Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-07-11
NINE AND FACTORY.
INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE OF
TWO GREAT INDUSTRIES.
Greater Value Of Our Factories to
Capital and Labor-Their Products
Worth q Hundred Dollars Every
Year to Zach Inhabitant.
Higher Wages In Mines.


According to the. 1880 census report
The total output Of the gold mines was
1.59O,S69 ounces, Of coinage value of
81. 8 ,744. The total output Of the
silver mines reached 81, 354.S51 ounces,
of q coinage value Of SEQ. 800, 9SS, though
the value Of all the silver at the mines
mouth to the mine owner would prac-
tically be about the same worth as
the value of the gold that was mined.
Combining the coinage value Of the
gold and silver output in that year, 1t
was slightly less than one hundred mil
lion dollars, as compared with the out
put Of our manufactures. worth more
than six and a quarter billions Of dol
lars, as shown below:
Cold and silver product:
Ounces. Coin value,
Gold ........... 1.50O,869 $32, 1856, 744
Silver ....-... .51,354,851 66,306, 9SS
Total coinage value. 49,. 800 S3, 1872
Value of manufacturer. .$6,27S ,:333S, 476
According to the census report the
value Of the gold and silver plants was
S4C5, 500. 566, to which must be added
the values of the mills and reduction
plants, worth $20,3G2,7 72, making the
total mining plant value to be $780,
s.23.:3s33S. On the side Of the manufac-
turing industries we have hired prop
arty worth 1888, 173, OOS and direct cash
investment a%ggregating 1896, 7O5, 734.
Thus while the total gold and silver
mining plant value of the United States
was worth four hundred and eighty
six and one-third millions of dollars,
the total value of the investments in
manufactures was ten times as much,
or nearly five billions of dollars.
There We're at the time of taking our
last census 10000 more factories in
the United States than gold and silver
mines; the amount Of capital invested
reached nearly $5,OOO,OU, 600 in the
manufacturing industries, while 1t was
less than half a billion dollars in the
gold and silver mines.
Where the gold and silver mines
"a employment to 57.3O7 people the
factories found work for fifty times as
many, or 2,9O7 1882 hands. Where the
mount of wages distributed to those
who worked in connection with the
gold and silver mines reached S43, $780,
$50 a year it was nearly forty times as
much in the case Of the factories. which
In the same year paid out owe Il bill
lion and Il half OF dollars in wages.
With thirty times As many factories
rs there were gold and silver mines;
with ton fivoDc nc rp,1Ih nOnit1I invnstn6
in factories as in the mines. it is still
surprising to learn that the total value
OF the products of the factories was
almost seventy times as great rs the
entire value Of the product of our gold
and silver mines the latter reaching
less than 500. 5000. while the pro-
duct value of the factories exceeded six
and a quarter billions of dollars. In
the item of miscellaneous expenses. too.
where the mines disbursed > 0.27O,44O,
the factories disbursed nearly twenty
three times as much. o $4J4.S44.SID 1t
must further be remembered that the
factories paid out $500, III. O34 for
raw material purchased for their own
use, whereas the gold and silver mines
supply their own raw material. from
which alone they can derive their pro-
duct.
Now let IFS glance at the average out
put and earnings of both mines and
manufactures per annum for each en-
ploye, and that this exhibit may be
more interesting We give the average
output and earnings of the coal miners
and of the workers in the granite
mines as follows:
Average output and earnings:
Per employee per annum.
Output. Earnings.
Gold and silver. ...... .S1,732 $729
Coal 675 474
Granite ............. GAS 431
Manufactures ......... 2,159 $50