The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-01-11
THE RECORD OF A YEAR
REVIEWED BY SECRETARY
COMMENTS UPON MINING DlVl-
bends OF FOUR WEST
ERN STATES.

Zen mines IN Arizona paid $34OO0,
coo in dividends during the past year
Adding Utah, Montana, Nevada and
we have a total of over $1OO,OOO,O0O in
dividends paid out of the mines of
these five western states in a single
year
These are some of the impressive
facts brought out by the report of the
geological survey to Secretary Lane
just made. Never before" said Mr..
Lane, has so large a draft been made
on the natural resources of our coun-
try as during this year. and never
before have the metals been extract
ed from these ores with less waste or
utilized to better advantage in ad-
vancing the general prosperity of the
country. Even as written in the plain
figures of 1916 production the wonder
full record of our mines sets forth a
degree of national industrial indie
pendence only hoped for few years
ago.
Comments of Secretary Lane.
again copper stands out as the best
illustration Of how American mines
can meet a world demand. The output
of nearly two billion pounds of the red
metal is double that of 10 years ago
and its value is twice that of the cop
per produced in 1915. Add to this the
facts that in value copper now con-
tends with iron for first place among
the metals and that together the
amount of these two metals produced
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 domestic
ores increased last year $4,000 tons,
which makes a new record for that
metal, the total value of spelter from
United States ore being $50 million
dollars Lead also shows large IN
crease, the rs million dollar output
being a gain of more than 80 per cent
with all this activity in metal pro-
duction the coal mines have had to
meet a heavy demand, SO that the BIZ
luminous coal output has now passed
the half billion ton mark, an increase
of 121b per cent over the previous
wear. Coke production increased 80
per cent and it is gratifying to note
that by product coke made the larg-
est gain, which means a correspond
ing gain in benzol and other valuable
by-products.
"A gain the oil wells have given a
rev record for petroleum yield, the es-
innate of marketed production or
crude petroleum for 1916 being wv
million barrels, or II million barrels
more than in 1915.
"Another mineral product which
furnishes an index of business condi-
lions is cement, the 1915 production
of which is estimated to be five mil
ion barrels in excess of the output OF
the previous year, while the shipments
we're even greater, aggregating ga
200 900 barrels, with the outlook re-
ported as good for the new year.
"The reports received from the sur
yev's 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 year, while Utah and Montana
together report another 100 million
dollar gain. Alaska also had its best
year. contributing total value OF
more than $5O,OOO,O0O this year, oil
over 50 per cent in excess of any pre-
t, vious year
"These advance statements not on