Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-02-06
MINERAL PRODUCTION.
Geological Surveys Annual Report
on Mineral Resources.

on Mineral Resources.
The United States geological sur
vey's annual report on the mineral
resources of the United States for
1906 is ready for distribution. The
separate chapters of this volume
have been published from lime to
time as the statistics for the various
minerals became available, and these
assembled chapters form a book of
10000 pages, provided with a table
of contents, an introduction, and an
index. The volume comprises Al
separate reports, prepared by q
authors, covering entirely the miner
al production of the country, with
descriptions and discussions of the
deposits from which the minerals are
obtained, reports of imports and ex-
ports and many comparisons of home
and foreign production, statements
of prices and prospects, and notes
or the technology of many of the
products.
In it's general features this volume
is similar in form and scope to the
preceding reports on mineral re-
sources published by the Geological
Survey. the series covering altogether
a period of twenty-seven years. For
twenty-five years of this period the
work of gathering these statistics
has been in charge of DR.. David T.
Day, but the present volume has
been prepared in part under the
supervision of Mr.. Edward W. Par
ker. who has been for many years
DR.. Days assistant and collaboration.
Hereafter DR.. Day will give his at
tention chiefly to the compilation OF
reports on petroleum and natural gas,
substances concerning which &C
curate information has been difficult
to obtain, and Mr.. Parker will have
administrative charge Of the work of
collecting and compiling the various
reports and statistics that are pub
lished in this annual volume.
Since the survey began its work
on the mineral statistics of the
country the value of the mineral pro-
duction has increased more than five
fold. From $364,928,2 98 in 1880 it
has risen gradually, with some
fluctuations, to $1,902,517,565 in
1906, a sum representing the value
of the mineral products in their mar
ketable condition. The larger pro-
total in 1906 in the following order
and approx m ate proportions.
Pennsylvania, 80 per cent; Ohio IL;
Illinois, 6; New York and West VIZ
ginia, 4 each; Montana, Colorado,
and Michigan. 3.5 each; Arizona and
Missouri. 8 each; Alabama and Cali
fornia, rs each. The value of the
mineral output of each of these II
states was more than $5O,0Oo,OOO, and
their combined values amount to
more than $1,488,00Q,OO0-
The value of the metallic products
of the country increased from S7O2,-
453.1O1 in 1905 to 1886, I10,S56 in.
1906; that of the nonmetalltc prod
ucts from 1921, O75,619 to $1,O16,194,-
$50. AS heretofore, coal and iron
are our most important mineral prod
ucts. the value of the coal in 1906
having been $513,079,809 and that of
the iron $5O5, 100000. Copper is third
in value, with $177,595,88S; clay prod
ucts are fourth, with s161, O32,722:
gold is fifth, with $94,373,80O, and
petroleum is sixth in value, with
s92.444,735. 1t is noteworthy that
the value of the silver output, $685.
256,4OO, was exceeded by that OF
lead. which amounted TO s39,917,442
The greatest increase during the
year is shown in the production OF
coal, copper, and cement.
The task of gathering the grow
ing mass of statistics of the countrys
mineral production Is made more
exacting from year to year by the
urgent demand for increased &C
curacy. There is no law requiring
the producers to submit statistics or
their production to the national sur
vey. and their voluntary cooperation
in this work is one of it's most not