Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1917-01-05
FRIDAY. JANUARY 5, 1917.
MEMS ITEMS.

b34, 600, 900 in dividends during
the past year. Adding Utah.
Montana, Nevada and Idaho div
idends to those Of Arizona we
have a total of over 500, 100000
in dividends paid out of the
mines of these five western
States in a single year.
These are some of the impress
sive facts brought out by the
report of the Geological Survey
to Secretary Lane just made.
Never BEFORE" said Mr.. Lane,
has so large draft been made
on ma tural resources Of our coun-
try as during this year. and
never before have the metals
been extracted from these ores
with less waste or utilized to bet
ter advantage in advancing the
general prosperity of the coun-
try. Even as written in the
plain figures of 1916 production
the wonderful record of our
mines sets forth a degree of ma
tional industrial independence
ouly hoped for few years ago.
Again copper stands out as
the best illustration of how
American mines can meet
world demand. The output of
nearly two billion pounds of the
red metal is double that of ten
years ago and its value is twice
that of the copper produced in
1915. Add to this the facts that
in value copper now contends
with iron for first place among
the metals and that together the
amount of these two metals pro-
duced last year had a value of
more than one billion dollars and
we have measure Of what
this country can contribute
in useful metals.
The output of zinc from do
nestle ores increased last year
$4,000 tons, which makes a new
record for that metal, the total
value of spelter from United
Stat es ore being $50 million dol
lars. Lead also shows a large
increase, the Is million dollar
output being gain of more
than so per cent.
With all this activity in
metal production the coal mines
have had to meet heavy de-
mand, so that the bituminous
coal output has now passed the
half-billion ton mark, an increase
of 12H per cent over the previ-
Gus year. Coke production in
creased 80 per cent and it is
gratifyin ing to note that by-pro-
duct coke made the largest gain,
which means a corresponding
gain in benzol and other valu-
able by-products.
gain the oil wells have
given a new record for petroleum
yield, the estimate Of marketed
production of crude petroleum
for 1916 being 292 million bar
fels, / million barrels more than
in 1915.
Another mineral product
which furnishes an index OF bus
mess conditions is cement, the
1916 production Of which is esti-
mated to be million barrels in
excess of the output of the pre-
vious year, while the shipments
were even greater, aggregating
81, 500, 900 barrels, with the out
look reported as good for the
new year.
THE reports received from the
Surveys western offices contain
most significant mining records.
Every western State shows a |
large increase in yield of metals, |
Arizona leading with a gain of
100 million dollars over last ear, |
while Utah and Montana together
report another 100 million dol
lar gain. Alaska also had its
best year, contributing a total
value OF more than $50, 900, 900
this year, or over so per cent in
excess of any previous year. /
These advance statemeutsI
not only show that 1916 marks a
new advance for the mineral in.l
dustry of the country, but this
remarkable increase promises to
be approximately rs per cent
,ver the 1915 production. so that
We may expect the final figures =
O show a total of three billion
ollars."
Cough Remedy Host 4