The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-04-28
THE PRESENT STATUS OFTHE
MINERAL INDUSTRY IN The U. S,
Amazing Consumption Minerals Based On the Record
Years-the Holds Great Promise for the Mining
Industry, Says Mining Review.

The fascination Of the metal mining
industry is equalled only by its i'm
portance to the human race, says
Skillings' Mining Review Our present
day civilization Is erected upon metals
and it would crlmble and decay were
they for some mysterious reason too
long denied. This thought Is suggested
by Scott Turner, director of the United
States Bureau of Mines, who throws in
teresting light on the subject In his
paper, The Present Status of the
Mineral Industry" This paper Is here
reproduced in part:
Some Surprising Figures
Precise and complete accounting of
our mineral production, having the
character of national bookkeeping, is
available only for the series of years
beginning with 1880, when commences
the official record that Is provided by
the government publication called Min
eral Resources of the United States. In
the period of 50 years, from 1880
through 1882, the value of mineral pro-
duction of the United States amounted
to more than 10 billion dollars. Only
Il billions of this total were produced
in the II years, 188o-1900, while nearly
10 billions were produced in the first
81 years of the present century.
OF this ITO billions, over So billions
were produced in the most recent de-
cade, 192I-1930, the production of the
previous decade, 1911 1920, having been
only 81 billions, though it included the
war period; that of the decade 1901
1910 was 10 billions.
In 1881, the total value of mineral
products of the United States was
So, 180, 000,000 compared with an verage
annual value of s5,556, 00O, 900 during
the previous five-year period, 1926
1890. The decline in 1891 from that
average was therefore 1870.
As to the three great groups of
mineral commodities, metals Jared
worst, with decline of $50 in the
value of their production, while the
value of fuels declined 800. as did that
of the nonmetals group.
Outlook for the Future
While the record of consumption is
similar in character to the records of
production and price, it is in the his
tory of consumption that we find the
most valid basis of reinsurance as to
the outlook for the future. During the
past century. the consumption of min
eral commodities has not only in
creased enormously, but it has adj
vanced with consistent percentage
increase suggestive of a deep-lying
principle of growth, whose demands are
too enormous and too complex in their
mutual relations to be readily under
stood. Yet, the Indignation of all their
effects is apparent.
Copper consumption in the United
States, for example, increased from
one-half pound per capita in 1890 to
Is pounds per capita in 1929; lead con-
sumption similarly increased in that
100 years from about ID. per capita
to Il lbs. per capita. Zinc consumption
rose from less than one-tenth of a
pound per capita to nearly 10 lbs.
Yet per capita consumption Of copper
had declined in 1881 to s.65 lbs. ger
cap "a &C sum ton of lead to $40 lbs.
and Of z nc tx $50 Tbs. It requires a
severe stretch of the imagination to
believe that the persistent trend of
consumption, shown through this period
Of 100 years, is permanently checked
because of its pause and recession
during the past few years.
More Minerals at Economic Price
Similar occurances, though usually
less severe, have been witnessed In the
past, when it was generally assumed
that a plethora of mineral resources
had permanently overwhelmed the
mineral industries. This was not the
case then, neither is it now Confidence
in the future of our country and IN the
intelligence, ability resourcefulness, and
courage of its population Is fully war
ranted by 800 years of history.
The requirement for mineral produc-
ton is soundly based upon the aspira-
ton of our people for higher and higher
standards of living, that require manu-
features for which mineral raw ma
terials are prime requisites. To Illus
trate this we may again resort to
figures
If we compare the growth of popu-
lation with that of agriculture and
mining production and with manufac-
turing, we find that from about 1850
to 1929 population increased about four
times. This growth was closely paral-
leled by agricultural production, which
increased little over six times. Manu-
featuring increased about twenty-five
times. Mining output increased sixty
times. From this it would appear that
if our standard of living Is to continue
to improve, and I have no doubt that
it viii, society viii demand more and
more mineral production for which il
win and must pay an economic price