The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-07-09

since the Dingley tariff law was
passed in 1897. The comment
is made to show, in the first
place, that the new tariff must
deal with some subjects Of man
ufacture which were not com
mercially important, or even
considered eleven years ago,
and to show further that the
people of the United States are
now paying more than a billion
dollars a year for articles which
have grown to pubic use with
in the last decade.
First and foremost, ofcourse,
is the automobile. This indus
try begins practically as late as
the year 1900, audit has grown
to such proportions that $50
millions of dollars are now in
vested in automobile factories
i'll the United States, and that
the value Of their product for
the last year was a quarter Of a
billion. There are %, 900 chat
feurs in New York city alone,
this being a new business which
has arisen in the past ten years.
There are 200, 900 persons en-
ployed in the various branches
of the business and they receive
200 millions a year in wages.
The expenditure Of the Ameri-
con people last year on automo-
biles, their operation and re-
pairs, amounted to a half bill
lion of dollars. In thousands
of cases men mortgaged their
homes in order to secure these
machines, one loan firm report
ing $50 cases OF this kind in a
western community The COR
respondent points out that this
industry is so young that there
are still boysin school who re-
member it's beginning.
Following this is the moving
picture industry, a development
of the past five years. Motion
pictures we're exhibited as a
novelty as early as 1895, but
the entertainment has only at
tanned commercial importance
since 1908. The motion pic
ture patents company is called
a great trust by it's independ-
ent competitors. 1t is an indie
pendent organization which
takes in all the important man
ufacturers Of films in this coun-
try and in Europe. The extent
of the business is shown when
it is SAID that a million dollars
a day are paid by the Ameri-
can public in admission fees
and the total volume of the
moving picture business is put
easily at one third of a billion.
So generally accepted is the
popularity of the moving pic
.ture that special regulation has
been enacted in many states
establishing censor boards to
restrain the presentation to the
public of films which are I'M
proper. It is easy to see how
demoralizing the exhibition OF
improper pictures could be
made, and it has kept the
boards busy to put a stop to
this part OF the business. The
trust has done it's share to com
ply with decency, and in this
respect has almost compensated
the public for it's organization,
The manufacture Of automat-
lc musical instruments, such as
the photograph and the me.
chanical player, is a new thing
but it employs tens of thous.
ands Of men and it is estimated
that fifty millions of dollars will
be spent by the American pub
lie this year on these luxuries.
The use Of cement in build.
ing operations, and the manu-
facture Of machinery to make
the blocks, is anindustry which
now puts out a product worth
go millions a year, and which
apparently isonly in its infan,
cy. Certainly, if the price 81
lumber continues to be high.
the cement block business vii
increase by rapid strides. i
Edison's plan for pouring
houses Of concrete into moulds
SO that complete houses can be
erected in a single day shall b
adopted, which is likely, thu
growth Of this industry is Ger
tain to be phenomenal.
Among other items Of recen,
growth may be mentioned TIL,
manufacture Of ice BY artificial
means, the beet sugar indus
try, and the making Of fyint
machines. It is n%oteworth!