Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-25
SCARCITY OF CEMENT.
GREAT DEMAND HAS PUT UP THE
PRICE.
Danger That New Material Put on the
Market Will Not Be Fit
For Use.

There is a famine of Portland cement in
this country and fine chance is offered for
those who want to start in the business II
they have the necessary capital and expe-
rience The situation in the west just now
Is particularly interesting. What with the
rebuilding of San Francisco. the construc-
tion of the Panama canal and the several
big Irrigation projects of the government.
there is shortage of thousands of barrels
and many OF the bids recently received by
the government have had to be rejected be-
cause OF the high price to which the mate
rial had been put by private demand.
It is not the intention of the government
TO build anv more cement works If it can
help it in competition with private capital.
II will be recollected that mill of this
sort was erected near the Roosevelt dam in
Arizona and the government has been turn
ing out an abundance of cement at cheap
rates and a steady price. whereas the mar
ket has been demoralized and many OF the
other government works requiring cement
are being greatly hampered.
One of the cement experts of tho geolog-
ical survey recently went into the country
near one of the big irrigation projects In
Montana and found an abundant of raw
material for cement that could be cheaply
manufactured. But effort has yet been
made to start mill, and the engineers of
AiAt AipHAhhd PROJECT are hoping Slidt prl-
vate capital will come in and help them
out.
Demand Far Greater Than Supply.
The demand for cement in the east far
exceeds the supply. and as local manufac-
turers are not able to fill the demands. for
eign cements are being imported to con-
siderable extent.
AS one of the results the manufacturers
are likely to send cement fresh from the
kiln before seasoning, and much of it is in
use found to be unequal. There is danger
of discrediting some of the BRANDS of
ment because of the fact that it is used on
work before it has had time to age.
Much Capital Attracted.
Another result is the attracting of a large
amount Of capital in the building of new
works. The great profits of the past year
have awakened the interest of investors.
and new mills are being built in California,
Oregon. Washington. Montana anG Utah.
others are projected but with the steadily
increasing demand it is not likely that for
the next two years there will be any over
production The great danger. as already
stated. is that the cement VIII be put on
thu. market in a green or experienced stage
and that discredit will attach from many
failures resulting from haste.
The foreign cements in this respect have
the advantage that, due to the long time
consumed in water transportation. they
have opportunity TO take on age and to
reach more uniform condition when de-
liVered.
One amusing feature OF the situation is
the attempt made by syndicate to control
the limestone deposits of the west in the
same way that the steel trust controls the
iron ores OF the country. The limestones
are. however. so widely distributed over
thousands of square miles that there is no
probability of the raw material for Port
land cement ever being controlled by
trust even though the manufactui ers enter
into a general understanding.