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By R. W. Raymond

I desire to call the attention of members of the Institute to a new method of plotting and determining faults in mineral deposits, suggested by Prof. Hanns Hoefer, lately of the Mining School of Przi-

Jan 1, 1882

By Robert H. Richards

The object of this paper is to enlarge the field of settling velocities treated by me in my former papers, Close Sizing Before Jigging, and Sorting Before Sizing.' There seemed need of work both on coarser and on finer sizes. Messrs. A. Sidney Warren and M. L. Nagel undertook the investigation for the coarser sizes, from 12.85 mm. down to 2.05 mm. diameter. Their work, because of the closer spacing and because of the increased number of observations and consequent stronger averages, called for a revision of the former work. Messrs. G. A. Barnaby and Ralph Hayden undertook this part of the work, from 2.49 mm. down to 0.28 mm., which is near the limit of sifting. Their work covers the ground much more minutely and comprehensively than the former papers. There remained to be covered the portion of the field too fine for investigation with the sieves. This part, covering the range of grains from 0.48 to 0.03 mm., was undertaken by Mr. E. S. Bardwell. For it he used the elutriation method. 11. The First, or Coarsest, Section of the Field. The first desideratum in this investigation was a series of sieves for sizing the sands preparatory to making the tests. It became necessary, therefore, to decide on a sieve-scale for this purpose. A sieve-scale is a series of sieves in which the dimensions of the holes of the successive members form a series increasing by a definite ratio. There are three natural sieve-scales: 1, progressing by doubling the width of the hole for each suc-

Jan 1, 1908

By Nicholas J. Grant, Noboru Komatsu

Electron-micrographic studies and hardness tests were made of an internally oxidized dispersion-strengthened Cu-12 vol pct SiO2 alloy follozuing longtime annealing at elevated temperatures. The rate of coarsening of SiO2 particles and the relationship between hardness and interpavticle spacing were Dispersion -strengthened alloys exhibit a remarkable stability of structure and properties at elevated temperatures compared with conventional alloys; nevertheless, when they are exposed to high measured. The rate of coarsening of SiO2 particles is controlled by the decomposition of SiO, rather than by the diffusion rates of silicon or oxygen through the copper matrix. The mechanism of coarsening was also studied by using a diffusion-couple technique. temperatures, weakening takes place as a result of coarsening of the dispersed phase. The theoretical treatment of the coarsening of dispersed phases has been treated by Greenwood,1 wagner,, and others3 by considering the interfacial energy of dispersions and the diffusion of solute atoms. Recently, experimental work on the coarsening of relatively insoluble, finely dispersed cobalt particles in copper was reported by Livingston,4 and on aluminum oxide in nickel by Dromsky, Lenel, and Ansell;5 according to these investigations, the rate

Jan 1, 1964

By Fred Leighton, Wilson Blake

The microseismic method of detecting instability and high-stress zones in underground mines was developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) in the early 1940's.l,2 For about 25 years this method has been used throughout the world by mining and construction companies in assessing the stability of underground and surface excavations. Rock noises are the release of small amounts of stored strain energy propagating outward from their source as a seismic wave that can be detected with special geophysical equipment. This release of strain energy is caused by a rock mass undergoing load changes resulting in small-scale displacement adjustments such as microcracking, shearing, sliding, and crushing of crystal grains, some even as small as the elastic displacements themselves. No detailed field studies of any of these mechanisms have been made, and knowledge about the origin of rock noises is relatively incomplete. Laboratory tests have shown that when rocks are stressed in a testing machine, the rock noise rate-the number of rock noises generated per unit of time increases with increasing applied stress.3 This increase is most pronounced as the ultimate strength of the rock is approached. The standard field procedure has been to monitor a rock structure at intervals and plot rock noise rates vs. time, thus gaining a semiquantitative estimate of the behavior and stability of the structure. The success of such monitoring, however, has depended almost entirely on the experience and knowledge of the operator, his interpretation of the data, and his equipment. Very little study has been devoted to the basic properties of the vibration record of a rock noise. USBM decided that the microseismic method was being used sufficiently by various mining and construction companies

