The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-06
IRON AND STEEL AND TIN TERNE PLATE.
CENSUS BULLETIN 7S.

Bulletin 7s of the Census Bureau Drosents the statistics of the iron ana steel Industry and of the tin and terne plate industry for the census of manu- faetures of 1905. Both reports were prepared by Story B. Ladd under the supervision of William M. Steuart, chief statistician for manufactures.
 Iron and Steel.
 The iron and steel industry is dis cussed under the following heads: The Industry as a whole; the electrothermic metallurgy of iron and steel; blast fur naces: steel works and rolling mills, and bloomeries.
 Since 1900 the number of establish ments has decreased from 669 to sos At the same time capital finer sed from $5s0.530,4S4 to s94s,6s9,6 $40; the average number of wage -earners, from 22z607 to 242,74o; wages, from $120.- eSe.33S to $141.43s.e06; the cost of ma terials used, from $522. .431, ,701 to $620- 17t.ssl; and the value of products, from $S04.034,91S to $s05.s54.152. The Homage produced in 1905 was 34,S44, e33. an increase of 1S.17 per cent since 1900.
 Each of the geographic divisions shows "a gain, whether measured by Investment of capital. by wage earn ers employed, or by tonnage or value of products. The New England States reported 2s1,s09 tons of products and t1s,s65,450 value; the Middle States. 19.1s9.582 tons of products and s526,- 356772 value; the Southern States. B. s257S4 tons of products and s71,028,- I47 value; and the Western States, HAT. sos tons of products and $2S9,- t04,1s3 value. At each census since 1880 the Middle States or division has ranked first; the Western. second; the Southern, third; and the New England. fourth, with respect to products, whether measured by value or quan- fity, in the industry as a whole and in each of the branches. In the case of each group of States the rate Nof inter crease is greatest in the steel works and rolling mill branch of the indus- try. Pennsylvania, Ohio. and Illinois, with value of products of s471, 1,22S.S44, 3162,s5s,124. and sS7.352.T61, respec. lively, were the leading States in 1905, as well as in 1900 and 1890. These three States combined had 69.S per cent of the total capital and 7S.5 per per cent of the total value of prod ucts. In the quantity of classified products also the same States rank highest.
 The electric furnace does not figure in the census of 1905 as a producing asentAin the iron and steel industry, except in the manufacture of certain of the erroalloys-ferrochro fer rosilicon, etc.-the statistics of which are consolidated with those of like products of the electric furnace and Included in the report on chemicals. Since the close of the canvass for that census, however. there has been con- siderable activity in the field of cleo tric smelting, and 1t is likely to become an important feature of the iron and steel metallurgy of the future.
 Blast Furnaces.
 There were in 1905. 191 blast furnace establishments, 14.7 per cent less than in 1900. The capital invested was $239, 9,559.194 an increase of 61.6 per cent Materials cost s17S,967,449. s6.1 per cent more than in 1900: the tonnage of products; was 16.62S,294. a gain of 16s1 per cent, and the value $231 ,Ss9,- 126. gain of 12.1 per cent.
 In the number of wage-earners there was decline from 39,358 to 35.17S in 1905 due chiefly to the use of pig iron casting machines in place of sand cast