Manufactures.- According to the special census of manufactures made by the Federal government for 1914, the figures show that although the number of manufacturing estab lishments in the State had decreased by 156 since the preceding census (for 1909), the number of the wage-earners increased in the five years by 6,569; the amount paid in wages had increased by $6,613,000; the capital invested in the State's industries had increased by $54,325,000; and the value of the yearly production of manufactured articles had in creased by $32,836,000. Incidentally it may be mentioned that the horsepower employed in the manufacturing industries in the same five year period had increased by 87,925. The num ber of establishments engaged in manufactur ing in the State in 1914 was 3,242; the num ber of persons employed was 88,931, of whom 78,717 were wage-earners who received an ag gregate of $33,897,000 in wages in the year, an average of $430 each. The combined capi tal invested amounted to $227,505,432 and the value of the year's output was $178,797,633; of this, $71,386,000 was the value added by the processes of manufacture. The total horse power employed aggregated 445,762, of which 375,114 was steam and turbine energy, 98,189 electric and 9,621 power from water wheels and water motors.
The principal industries, arranged in the order of the value of their output in 1914, were as follows: Cotton goods, 57 establishments, employing 13,697 hands, $25,623,000; lumber and timber, 1,335 establishments, 21,646 hands, $21,333,000; iron and steel blast furnaces, 15 establish ments, 3,547 hands, $20,066,000; cottonseed oil and cake, 84 establishments, 2,028 hands, $14, 982,000; railway car and repair shops, 22, with 7,908 hands, $12,522,000; fertilizers, 80 estab lishments, 1,416 hands, $10,870,000; coke, 18 establishments, 2,209 hands, $10,353,000; iron pipe, 20 establishments, 3,696 hands, $6,754, 000; foundry and machine shops, 79 establish ments, 1,866 hands, $4,033,000; printing and publishing, 278 establishments, 1,286 hands, $3,993,000; planing mills, 76, with 886 hands, $2,772,000; flour and grist mills, 73, with 125 hands, $2,179,000; mineral- and soda-water bot tlers, 161 establishments, 520 hands, $2,162,000; bread and bakery products, 87 establishments, 651 hands, $2,056,000; turpentine and resin, 160 establishments, 3,411 hands, $2,047,000; brick and tile, 51 establishments, 1,599 hands, $1,622,000; ice manufacture, 55 establishments, 478 hands, $1,201,000; illuminating and heat ing gas, 14 establishments, 214 hands, $1,125,000. No other industries reached the million mark in their combined output for the year.
The chief manufacturing centre was Bir mingham, where 10,863 wage-earners found employment. No other city in the State ap proached this figure, Mobile ranking next with 2,604.
Of the total number of wage-earners in the State 69,849 were males over 16 years of age and 5,735 were females over 16 years. The
number of persons under 16 years engaged in the manufacturing industries of the State was 3,133- about 4 per cent. Of the whole num ber of workers, 36,131 had a 60-hour week; 12,797 worked from 60 hours to 72 hours a week; 9,804 worked 54 hours a week; 6,765 worked 48 hours a week; 4,777 worked from 54 to 60 hours a week; 3,507 had a 72-hour week; and 3,372 worked more than 72 hours a week.
Transportation.- The great streams of the State, never closed by ice, afford fully 1,500 miles regular steam navigation, besides smaller boats in reaches; and improvements under way will increase this. The Mobile River and its two great constituents are navigable to Mont gomery on the Alabama, 320 miles from the Mobile (the Coosa has also small steamers on it), and to Columbus, Miss., on the Tombigbee, 300 miles. The Chattahoochee is navigable to Columbus, Ga., about 300 miles. Navi gation on the Tennessee was hampered by the Mussel Shoals near its western end in the State, but a canal 23 miles long cut around the shoals has obviated this difficulty. It is navigable to Chattanooga, Tenn., and for small craft as far as Knoxville. The Mobile Basin and Tennessee River Association was organized in 1907 to work for the improve ment of Alabama waterways and in 1910 the United States government began extensive improvements in the Alabama and Coosa Riv ers to Wetumpka and also in the Warrior and Tombigbee.
Alabama was a leader in the pioneer period of railroad building. As early as 1830 the legislature chartered a two-mile line from Tus cumbia to the Tennessee River and in 1832 another road was chartered which extended to Decatur from Tuscumbia. On both roads were iron bars laid on wooden stringers and the cars were drawn by mules. The stockholders were the cotton planters of the locality who found an ample supply of labor in the plantation ne groes. A prosperous commerce developed on the navigable rivers at an early period and in 1858-59 Mobile had become the third exporting port in the United States ( Ab stract,' United States Treasury, Washington 1886).
The 'railroad mileage increased from 127 miles in 1850 to 6,325 miles in 1916, exclusive of over 300 miles of electric street railroads. The great railroad centre of the State is Birmingham, through which passes nearly every trunk line in the South. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad had an early and potent in fluence in making available the landlocked min eral resources of the State and the Southern Railroad has been equally active and beneficent in promoting agriculture. The harbor of Mo bile, the chief commercial outlet of Alabama and neighboring States, has been greatly im proved; the harbor channel is being deepened to 30 feet, making it possible for seagoing ships to be loaded at their wharves. The port is avail able for the entire commerce of the State, either by rail or river.