Jan 1, 1970

By M. F. Comerford

M. F. Comerford (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatovy)- The authors' concern about the effects of preferred orientation is justified and emphasizes a phenomenon that can be a source of serious error, but the cogency of their concluding statement bears close examination. They contend that comparison of intensities from parallel planes of the two phases, as proposed by Averbach, Comerford, and Bever,13 leads to incorrect results. The state- ment is based on the fact that, in Fig. 3, intensity measurements at extreme angles of tilt, (2, lead to different values than those given by the average of all the data. The proposed explanation is that unsuspected superpositions of (110), reflections spuriously enhance the martensite intensity. However, it can be shown on appropriate stereographic projections that no superpositions occur which can affect the reflections in question. Hence, the ex-

Jan 1, 1965

By G. B. Richardson

WHILE examining a number of curves showing the production of petroleum, the author was impressed by the rather uniform relationship between the cumulative production from the beginning of development FIG. I.-ACTUAL' AND COMPUTED PRODUCTION OF PETROLEUM IN WEST VIRGINIA. down to the time the peak was attained and the estimated total production. The curves examined showed an average ratio of cumulative peak production1 to total production of approximately 30 per cent. FIG. 2.-ACTUAL AND COMPUTED PRODUCTION OF PETROLEUM IN CAT CREEK FIELD, MONTANA. These relations were discussed with C. E. Van Orstrand, geophysicist of the Geological Survey, who investigated the subject mathematically.

Jan 3, 1925

By George W. Lower, William A. Hockings, Donald A. Kaczynski

The rate of dissolution of polycrystalline metallic copper in aqueous cupric ammonium nitrate solutions in the non-film-forming region was investigated by the rotating disc method. The investigation was performed in solution concentration ranges applicable to hydrometallurgical processes. This investigation was an extension of a study on the cupric ammonium carbonate system previously reported by Smith, Lower and Hockings, in which the following kinetic model was proposed: (1) Diffusion of cupric ammine ions to the copper surface; (2) Forward reaction - first order reaction of cupric ammine ions with metallic copper; (3) Reverse reaction - disproportionation of cuprous ammine ions to metallic copper and cupric ammine ions ; and (4) Diffusion of cuprous ammine ions from the copper surface. The nitrate system was selected for this study because it simplified the determination of the ionic composition of the solutions. The variables studied were stirring speed and cupric, ammonia, and nitrate concentrations. The dissolution rate increased linearly with at low values of but exhibited increasingly negative deviations from linearity at higher values of m. The rate also increased with increasing cupric concentration but decreased with increasing ammonia and nitrate concentration. Good agreement was obtained between the experimental rate data and the proposed model. Further verification of the model was indicated by the close agreement of the diffusion coefficient calculated from the data and comparable literature values.

