COPPER.

By B. S. BUTLER.

INTRODUCTION.

The figures showing the production of copper for the year 1909 have been collected by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the Bureau of the Census. As this work was in connection with that of the general census of the industries of the United States, and as the figures were collected in part by field agents of the Bureau of the Census who visited the different districts, the time required for the work was much greater than has been necessary in previous years. This fact accounts for the apparent delay on the part of the Survey in presenting the report on the production of copper for 1909.

In the production of metallic copper suitable for commercial purposes three distinct processes are usually required, namely, mining, smelting, and refining. The Lake Superior native copper district is the only important producer where these three processes are not distinct. It is possible, therefore, to ascertain the copper output of the country by collecting statistics from the mines, from the smelters, and from the refiners, and each of these sets of figures has its advantages and its disadvantages. The mine figures have the advantage of giving the most accurate distribution of the production, but are less accurate in total quantity of copper recovered; the smelter figures permit of reasonably accurate distribution and also furnish the actual recovery of copper from the ores treated during the year; the refinery figures furnish the best measure of the copper made available for commercial uses during the year, but at this stage of manufacture the accurate distribution to the State of origin, or even the separation of copper derived from domestic and from foreign sources, is uncertain.

Statistics for 1909 showing the production of each of these stages of manufacture have been collected by the United States Geological Survey, and are presented in the following report.

Since the same material passes through the three processes of manufacture at successive periods, usually requiring two to three months from the time it is taken from the mine before it reaches the stage of refined copper, the year's production as recorded for the different stages does not represent the same materials—that is, the

refinery production for the calendar year 1909 represents the mine production from about October 1, 1908, to October 1, 1909. The three sets of figures representing the successive stages of manufacture do not therefore necessarily agree, although they should not differ greatly if the condition of the industry is normal. The mine and the smelter figures will differ by the difference in the quantity of ore, matte, etc., in stock at the beginning and at the end of the year, and by the difference in the quantity of copper reported by the mines and that recovered by the smelters. This difference is due to the fact that considerable copper is recovered from sulphur, lead, and zinc ores carrying values in copper so low that the mines do not receive pay for and frequently do not report the copper content of the ore, although it is eventually recovered by the smelters. The smelter and refinery figures will differ by the increase or decrease in stock of blister, etc., at the beginning and at the end of the year, and by the loss in refining.

Since the smelter production permits reasonably accurate distribution as to source by States and also gives the actual output of copper, it is adopted in this report as the production of the country. It is made up of the production of blister copper and of furnacerefined or ingot copper of the Lake district.

SUMMARY OF STATISTICS.

The following statistical statement summarizes the copper industry in the United States in 1908 and 1909:

Summary of statistics of the copper industry in the United States in 1908 and 1909.

PRODUCTION.

GENERAL CONDITION OF INDUSTRY.

The year 1909 was one of prosperity for the copper industry of the United States. The output was the largest that has been made in any year, and the average price of copper, 13 cents per pound, although slightly below that of the preceding year, 13.2 cents, was sufficiently high to enable a large percentage of the output to be marketed at a good profit. The principal companies succeeded in reducing still further the cost of production, in some instances as a result of increasing the output, so that the average cost per pound of copper was lower during 1909 than it has been in several years and possibly as low as it has ever been.

Both domestic consumption and export of refined copper was the largest in the history of the industry, so that the record-breaking output of the copper refineries did not result in large additions to the domestic stocks, though the stocks held abroad nearly doubled during the year.

No important new producers were added, though several mines that made but small outputs during 1908 were important producers in 1909. Large tonnages of ore were developed, especially in Arizona and New Mexico, but these will not add materially to the metal output before 1911.

A very notable and important event of the year 1909 was the inauguration of plans for the consolidation of several groups of mines. Some of these plans went into effect in 1910. The most important consolidations taking place during 1909 and early in 1910 were those at Butte, Mont.; Bingham, Utah; Ely, Nev.; Ray, Ariz.; the acquisition of the Bigelow interests in the Lake district by the Calumet and Hecla Company should be included. The consolidation of large producers from several districts that was much talked of during the latter part of 1909 was abandoned owing to the adverse decisions that were rendered by the courts in regard to the Standard Oil Company and the American Tobacco Company. It is probable that no further attempt at a general consolidation of the copper industry will be made before decisions shall have been rendered by the United States Supreme Court in the above-mentioned cases.

Since February 10, 1909, monthly reports of the output of marketable copper, the monthly deliveries for domestic consumption and for export, and the stocks of marketable copper held in the United States at the close of each month, have been made by the Copper Producers' Association. These statements, showing the condition of the industry at the close of each month, have proved of great value and have fully demonstrated the wisdom of the organization of the Copper Producers' Association.

SMELTER AND MINE PRODUCTION.

GENERAL STATEMENT.

The production of copper in 1909 by smelters from copper-bearing materials from the United States was 1,092,951,624 pounds, valued at $142,083,711 as compared with 942,570,721 pounds in 1908, val

a For discussion of prices see section on prices on a subsequent page.

ued at $124,419,335. The production for 1909 was the largest in the history of the industry, exceeding the production of 1908 by 150,380,903 pounds, or 15.95 per cent.

The yearly production of copper in the United States from 1845 to 1909, inclusive, together with the actual and relative changes from each preceding year, is given in the following table:

Magnitude and growth of copper production in the United States from 1845 to 1909, inclusive.

The figures, except for 1909, are taken from the previous volumes of Mineral Resources of the United States. Statistics from 1882 to 1909, inclusive, are based on the returns to the United States Geological Survey by the copper-producing companies. Figures for the years prior to 1882 were compiled by the Survey from the best sources available. Reliable figures for years previous to 1845 are not obtainable. The year 1845, however, marks the entrance of the Lake Superior district into the ranks of producers and is really the beginning of important production of copper in this country. The industry has shown a steady and in recent years a very rapid growth. The few years when there has been a decrease in production, as compared with the preceding year, have in almost every case been years of general financial depression or panic, and the copper industry has been quick to recover when normal business conditions were restored.

The large production during the last part of 1908 and in 1909 indicates that the panic of 1907 proved no exception to the rule. Although the unfavorable financial conditions extended well into the year 1908, the output for that year was the largest ever made, and the output for 1909 showed an increase over that for 1908 greater than the average of increase for the last ten years.

SMELTER RETURNS.

The figures of smelter production for 1909 are based on returns made confidentially to the Geological Survey by all known smelting companies handling copper-bearing materials from the United States. To all companies and officials who have aided in furnishing this information and have given valuable time to answering inquiries to secure the accurate distribution of the output, sincere thanks are extended. The following list gives the names of the owning or operating companies, the location, and the final copper product of plants which contributed to the copper production of 1909. It does not include some lead and zinc plants which recovered small amounts of copper as a by-product.

Smelting plants that treated copper-bearing materials from the United States in 1909.