Arizona silver belt., 1889-06-15
MINERAL pRoprcruoN FOR ,sss.


 The following statistics of the min eral production during the calendar year 1888, are taken from advancs shests of the sixth report of "Ths Min eral Resources of the United States, n by David T. Day, Chief of the Divis- fen of Mining Statistics and Technol- ogy, United States Geological Survey.
 GOLD AND SILVER.
 According to the Director of the Mint, the gold product was l,604,927 fine ounces, valued at S33,175,000. This is about the same as in 1887, be- ing an excess of only S75,000. The silver product was 45,7S3,632 fine ounces, of the commercial value of about S43,000,000 and of the coming valuo of S59,195,000. This is an in- crease of 4,5l5,S27 ounces over the product of 1887. In addition to the product of our own mines some l0,- 100000 ounces of silver were extract ed in the United States from foreign ores and bullion.
 COPPER
 The total product. including the yield of imported ores, increased to 23l .270,622 pounds, or 1l5,635 short tons, during 1888, winch is 46,053, 29l pounds more than the product of 1887. During the first quarter of 1889 the production was increasing at even . more rapid rate The prices reesi, e l by American producers averaged l5ss cents per pound for Lake copper, 14a for Arizona and II for other districts; making the total value S33, ,S33,954. Montana led in the production, mak ing 97,S97,96S pounds. Consumption was somewhat reduced by the high prices.
 LEAD.
 The product increased to lS0, ,553 short tons from 160,70e tons in 1887, The increase was due principally to the heavier receipts of lead ih Mexi- can silvar-lsad ores from l5,000 tons Tn 1887 to over 27000 tons in 1888. The average price m New York was Al cents per pound. The production of white lead, chiefly from pig lead, was 5000 short tons, valued at $l0,- 6S000O.
 TOTALS.
 The total value oi the minerals pro Guced in 1888 was $591 ,659,93l. It is recognized that this is the sum of the values of substances taken in various stages of manufacture and hence net strictly comparable with others; still it is the most valuable means for com pairing the total products of different years. The result is an increase of nearly S50,00o,000 beyond the value of the product m 1887. In that year nearly every mineral industry showed an increase, and hence an increased total was evident. But the fact that the increase was so very large was due to rather exceptional conditions in few important industries, and it could not reasonably be expected that a similar combination of circumstances would result in even larger total value for 1888. Nevertheless the un- precsdentsd stimulus given to the production of copper by an artificial price increased the total value of that product nearly Sl3,000,000, or nearly enough to offset the decline in the total value of pig iron. The othsr lm- portant factors in the increase were coal and the other fuels which fel- lowed the increased quantity of met als. With the anticipated decline ol copper te the normal demand, a de- cline in the total value of the product in 1889 will not be inconsistent with the natural development of our min, eral resources,
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