Jan 1, 1974

By H. B. Probst

Mechanical twins were produced in zone-refined tungsten single crystals by explosive working at room temperature. These twins are parallel to (112) planes and have irregular boundaries rather than the classical plane twin boundaries. These boundaries aye grooved surfaces in which the grooves themselves are parallel to a <111> direction and the sides of the grooves appear to be par-allel to (110) planes. TWINS were produced in tungsten single crystals by explosive working at room temperature. These twins differ in character from any previously reported for tungsten; however, they are similar to those found in molybdenum after compression at -196°C.1 Deformation twins "resembling Neumann bands in ingot iron" have been observed in tungsten by Bech-told and Shewmon.2 This observation was made with sintered polycrystalline tungsten pulled in tension to fracture at 100°C and using a strain rate of 2.8 x 10-4 sec-1. More recently Schadler3 found deformation twins in zone-refined tungsten single crystals pulled in tension at -196"&apos; and -253°C. These tests were conducted using a strain rate of 3.3 x l0-4 sec-1, and the twin bands were found to be parallel to a (112) plane. Deformation twins in tungsten&apos;s sister metal, molybdenum, were observed by Cahn.4 These twins were produced by compressing small (0.7 mm) vapor-deproducedposited molybdenum single crystals at -183°C. The compression was performed &apos;by impact." By the use of precession X-ray techniques, Cahn was able to identify the twin plane as {112} and the shear direction as <1ll>. Mueller and Parker1 produced deformation twins in polycrystalline electron-beam-melted molybdenum by compression at -196°C. Their "loading rate" was 5000 psi per min which, judging from their stress-strain curve, corresponds to a strain rate of approximately 0.3 x 10-4 sec-1. These twin bands were found to be parallel to (1 12) planes; however, they differed in appearance from previously observed twins. In place of straight and parallel twin boundaries they were found to be irregular, jagged, and sawtoothed. The sides of the saw teeth were identified as (110) planes and irrational planes of a (111) zone. The twins observed in the present work in tungsten single crystals are similar in appearance to those of Mueller and Parker in polycrystalline molybdenum. The starting material used in this investigation was 3/16-in. diam commercial tungsten rod produced by powder-metallurgy techniques. This material was converted to a single crystal by the electron-bombardment floating-zone technique.= The process was carried out in a vacuum of 10-5 mm of Hg using a traversing speed of 4 mm per min. Segments (=2 in. long and 3/16 in. in diam) of two crystals (A and B) produced in this manner were studied. Crystal A received one zoning pass, while crystal B received two passes. The two crystals were explosively worked at Bat-telle Memorial Institute in the following manner. A 1/2-in.-thick layer of plastic was applied to the crystals to serve as a buffer in an attempt to prevent cracking. The composite, crystal and buffer, was then wrapped with 1/8-in.-thick DuPont sheet explosive EL506A2 and detonated in water at room temperature. Metallographic samples of the worked crystals were prepared, and back-reflection Laue X-ray patterns were obtained using unfiltered molybdenum radiation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Blasting the crystals as described above failed to prevent cracking. The crystals fractured into several fragments about 3/16 to 1/2 in. long; however, the fragments were of sufficient size to be useful for the subsequent study. The diamond pyramid hardness of the crystals after blasting was in the range 430 to 450 as compared with 340 for the as-melted material, which shows a definite hardening resulting from plastic deformation. These hardness values were obtained using a 1000-g load and taking readings only in sound portions of the crystals free of cracks. The crystals exhibited profuse twinning as shown in Fig. 1. No such structure is present in the as-melted condition. Most of these twins have jagged twin boundaries and are similar in appearance to those found in molybdenum by Mueller and Parker. The twins in both crystals were found to be parallel to {112} planes. This identification was made by using the conventional two-trace method. Subsequent efforts to describe these twins more fully were carried out on crystal A. If the longitudinal axis of crystal A is placed in the (001)-(011)-(Il l) basic triangle of the standard cubic stereographic projection, as in Fig. 2, then the two sets of twins shown in Fig. 1 are parallel to the (112) and (121) planes. Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a twin with jagged boundaries. This type of twin with a <111>

Jan 1, 1962

By John T. Galey

An intensified search for gas, because of the shortage in the area, led to the completion of 482 wells in southwestern Pennsylvania during 1944. This number was 27 more than the number in 1943, but 118 of the wells were nonproductive. Shallow Development Oil The initial production of the 25 producers completed was slightly less than was obtained from four wells above last yearJs total. The largest well, 20 bbl., was found in the Big Injun (Miss.) sand in Morris township, Washington County, at a depth of 2085 ft. It is currently producing about 3 bbl. per day. Outside the main producing area, a well drilled in Nicholson township, Fayette County, obtained 15 bbl. per day from 1864 to 1866 ft. in the Gantz (U. Dev.) sand. The Federal subsidy of 75¢ per barrel, effective , 1, 1944, which increased to $3.40 the current pipe-line price in this area, seems to have been insufficient stimulus to materially increase drilling for oil, although more repressuring operations are contemplated. Gas The volume of initial open flow of gas developed is off slightly over 10 million cu. ft. from 36 more wells than were completed a year ago, and the average rock pressure of this new gas is more than 100 lb. less than that obtained a year ago. Apparently the best find of this year was reported in Patton township, Allegheny County, where an initial volume of over 4 million cu. ft, was encountered in the Speechley (U. Dev.) sand at a depth of from 3293 to 3303 ft. The rock pressure there, 1190 lb. per sq. in., is nearly virgin. However, this area is fairly well delimited by dry holes and docs not seem nearly so promising from the standpoint of reserves as the Armbrust area, which was discovered several Years ago. In the patton township locality another fair well with 1303 M cu. ft. open flow and 400 lb. Per 59. in. rock pressure completed in the Hundred-Foot (U. Dev.) sand at a a depth of 2125 feet. Armstrong County, as usual, leads in number of producing wells completed with lowest percentage of failures but ranks only fou th in volume of production developed. Only two wells here had more than one million cubic feet capacity, but the rock pessure was under 200 Ib. Per sq. inch. In Fayette County, where the largest portion of new gas was found, activity appears to be shifting eastward. In Luzerne township, four producers having a total combined initial open flow in excess of 10 million cu, ft, were found in the Big Injun (Miss.) sand. The best well was found also in the same area in the Speechley sand (U. Dev.) at a depth of 3460 ft. This was a 2500-M CU. ft. well in Georges township. Several wells of more than a million cubic feet capacity were found in Jackson, Washington, Wayne and Whitley townships, Greene County. None of these, however, was in a new pool.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. E. Lamborn

