The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-30
THE MAKING OF GAS.
REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENT SHOWN BY FEDERAL CENSUS
Increase in Ten Years in Capital In- vested 119 Per Cent-Total Cap- ital $567, ,ooO, oO0-Interesting
 Statistics and Significance.

vested 119 Per Cent-Total Cap
 ital $567 ,00O, O,0O0-Interesting
 Statistics and Significance. | Frederick Edward Saward In The New
 fork Commercial Advertiser.
 One or the most interesting of the re- ports issued by the Census Bureau, under charge of William R. Merriam, Director, IS that on the manufacture of gas At the census for 1890 for the first time the manufacture of gas was made the subject of special report In addition to the statistics collected at the latest census a concise history of the industry during the past century is given. It is interesting to note that since 1890 there has been a de- dustry which may displace to some ex- tent other methods of manufacturing gas for fuel and lighting purposes. This is Dy the coke oven process. tn which gas at Everett. Mass, making gas by this process. seems to have been successful. Although the wider uses to which gas has been adapted have caused an increase of S.s per cent. during the decade in the number of feet consumed. the rapidly in- creasifsg use of electricity for lighting purposes has not only tended to prevent the erection of new gas plants. but has resulted in the dismantling of nearly fifty establishments during the decade.
 The modern tendency toward concentra- t0n of industrial enterprise is well ex- empiified in the gas industry, in which there Is an increase, as compared with 1s90. of about IS per cent in the number of establishments reporting, while the in- crease in the capital is 119 per cent. The average capifal per establishment for 1900 Hhe increase in the number of cubic feet of gas consumed is over 83 per cent. The average product per establishment has risen to 76.50, ,4S2 cubic feet in 1900, an avRrau1e fucreasA nf H 0er cent v,br os. fablishment. The seduction in price from 1.42 to q .0S5 per thousand cubic feet, the average price obtained throughout the United States. has caused the value of products to show @ lower rate of in- creaee being about s3 per cent, or $75.- ness tn 1900.
 Changes were made in the inquiries re- etminate defects found to exist in the form of inquiry adopted in 1890. At the census Of 1890 the average number Of peracns employed during the entire year was called for. and also the average num- her employed at stated weekly rates of pay, and tho average number was com- puted fer the actual time the establish ton At the census of 1900 the greatest and least numbers of employees were re- ported, and also the average number em- plUyed during each month Of the year. linen. women and chaidren) employed dur ing ths entire year was ascertained by uInE twelve. the number of calendar snonchs. as div4sor into the total of snozth This difference in the methods of ascerta1ning the average number of wage earnere during the entire year may have . resulted an a variation in the number, and should be considered in making compar- leons.s
 The reports show a capital of $5S7, ,o0o. .5os Invested in the manufacture of gas in the s7 establishments reporting for the TT~f4 4aI 6fuafn value of land. buildings. machinery, tools and implements, and the live capital util- lzed but does not include the capital stock of any of the manuIaetu1,ng man ~ GOT. GOT. value of the products Is returned at SIo,- 69S. to produce which involved an out lay of S5.273,500 for salaries of officials. clerks, etc; SIP, 436. .296 for wages; H4769.- 022 for miscellaneous expenses, including rent taxes, etc., and $20, ,60o 3o6 for mate rials used. mill supplies, freight and fuel: It is not to be assumed. however. that the difference between the aggregate Of these sums and the value of the products is in any sense indicative of the profits in the manufacture of gas during the census year. The census schedule takes no cognizance of the cost of selling man. 1 ufactured articles, or of interest on capa- tai incurred in the business. or of de- preciation in plant. The value Of the pro- duct given is the value as obtained or
 There are S27 cities and towns repre- scented by the ST establishments rom which returns were received. Of these 200 are in localities having less than 5000 inhabitants; 260 in cities and towns hay ing a population of from 5000 to 10000: I77 in cities of from 10000 to 20.o00; S1 in cities of from 1000 to 2sooo zo and md under der under % 1oo,ooo; 20 in cities of 100 900 and under 200. GOO. and AS in cities of 200. 900 and over. The most noteworthy feature indicated by the above figures IS the fact Az oR r>la mt WY reports were received are in cities and towns of less than 10000 inhabitants. This ss more than fifteen times the total num- her of gas establishments tn the United fstaaes iT 1850, Further, of the 460 plants located in cities and towns Of less than 1000 inhabitants, 200. or P 8 per cent of the entire number reported. are an local- 1ties of less than 5000 Inhabitants. show snx that sn matters of illumination a goodfy number of smaller towns enjoy the same privileges as the larger cities.
 Oil. crude and refined. is the largest r4nxie item of materials used in the man. ufacture of gas in 1900. its cost forming 70 .6 per cent of the total cost of mate r4als The relatively larger amount ex- pended for oil dn 1900 Is due to the higher price of crude petroleum, and to the more extended use of oil for the purpose of en7fohing water gas, the manufacture of which has increased since 1sSo much more rapidly than that of coal gas. This IS evl- s5anced by the fact that the cost of coal which was the principal item or expense In 1890, forming 62.7 per cent. of the cost of materials. is the second item of ex- pense in 1890, forming but SS.4 per cent of the total. In 1890 coal gas formed 4s.7 per cent of the value of products as compared with 3s.1 per cent. for water gas. ,., AL,
 The cost of oil and coal varies with th' 5,stance from the source of supply, ant sHa cnsytv used in different sections O the country also differs noticeabiy. Fur shsrnaore. in many instances the mate Ttais used were brought delivered, ana th
 .,orot rhsrgeabie to freight. The mum % Ser of gallons of otl used Is given as 1s4, ss7 7 2ss. costing ss,1sss57. an average pc
 gallon of so.o42; the number 1 oI s0Rs as5 as? E
 Soet,rS N.164 AZ. an average of S8s pc
 Ion. The number of bushels Of coke In