The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-10-03
SMELLING INDUSTRY
TREATED IN REPORT
WEST LEADS IN INDUSTRY
THOUGH NEARLY ALL COP
PER I.ErINED IN EAST.

The bureau of the census has just
issued bulletin No. S6, which con-
tains special reports on copper, lead
and zinc smelling and refining. These
reports, which form part of the CEN
sus of manufactures of 1905, were
prepared by Story B. Laid, under
the supervision of William M. Steu-
art, chief statistician for manufac-
lures. The statistics included in the
bulletin are for the calendar year
1904, with the exception of those for
Michigan, which cover the year end
ing June 80, 1904.
According to these statistics, 1913
establishments were reported as en-
gagged in the combined industry of
copper, lead and zinc smelling and
refining. Their combined capital was
$164,349,036. They employed &c.
$50 wage earners, paid $40, 05S,2OO
in wages, consumed materials cost
ing $3S2,723,4S0, and manufactured
products to the value of $451,39S,-
354.
At the census of 1900 the lead
smelling refining industry was the
most important of the three branches
and copper was second; but at the
census of 1906 the positions were re-
versed At the later census the cop
per industry supplied 46.S per cent
of the capital, AIS per cent of the
wage earners, and 1913 per cent of
the value of products, while the lead
| industry furnished 1873 per cent of
the capital, 1872 per cent of the wage
earners and 41.2 per cent of the
value of products. That the growth
of the copper industry has been
greater than the growth of the lead
| is partially due to an increase in the
practice of smelling dry ores of the
precious metals with copper instead
| of lead ores.
Copper smelling and refining was
the principal industry of forty estab-
lishments, the combined capital of
which was $76,S24,640. These es-
Establishments furnished employment
to 1882 wage earners, paid $10,-
S27,043 in wages, consumed materi-
ais costing $196,736,9S6 and manu-
featured products to the value of
$24O.7SO,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,S per cent in CAPT
tai, or 1876 per cent in wage earners,
of 269 per cent in wages, of 81 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
sections east and west of the Missis-
sippi. The figures reveal a tendency
toward the growth and concentration
of the refining industry in the east
ern territory. In 1900 this territory
reported only S6.S per cent of the re-
filming, while in 1905 - reported 9S.S
per cent. The operations of the west
ern establishments are now confined
| almost entirely to smelling, with, in
a majority of cases, the conversion
of the matte into blister copper,
which is electrolytically refined in the
east.
New Jersey is the largest producer
of refined copper, and between 1900
and 1906 it increased it's production
of the total for the country. OF the
6O2,595,113 pounds of ingots, wire
bars, etc., reported in 1900, New Jer-
sey pr lced 2S.3 per cent, while of
the $50, S09,701 pounds reported in
1906 it produced 1876 per cent. The
refining industry in New York also
made a great advance, so that the
| states of New Jersey and New York
reported for 1906 nearly two-thirds
of the refined copper product of the
country. Michigan was third and
Maryland fourth.
| Lead smelling and refining was the
leading industry of thirty-two estab-
| lishments, the aggregate capital OF
which was 63,S22,810. These es-
Establishments employed 1873 wage
earners, paid $5,374,691 in wages
consumed materials costing $685.
95S,$76, and manufactured products
valued at $1S5, 826,839.
The products of the lead smelling
and refining industry consisted OF
7S3, 060,S36 pounds of lead, valued
at $3O,357,901; of 2,574,549 ounces
of gold, valued at $52, 994,43G; and
of 72,592,9S7 ounces of silver, val
ued at SAL ,425,114. AS compared
with the corresponding figures foi
1900, those for 1905 show an in.
crease in quantity Of 1872 per cent
for lead, of "a per cent for gold
and of 81 per cent for silver. II
value lead increased 20.6 per cent
and gold 10 per cent, but silver de
creased II per cent. That the de
velopment of the precious metals die
not keep pace with that of lead is moi
due to a decrease in the precious
metal values of the argentiferous
lead ores treated, but results from
the large increase in the quantity o.
dry gold and silver ores treated by
the copper smelters. This increase
in the consumption of dry ores b.
the copper smelters has been at thu
expense of the lead smelters.
A consideration of the figures fol
the sections east and west of the Mis-
issippi shows that at the census o
1900 the value of products was great
err in the east than in the west. Be
tween 1900 and 1905, however, thu
value of products increased only g.:
per cent in the east, while in the ives
it increased S0.z per cent. The ives
thus became more important, for a
the census of 1905 it's products were
valued at $14 ,057,123, while thu
products of the east were valued a
only $10,733,676.
|