The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-11

ing and smelling are carried on upon a stupendous scale. The Anaconda proper ties as whole are now spoken of in New York as the greatest copper producing properties in the world. But the name Anaconda identifies a considerable num- Der of mines. If single mines are con sidered then the report from Utah causes it to be believed that the Utah porphyry mine is recognized as the greatest cop per producer, the Inspiration mine of Ari- zona standing second All these mines are now being worked to their capacities
 THE LUMBER INDUSTRY
 John H. Rich, federal reserve agent for the ninth reserve district, is authority for the statement that some peculiar con ditions characterize the northern lumber
 industry at this time. The winter has been very severe and yet the demand for lumber has so greatly increased as to jus tify the opinion that this industry is soon to regain it's former importance and prob ably to become greater than ever. The weather caused logging operations in the winter to be more expensive than usual This is due to the increased cost of sup plies, the scarcity of labor and especially to the unusually heavy snow in the woods which interfered greatly with the work of the crews. For this reason the winter logging operations have not been so fa vorable as it was hoped they would before severe winter set in. Nevertheless, the prospects of very large lumber business in 1916 are excellent. And the especially gratifying factor in this outlook is the proof which a greatly increased lumber trade will give of general revival of busl- ness.
 Although the customary pessimistc pre- dictions respecting the harvest of the summer are now made, nevertheless there appears to be no pessimism in the north west Even though the harvests in some parts of the country depreciate as greatly as some of the prophets predict, it is pos sible that the harvest in the northwest will more than make good this deprecla- ton. If that should prove to be the case, then there will be observed reverse Of the situation so far as corn is concerned between the harvest of 1915 and that or 1916. Had the growers of Indian corn in the Dakotas and some other parts of the northwest not been disappointed in their harvests, but had garnered an average crop, the government statisticians would probably have been able to report that the corn harvest of 1915 was in excess of 3,OOO, 900 000 bushels. The falling off in the northwest was partially overcome by the abundant harvest of Indian corn in other sections of the country.s
 InG OUTLOOK TOT lUe CIOpS lllIOuS the northwest is now excellent There is abundant moisture in the ground. The danger of floods is almost over and the chinook winds have been beneficial this year, for they scattered the snow very early. In North Dakota the farmers stil, hold about 20,0O0,000 bushels of wheat that were harvested last year, and they are so abundantly provided with money that they can easily carry the wheat until they can receive the prices for it which they be- lieve will be offered in a little while.
 One of the endorsements of pros- perity is occasioned by the presumed in- ability of Buffalo and other lake ports to handle the grain as soon as navigation is over and the grain fleet begins to move It is possible that there may be conges- ton and much difficulty in unloading the wheat met with. How serious the rail- road congestion already is, is shown by the fact that flour and feed shipped from Minneapolis in December have not yet reached Boston. If the northwest and the Pacific slope are to be accepted as furnishing good evidence of prosperous conditions, then it is regarded as certain that the prediction that the year 1916 will make a new record for the United States will be aply justified.