The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-05-02

uieS vi tne bureau OF statistics pre-
sented in it's Statistical Abstract, Just
issued, has grown from s million bar
rels in 1890 to II million in 1900 and
Is million in 1910, the value having
increased from million dollars in
1890 to IL million in 1900 and 50 mil
lion in 1910. Meantime the figures
OF imports and exports show equally
striking changes. The quantity of
cement exported has grown from &C..
055 barrels (of $3.50 pounds) in 1900,
valued at $163, 162, to 1871, 474 barrels
in 1911, valued at $4,349,29O; while
the figures for the months ending
with March indicate that the total
for the fiscal year 1912 will consider.
ably exceed, in both quantity and
value. that of 1911 and will probably
amount TO more than million
barrels, or 40 times as much in
1912 as in 1900, with value
of moro than five million dol
lars, as against $163,l62 in 1900 On
the import side the decline has been
as rapid and striking as the increase
cement imported in 1907 was 1923
| 7e3, GOA pounds, but by 1911 had fallen
to 93,297 ,749 pounds, and In the fiscal
year 1912 seems likely to fall below
4 so million pounds, or less than one
twentieth of the imports of 1907.
The United States is apparently
leading the world in the production
of cement for industrial purposes
The latest figures available in the
Bureau of Statistics with reference to
production in various parts of the
world places the production in Ger
many at about 30 million barrels, or
considerably less than half that of the
United States, and that of England,
slightly less than 20 million barrels.
OF the 70 million barrels produced in
the United States in 1910 a very large
proportion is consumed at home, the
exports for that year being but about
21a million barrels. The total con-
sumption in the United States, ac-
cording to the best available figures,
has grown from about 20 million bar
rels in 1900 to "A million in 1910.
The cement in question, which is
chiefly of the class designated as
Portland" cement, is, according to
a statement by the Geological Survey,
produced by burning a finely ground
artificial mixture containing essen
TALLY lime, silica, alumina, and iron
oxide in certain definite proportions.
| IND 10
limestone or mari with clay or shale
or by substituting low magnesia blast
furnace Stag for the clay or shale.
The clay, or its equivalent, furnishes
silica, alumina, and iron oxide I'M
pure limestone, called cement rock"
in which all the ingredients are pres
ent in nearly the, proper proportions.
is also much used. The product of
the burning is semifused mass call
ed "clinker," which is finely ground
and after such grinding. the powder
portland cement) will set under
water.
| Pennsylvania is by far the largest
producer of cement, about one-third
of the IS million barrels produced in
1910 being the product of that state,
production being Indiana, Kansas,
Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Mich
igan and New York. ....
The cement industry, according to
the census of 1910, showed number of
establishments, 1886; capital invested,
$187 1893 900; number of wage earners,
26.775: wages paid, $15,320, 900; cost
of materials, $29,344,0O value of
pl oducts, $63 ,205, 900; value added by
manufacture, (value OF products less
cost of materially, 33,S61 900.
Panama now takes over 65 per cent
of the cement exported from the Unit
ed States, the total exported thereto
in the fiscal year 1911 having been
tai of 3 million, while various coun-
tries of North . and ? South sAmerica
took most of the remainder, Cuba
was credited with $4,000 barrels;
Mexico, 1874, 900; and Canada, 1913 900.
Other countries, some 35 in number,
but in no case did the total in 1911
amount to as much as $4,000 barrels.
OF the SO million pounds of Roman,
Portland, and other hydraulic cement
imported in the fiscal year 1911, As
million pounds We're from Germany,
81 million from Belgium, 81a million
from England, 6& million from
France, and IA million pounds from
China.