The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-12-21
COPPER LOSS
DURING YEAR
There Was Less Produced in
United States in 1907
OVER PRECEDING YEAR
Arizona Leads the County, With Nearly
80 Per Cent. Of the Entire output
Vermont Is Far Down in
the List.
OVER PRECEDING YEAR

Washington, d. G., Dec. 2l.--The pro.
duction Of copper in the United States
in 1907, according to reports returned
by the shelters OF the country 20 the
United States Geological Survey, has
amounted to ses,oOo.4Ol pounds. The
production in 1906, compiled on the
same basis, was OF sos, 6s2 pounds, and
that OF 1905 was sss,7s4,267 pounds.
From the record production of 1905, the
output for 1907 shows decrease Of
$500, lgl pounds, OF So per cent. This
is the largest actual decreaes ever re-
corded and Is the largest relative de-
crease since 1856, whom the percentage
of decrease was SIS. In 1901, for the
first time since 1901, the production was
smaller than that OF the preceding year,
and for the first time since 1872 the
production was smaller than for the see
ond preceding year.
The smelter output chosen by the sur
yey as representative Of the copper out
put OF the country, is made up Of the
production OF blister copper and OF fur
mace refined OF so.ealeld "ignot copper"
Of Michigan plus the Michigan copper
cast into anodes for electrolysis. II
thus consists Of the final product Of the
distinctly smelling operations and does
not include the product of any additional
distinctly defining process. The figures
Of smelter production for 1907 are based
on direct returns made eonhdentislly TO
the geological survey by all but one Of
the known smelling companies that ham
died United States ores, concentrates, OF
MATES in 1907. ana
Mine and Smelter Returns Compared
The quantity OF copper given as the
output of the mines Of the United States
in 1907, based on reports collected By
field agents OF the geological survey
from all mining companies in the country
which produced copper during the year,
was e47 ,l5l,0l5 pounds, a quantity 2.5
per cent. less than the product OF the
smelters for the same period. BY far
the greater portion Of the mines output
is treated directly in smelters owned
by or having some connection with the
mining companies, and this large part
of the mine production is reported on
practically the same basis as the smelter
production. But many Of the mine re-
turns are based on the actual or esti-
mated recovery from the ore shipped
from the mines during the year, whereas
the smelter returns indicate the quaint
ty Of copper actually turned out at the
reduction works in that period. In a
state like Montana, therefore, operation
of the smelters at full capacity for q
few days after the mines had begun to
reduce shipments would account for
distinct eIcess in smeiter output over
that reported from the mines. This fact
that when curtailment Of production
had once been decided on the mines were
able 10 execute the plan more promptly
than the smslters-7is responsible for tile
greater part of the difference between
mine and smelter production Of copper
in 1907. In 1907, when mine and smelter
production were conducted at praettis
ealiy the same rate, retHrns from the
two sources were in very close CORES
spendence, the mine output being only
0.9 per cent. less than the production Of
the smelters. A second cause Of the diff
ference in favor of the smelter figures Is
the fact that the smelters recover more
copper than the mines are paid for. The
difference on this sccount is smaller than
that due to other causes, but it is es
pecislly important in states like Colo,
RADIO, where the greater part of the pro.
iuction Is from custom ores generally
low in copper.
Copper was produced in 1907 in q states
and territories. The contribution Of each
10 the total production for the year is
shown in the following table: