Arizona republican., 1909-02-08

during the year. 44,742, 900 feet, were 32 per cent below the total reported for the preceding year. This de- crease, however, is due as much to the gradual exhaustion of the lumber supply in the territory bordering on the lakes as the general business de- pression Shipments of yellow pine lumber from eight southern and southwestern states, 3,603,148 M feet, while 25 per cent below the 1907 total, show a much smaller decline for the year than lumber operations in other parts of the county. Ship ments during the year of pine lumber from Virginia and the Carolinas, 266, ,534,3 ,361 feet, mainly because of the reduced demand in the eastern and New England states, mark a 43 per cent decline from the shipments recorded for the preceding year.
 Coastwise receipts of southern pine at New York during the year, 31O,- 516, 1O7 feet, show a 30 per cent de- crease from the 1907 total. Arrivals of redwood lumber at California points during the year, 297,001,745 feet, fell much below the correspond ing 1907 and 1906 totals of 3S9,7S3,- S11 and 66,S35,113 feet, although the activity during the late months of the year was larger than during the winter of 1907. The California re- ceipts of pine and fir, 1,043, 1869, ,496 feet, also show a heavy decline from the 1907 total of 1,315,3S1,95S feet, and even the 1906 total of 1,192,121,- 769 feet.
 The quantities of coal and coke moved over the leading eastern coal carrying roads in practically all cases show decided decreases for the year when compared with like 1907 fig ures. The decrease was heaviest in case of coke, which may be said to be primarily a raw material for use in the iron industry. The largest movement proceeds from Councils vile region. including the lower dis trict The 1908 production of the re- zion is estimated at 9,579,413 net tons, which Is less than half the 1907 product of 19,716,273 net tons. The shipments for the year. mainly to Pittsburg and more western desti- nations, are stated as 363,23S cars, compared with 6SS,234 cars during 1907. Shipments of this article over eight leading eastern railroads, 16,- 046,161 tons, show a 39 per cent de- cline from the preceding years total.
 The bituminous coal tonnage of the same roads, go, ,766,663 tons, was 16 per cent below the preceding ton mage The effects of the industrial depression were felt least by the an- thracite coal trade. the shipments during the year of hard coal from
 
 665,014 gross tons, being only per cent below the unusually large 1907 shipments. Coal operations in other sections of the country, such as Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, show equal if not heavier shrinkages.
 Coastwise shipments of coal from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newport News and Norfolk during the year included 40,507,4S6 gross tons, compared with 44,01s.113 gross tons reported for the preceding year. The coal shipments from Newport News and Norfolk were larger than year ago, the increase being due partly to large shipments of coal for the use of the American navy.
 Domestic iron ore shipments by lake during the year from Lake Su perior and Michigan ports totaled 24,939,1S5 gross tons, compared with 40.727,972 gross tons reported for the 1907 season. The decrease in the ore shipments corresponds to curtail- ment in the production of coke and anthracite pig irn during the year. The annual production of this article, which in 1907 reached a total of 25,- 315,3S7 gross tons, was only 15,641,- 537 gros stons for the year past. The effect of the crisis in the iron trade was felt mostly during the first half of the year: since July the output proceeded on an increasing scale, reaching it's maximum during the last month of the year, though even the December output, 1,740,912 gross tons, was about half a million below the December, 1906, figure. The reduced demand for iron material by the rail roads is seen, in part, from the small CT number of cars and locomotives ordered by American railroads during the last two years. Thus the num- Der of locomotives ordered was B. 642 for 1906, 3,4S2 in 1907. and only 1,1S2 in 1908. The number of pas senger cars ordered fell from 3,402 Tn lSUb 10 1,OlS, Nlliic lhc huhibCi of freight cars ordered fell from 31O,- 315 in 1906 to 62,699. The partial cessation of building operations in the larger cities of the country which preceded the October. 1907, collapse was another important factor in de- pressing the iron situation. The val ue of building permits granted by municipal authorities in 63 leading cities, as reported to this office, az gregated S5S5.913,63S for the past year. compared with s656,067969, the total for the calendar year 1907. It should be noted that even the latter figure represents quite a decrease compared with the total reported for 1906.
 The number of cars handled dur ing the year by thirty five car service associations and demurrage bureaus in various parts of the coun- try, 2S,277,713 cars. was 13 per cent below the totals for the years 1905 and 1906.
 The volume of lake traffic during tho 1908 season as measured by dO-