Montana labor news., 1936-03-05
Copper Industryml935

Preliminary statistics covering cop
per production, foreign trade, prices
and smelter and refinery stocks in 1885
indicate marked Improvement over
1854 in certain phases of the copper
industry. Smelter production from do
mestic ores increased So per cent over
1884 and the estimated output for De-
cember was 90 per cent higher than
the average for the II preceding
months. Production Of primary re-
fined copper from domestic and foreign
sources showed a gain OF 50 per cent
over 1884 and the proportion OF foreign
to domestic copper in U. S. refinery
output declined in 1885. Imports Of
copper, principally for smelling, rein
ing and expert, increased somewhat in
1885 but the quantity earmarked for
consumption in the United States was
no larger than in 1884 and final figures
will probably show a slight decrease.
Exports of metallic copper in 1885 were
relatively unchanged from 1884. Stocks
OF refined copper at refineries in the
United States We're 81 per cent less
than at the end OF 1884 while stocks of
blister and unrefined copper at smelt-
ers, in transit to ~refineries and at re-
~fineries are estimated to have remained
unchanged during the year. Total in
ventories OF refined and unrefined
copper at the end OF 1885 were only So
per cent of the record stocks on hand
at the end of 1882. Indicated domestic
consumption OF copper increased 81
per cent over 1884 and was equal to IS
per cen of the average annual CON
sumption in 1850. The average
price for copper was slightly higher in
1885 than in 1884.
The smelter production OF copper
from domestic ores in 1885 as deter
mined by the Bureau Of Mines from
reports OF the smelters showing actual
production for eleven months and es-
timated production for December was
746,000,000 pounds, an increase of So
per cent over the output of 488, ,107
pounds in 1884. The estimated smelter
production from domestic ores for De-
cember, as reported by the sme1ters,
was nearly 94,000,000 pounds, which is
almost 90 per cent higher than the
average reported for II preceding
months.
The production OF new refined cop
per from domestic sources, determined
in the same manner as smelter produc-
ton, was about 7~04,000,000 pounds,
compared with 466,058,360 pounds in
1884. The output Of new refined cop
per from domestic and foreign sources
in 1885 amounted to about ,185,000,000
pounds, compared with 890,719,865
pounds in 1884, an increase Of 294,000,-
900 pounds or 50 per cent. The pro
duction Of secondary copper by primary
r%efineries increased from 243,909,834
pounds in 1884 to about 3|16,000,000
pounds in 1885. Thus the total primary
and secondary output of copper by the
refineries in 1885 was 81 per- cent
higher than in the preceding year-a
production Of about 1,501, 100000 pounds
being reported for 1885 as compared
with l,134629,699 pounds in 1884.
Total imports OF unmanufactured
copper during the first Ii months Of
1885 amounted to Az, $4,000 pounds,
compared with 426, 580,588 pounds for
the entire year 1884, indicating that
figures for II months Of 1885 will show
an increase Of possibly 10 per cent
over 1884.
Exports OF metallic copper during the
first II months Of 1885 amounted to
545,937,069 pounds compared with 592,
1881 pounds exported during the en-
tire year 1884. 1t is likely that the
total for the entire year 1885 will be
approximately the same as in 1884.
Refineres estimated that at the end