Census of Production in the United States

As quantity figures have become increasingly important, not only as measures of growth of an industry but also as a means of securing basic information on the important commodities, more quantity production figures have been obtained at recent biennial censuses. In the census of 1925, 90 special schedules were used, and in the census of 1927, 153 such schedules, covering 221 in dustries. Most of these schedules called for data in regard to quantities of products. In some industries, the quantity figures are presented in great detail, as in the chemical industry, where the production data are shown for all the principal chemicals, in both quantity and value. Quantity figures have proved especially useful to trade associations and business firms in finding out what proportion of the industry their own operations covered.

The manufactures census presents its data by States and by large cities, as well as for the nation as a whole. These figures are used to indicate the growth of cities and States in manufac turing, the geographical movement of industries, and the relative importance of the several industries in each locality. Location of new plants with reference to consuming industries is also facili tated by these data. In many cases it is not possible to show details for each State or city on a particular industry, as it is necessary to avoid revealing the operations of individual estab lishments, which is prohibited by the census law ; therefore, no separate figures are shown where fewer than three establishments would be covered by the tabulation. Furthermore, the increase in the scope of quantity figures and the need for speed in the biennial censuses has reduced the locality tabulations in later censuses, so that from great detail in the earlier reports, cover ing about 2,000 quarto pages, the locality data in the 1925 census covered only about 700 octavo pages. Statistics for the smaller cities (10,00o to 100,00o inhabitants) were omitted at the biennial censuses for 1921 and 1923, but are summarized for 1925.

Electrical Industries.

Closely allied to the census of manu factures is the census of electrical industries. This census was begun in 1902 (although partial data on electric railways and telegraphs had been secured in connection with the decennial census of 1890) and has been taken at intervals of five years. It covers central electric light and power stations, electric rail ways, telephones and telegraphs, thus presenting a picture of the electrical development of the United States. The census of electrical industries presents data on central electric power plants as to plant values, revenues, expenses, persons employed, prime movers, customers, meters, power output, consumption of fuels, etc. These data are divided as between commercial and municipal

plants, so that the tendencies in both groups may be compared; hydro-electric power is also shown separately for comparison with that generated by coal or oil. For electric railways, the principal items show passengers carried, freight carried, miles of track operated, persons employed, rolling stock, operation accounts, etc. Information on bus lines operated by electric railways is also included. Statistics for telephone and telegraphs show mileage of wire, messages, number of telephones, number of offices, em ployees, income and expenses, originating calls divided as between exchange and long-distance or toll, etc. As most of the data are presented by States, the development of power plants, electric railways, telephones, and telegraphs can be compared for various parts of the country.

Mines and Quarries.

Incomplete and fragmentary data on the production of certain minerals were obtained at the census of 1810; but it was not until 1840 that any effort was made to collect data covering completely the production and employees of mines and quarries. These data were called for on the same schedule as those for manufactures, agriculture and fisheries. The mineral industries have been canvassed at each subsequent decen nial census, with the exception of the 12th (1900), and a mines and quarries census was taken separately for 1902. Production figures are secured for all the minerals produced in the United States, including fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas), metal liferous ores (iron, copper, gold, etc.), stone and miscellaneous minerals. Information is presented on the number of mineral enterprises, capital, expenses, value of products, persons engaged, acreage operated, power equipment and fuel used, divided by States and by commodities. At the last three censuses of mines and quarries the bureau of the census co-operated with the U.S.

geological survey, of the department of the interior, which col lected annual production data on all minerals. The production figures were supplied by the geological survey, and no data in regard to production were called for on the census schedules. In this way duplication of inquiries was avoided. The collection of annual production data has been transferred from the geologi cal survey to the bureau of mines, of the department of commerce.