Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-02-14
OF MINERALS.
Remarkable Growth In This
Branch of American Trade.
GREAT OUTPUT OF IRON AND STEEL

Development of Foreign Commerce
In Coal, Mineral Oil, Precious Met
ais and other Subterranean Prod
ucts In the Last Decade-MateriaI
Decrease In Similar Imports,
Mineral products, crude and manu-
featured, have become in recent years
very important feature of the domes-
tic exports Of the United States. OF
the $1,000, 22S, COG exports of domestic
products, including gold and silver, in
the year 1900, S436.227, AT in value
were composed of mineral products
Thus 2S per cent of the total domestic
exports originated beneath the surface
Of the earth, though, Of course, much
of their selling value was added by
the labor which turned them into form
required for the use of man. The ex-
ports Of iron and steel, for instance,
amounted in 1900 in round terms to
13O,OOO,OCO; mineral oils of all classes.
to $75.000,OO0; copper to nearly $780,
00O, 600; coal and coke, over $50 ,O0O,O 900;
paratfin, more than $S,OOO,O0O; phos-
pilates. more than $500O,O0O, while the
gold production exported amounted to
$50, 1871. 523 and the silver TO S59,272,-
G6o.
A comparison of these enormous ex-
ports of metals and minerals and their
with nf
shows the remarkable progress which
has been made in this branch Of Amer
lean industry-the production and man
ufacture of the mineral wealth which
nature has so lavishly supplied the
United States. In iron and steel man
ufactures, for instance, the eXporta-
lions of 1890 amounted to but $27 ,OOO,-
134. and in 1900 they were, exclusive
Of iron ore, S129. G33. 4SO, or nearly five
lier. OF copper the expectations Of
1890 We're S5,91S,395 and in 1900 $685.
$500, or nearly ten times as much as
in 1880. a decade earlier. or mineral
oils the expectations of 1890 were $52,-
2IO,943 and in 1900 S74 493, 7O7, an in
crease of about 80 per cent. OF coal
and coke the exports of 1890 We're ST.
2I7,G92 and in 1900 500, SS3, DAT, or
about three times rs much as in 1890,
and Of phosphates the exports of 1890
were $1,91S.439 and in 1900 S5.217, $50,
or about three times as much as q
decade earlier Taking the entire group
of minerals. metals arv the manufac-
lures thereof. exclusive of gold and
silver, the total for 1890 was $103693.-
95o and in 1900 1924, 167.2S6, or more
than three times as much as in 1890. a
decade earlier. while Of gold the domes-
tic product exported in 1890 amounted
to $40, 654. 900 and in 1900 to $52,7S7.-
523, and of silver the exports of 1890
were $16,09S, $50 and those of 1900
$59,272, 66S
The value of metals, minerals and the
products thereof exported in 1900, ex-
elusive of gold and silver, shows an in
crease of 21S per cent over 1890, and,
including gold and silver an increase
OF 2lO per cent, while the total domes-
tic exports. including gold and silver,
showed during the same time an in
crease of but II per cent.
Meantime imports of this character
have materially decreased. except in
case of natural products not obtained
from the mines of the United States,
but required for use in manufacturing.
Imports of manufactures of iron and
steel, for instance. fell from SAL .G79,5Ol
in 1890 to $50, 443, 9OS in 1900, while pig
tin. used in the manufacture e tin
plate. has increased from $4,000 in
1890 to SIS, 45S.5S6 in 1900.
The following table, compiled by the
treasury bureau of statistics, showing
the expectations in 1890 and 1900 Of the
principal products of minerals, metals
and the more important manufactures
thereof, illustrates the great develop
ment during the decade of this branch
Of our domestic industries: