Bisbee daily review., 1907-10-27
IF SMELTInG
 fOR YEAR
Census ReCort Shows That Copper Has Advanced To First Place-Figu,.es of Lead and Zinc Refining. fN.

| "a The bureau of the census has just issued Bulletin S6, which contains
 special reports on copper, lead ana
 zinc smelling and refining. These re-
 ports. which form part of the census
 of manufacturers of 1905, were pre-
 pared by Story B. Ladd, under the su- peryision Of William Nj. Steuart, chief
 statistician for manufacturers. The
 statistics included in the bulletin are
 for the calendar year 1904, with the exception of those for Michigan,
 which cover the year ending June
 30, 1904.
 According to these statistics, i6S establishments were reported as en-
 gagged in the combined industry of i copper. lead, and zinc smelting and refining Their combined capital was 164,34e, ,036. They employed 26,S53
 wage earners, paid S20.05S, 200 in
 wages, consumed materials costins
 $3S2, 723, ,4S0, and manufactured prod
 ucts to the value of s451, ,39S, ,354.
 At the census of 1900 the lead
 smelling and refining industry was
 the most important Of the three
 branches, and copper was second;
 but at the census of 1905 the positions
 were reversed.
 At the later census the copper in
 dustry supplied 46.S per cent of the
 capital, 47.5 per cent of the wage
 earners, and 53.3 per cent of the value of products, while the lead in
 dustry furnished 3S.S per cent of the
 capital. 2S.2 per cent of the wage
 earners. and 41.2 per cent of the value of products.
 That the growth of the copper in
 dustry has been greater than the
 growth of the lead is partially due
 to an increase in the practice of
 smelling the dry ores of the precious
 metals with copper instead of lead
 ores.
 Copper smelling and refining was the principal industry Of 40 establish
 ments, the combined capital of which
 was S76,S24,640. These establishments furnished employment to 12,752 wage earners, paid s1O,S27,04 in wages,
 consumed materials costing S196, ,736,. 986. and manufactured products to the value of s240, ,7S0,216.
 When compared with the figures
 for the census of 1900 those for 1905 show decrease of 14.9 per cent in
 the number of establishments, but an
 increase of 44.8 per cent in capital. of 12.6 per cent in wage earners, of
 26-9 per cent in wages, of 61 per cent
 in cost of materials. and of 45.s per ,, cent in the value Of products. ! The growth of the industry, how ] ever, has not been uniform in the sec tions east and west of the Mississippi. , The figures reveal a tendency toward , the growth and concentration of the refining industry in the eastern terri. tory. In 1900 this territory reported i only S6.S per cent of the refining,
 while in 1905 it reported 92.S per cent. 9 The operations of the western estab- ! lishments are now confined almost f entirely to smeIteng with, n maIoT. , ity Of cases. the conversion of tine , matte into blister copper. which is electrolytically refined in the East. 7 At the census of 1905 the product of smelting was valued at S8S.374, ,S3O
 and that of refining at s149,711.21 7 The products of smelting consisted { roughly of 539 .000, 900 pounds of fine ? copper contents of blister or anodes i valued at s60, 0,000,0OO S2,0OO, DOC f pounds of fine copper contents of ] matte, valued at S9,000, 900: 22, 2,000, ,00O ounces of silver valued at s12,OOO, 900 {; ? and 322.000 ounces of gold, valued at S6,o00, GOO.
 , The products of refining consisted } roughly of 934,000, 900 pounds of in
 gots, wire, bars. etc, valued at $119,. f GOO 900; 2S,00O0O0 pounds of blue T vitrol, valued at S1,000 900: 2S.0O0. .0OO 5 ounces of silver, valued at $16,00O,-
 900; and 63s,00O ounces of gold, val } ued at SIS. ,000
 2 Thus it appears that the product oi
 the precious metals resulting from smelling and refining copper is val 1 ued at about $29 900 .000 Tn 1900 the ? product of the precious metals re
 sulting from smelling and refining . copper was a little more than Sf2,000, . O0O.
 f New Jersey is the largest producer s of refined copper. and between 190( f and 1905 it increased its production ! of the total for the country. Of the
 602. .595, ,113 pounds of ingots, wire a bars, etc, reported fr 1900, New Jer !, sey produced 2S.3 per cent; while oi ? the 933,S09.701 pounds reported ir f 1905, it produced 35.6 per cent. e The refining industry in New YorE ? also made a great advance, so thai | the states of New Jersey and New ,- York reported for 1905 nearly two a thirds of the refined copper product 8 of the country Michigan was third E and Maryland fourth.
 Lead smelling and refining was the F. leading industry of 32 establishments : the aggregate capital of which wal e $63. .S22, ,810. These establishments em ;. ployed 7573 wage earners, paid s5. | 374.691 in wages. consumed material: s costing s16S, ,95S.076. and manufactur 8 ed products valued at S1S5, .S39. y When compared with correspond 2 ing figures given at the census o
 1900, those for 1905 show a decreass 5. of 17.9 per cent in the number of es 2 tsblishments. of 11-5 per cent in capi s tai and per cent in the average nun 5. Der oT wage earne-s; but. on the oth d CT hand, they show an increase of 5i
 per cent in total wages. TIP per cen
 is cost of materials. and of 5.9 pc e cent in value of products.