New-York tribune., 1902-02-03
MINERAL INDUSTRIES IN I9OI'
VALUE OF GOLD AND SILVER FAR EN
CEEDED BY OTHER PRODUCTS.

VALUE OF GOLD AND SILVER FAR En-
CEEDED BY OTHER PRODUCTS.
Washington Feb 2 CSpeciaD-Because gold and
silver are used for measuring money the values
Of other national products, people are prone 10
consider their production perhaps the most I'M
portant of the mineral outputs OF our country IN
a certain this is true. But comparison OF
some of our mineral industries. set forth by the
United States Geological Survey in the Mineral
Resources of the United States. 1900 shows how
small a part relatively the two precious metals
play in adding national wealth,
Round numbers alone being used for convenience
sake it is found that the gold product was worth
] veS pfodac a9q was tnas abont SIS though the coin
ing value was $4,000 600. As metals, then the goIu
and silver We're worth Sl15 100000; as money they
were worth 9oo eos NS% the 6 c0BP66r & pTee
IN 1900 was valued at $So!yy'U'o tI9util olre orS
with 1899: the lead valued at over S23,000900.
zinc was produced to the value Of 600,
though II declined 2S per cent In value as conpareo
w51a were WoTth more as metals BY ss thsn our
Combined values of the production of abrasive
materials such grin1stones, garnets, and so on:
of chemical materials. such as gypsum, phosPhate
rock and others; of pigments, such as metallic
paint. white lead and so on; and OF the miscel-
amounting to about So 600 600 show that they
TGF'P the Pod BY ab0G @ and more than % the
silver, metal, by $6.OooCCO ILL.,. ~,
Further. the comparison Of gold and silver with
the structural materials f6 d 6d Is wtn @
products and 100000 cements. S157OO0O0 in all
shows that the structural materials exceeded the
gold and silver in value by So 0000O0 If the com
mercia value of silver is taken, and by Sio00,G0o
even If silver is taken at its coming value of S4-
100000
Applied now to the great metallic basis of our
civilization iron and its products. the comparison
becomes still more striking. Iron ore was produced
10 within less than 100000 of the value of the
gold, pig iron produced q value OF
nearly SlO7 of the coming value of
both gold and silver combined But the compar
son of the gold and silver output with the output
Of the mineral fuels. coal, petroleum and natural
gas, Is the most striking Of all, for the combined
gold and silver value is exceeded by the huge sum
S253 900 O0O $406, 100000 against S530000O0.
These comparisons the more interesting in
view Of statements of the Director of the
Mint that 'two-thirds of the output of silver in
the United States is obtained by-product from
mines which would be operated, matter what
the price Of silver might be-" and that in the Grip
pie Creek district the reserves (of gold in sight
enormous
Another popular prepossession that receives scant
courtesy the hands of the report is in regard to
tin Besides the terse statement under the tabu-
lar "Tin-Quantity-NOne tin is only
mentioned twice IN the volume under the iron
and steel statistics when the production OF tin
plates and ternepaes the amount Of 302 665 long
tons is noted and again brief description is given
of the Occurrence of Stream Tin in the York Re-
gion, Alaska the York region lying west of Cape
Nome We produced no tin in this country in 1900