, and does notre-
quire transportation by rail or on water
lines, whereas almost all the products
of manufacture, being articles of com.
MERGE, do involve such transportation
services.
The establishment of manufactures
in the large towns and cities of the
country has given rise to most salu.
tary regulating influence over trans
portation charges on railroads. During
the last twenty years competition has
arisen between the different manufac.
turing centers of the West, and also
between those points and the manufac
turing towns and cities of the Atlantic
seabord. AS railroads depend very
largely for traffic upon the industrial
interests of the manufacturing towns
and cities situated upon their lines
railroad managers find it necessary SC
to adjust rates as to enable those town:
and cities to compete with rival manufac
turing centers situated on other roads
BY this means rail rates have, to a very
considerable extent, become indirectly
subject to the influence of the law o