Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-09-25
SUPPLY OF GOLD
IN UNITED STATES
1t is Predicted That a Large Increase
VIII Be Found After Annual
Report is Made.

first duties Incumbent ON the new
| Director OF the Mint, Prof. Andrew,
OF Harvard. will be the issue OF the
annual statement of the Mint Bureau
on the worlds production of gold
for the last year. Widespread inter
est surrounds the issue of this re-
port on account of the care with
which it is made up.
1t is expected that the report this
fall, which is for the calendar year
1909, will show continued increase
in the worlds production of gold.
1T viii also show an increase In sill
yer production.
The increase in the worlds pro-
duction of gold will not be due ito
American production. 1t is likely
that the production in the United
States. including Alaska, viii show
a falling off from the production Of
the year before.
Development in Africa.
The worlds production in 1907
amounted to $410.555,3 800. This
was an increase of over IS. 900, 900
beyond the production of the pre-
cedfng year. For 1908 there will be
another large increase. but it is nor
yet known how it will compare with
the increase exhibited in 1907. The
enormous development in the South
African field accounts for the i'm
crease which will be shown in last
years statistics when they are out.
The value of the African production
in 1907 was $751;, 699, 500, and for
recent years there has been a steady
increase in the production OF that
continent, due to the vigorous ex-
~ploitation of the South African min
ing properties. On the other hand,
Australia is declining in the amount
of gold output. Mexico is showing
a tendency to increase, and the forth
coming figures will probably show
quite a perceptible advance in its
production.
The part of the world TO which ex-.
perts are looking for heavy pro-
duction in the future is South Amer
No. d1AQ OGlpJl al Sitlltl pNd. ICNtiOP-I
ment i'm those regions has not been
carried on to anything ike the ex-.
tent to which it is believed it can be.
The Siberian field is also thought to
offer vast possibilities.
Unless the Nevada fields, which
have not yet made returns, come for
ward with unexpected heavy produc-
ton, the United States will be shown
to have gone backward in the forth
coming figures. For one thing. Alas
ka is not producing as heavy an out
put as it might be expected to.
Decline in West.
The Colorado and California
fields, moreover, are not holding their
own. The production OF gold in the
United States for 1907. amounting to
S90,435, 700 was a decrease of about
$4,000, 900 from the preceding year.
The decrease was the first halt of any
Importance in the remarkable growth
of the annual yield of the United
States since 1883. The decrease
then was due to THE 1a9ling off in the
yields of Alaska, California. Colora-
do, Montana and South Dakota. The
indications are that the 1908 showing
will be about similar. The de-
clines shown in the different fields of
this country in 1907 were in part
made up by an increase of about
Sc. 1000, 900 in the Nevada production.
1t is known Nevada had a big year in
1908, but it is hardy Thought it will
be found sufficient to overcome the
declines in other fields. The Nome
field in Alaska alone shows a decline
of about $1,000, 900.
The Geological Survey also gets
out figures on god and silver pro-
duction, but in the past they have
been made up on a basis of the re-
TURNS from the mines. The returns
which the Mint Bureau uses are
made up not entirely OF mine returns
but on the basis OF the gold actually
obtained from The smelters and 9th
erwise. However. the Geological
Survey is now getting out its fig
ures on the same basis as the Mint
Rnreaap