A summary of oil and gas development in Ohio for 1935 must necessarily be brief. As attention of the state government to the oil and gas industry has never included the collection and compilation of statistics on production, either by producing sands, by counties, by fields, or for the state as a whole, such information as requested in Table 1 of this symposium is impossible to secure for this state. In the absence of production data chief attention must be directed to drilling activity for the year. Information such as can be compiled from various sources, including weekly drilling reports to operating companies and trade journals, is given in the following paragraphs with the realization that the data may not be complete in all its details. Drilling Activity by Fields Drilling activity during 1935 was similar to the preceding year in , that the major operating companies were generally content to drill lease-requirement and offset wells and in that comparatively little effort was made to discover new pools. A compilation of completions recorded in weekly reports to drilling companies and in trade journals show 1022 tests completed for the year in 53 counties of the state. Of this total number, 653 wells were commercial producers and 369 were classed as dry holes. Production was secured in 40 counties from formations ranging in depth to 5700 ft. and ranging in age from Middle Ordovician to upper Pennsyl-vanian. From the standpoint of new production for the year, the most important sands are the Clinton of Silurian age, the Berea of Mississippian age and the Shallow sands of Mississippian above the Berea and of Pennsylvanian age. Trenton Sand Field Production in the field of Trenton sand, which originally included parts of 15 counties in northwestern Ohio, is now on the decline. Seventy-three completions were reported in this field during 1935, of which 33.8 per cent were dry holes. Activity centered in Allen County with 12 completions, two of which were dry holes; in Hardin County with 11 producers; and in Wyandot County with 12 producers and 2 dry holes.

Jan 1, 1936

By R. E. Lamborn

A summary of oil and gas development in Ohio for 1935 must necessarily be brief. As attention of the state government to the oil and gas industry has never included the collection and compilation of statistics on production, either by producing sands, by counties, by fields, or for the state as a whole, such information as requested in Table 1 of this symposium is impossible to secure for this state. In the absence of production data chief attention must be directed to drilling activity for the year. Information such as can be compiled from various sources, including weekly drilling reports to operating companies and trade journals, is given in the following paragraphs with the realization that the data may not be complete in all its details. Drilling Activity by Fields Drilling activity during 1935 was similar to the preceding year in , that the major operating companies were generally content to drill lease-requirement and offset wells and in that comparatively little effort was made to discover new pools. A compilation of completions recorded in weekly reports to drilling companies and in trade journals show 1022 tests completed for the year in 53 counties of the state. Of this total number, 653 wells were commercial producers and 369 were classed as dry holes. Production was secured in 40 counties from formations ranging in depth to 5700 ft. and ranging in age from Middle Ordovician to upper Pennsyl-vanian. From the standpoint of new production for the year, the most important sands are the Clinton of Silurian age, the Berea of Mississippian age and the Shallow sands of Mississippian above the Berea and of Pennsylvanian age. Trenton Sand Field Production in the field of Trenton sand, which originally included parts of 15 counties in northwestern Ohio, is now on the decline. Seventy-three completions were reported in this field during 1935, of which 33.8 per cent were dry holes. Activity centered in Allen County with 12 completions, two of which were dry holes; in Hardin County with 11 producers; and in Wyandot County with 12 producers and 2 dry holes.

Jan 1, 1936

By Arthur C. Spencer

In extension of a suggestion already made to account for certain features observed in the Juneau gold-belt in southeastern Alaska,&apos; it is the object of the present paper to indicate in detail certain conditions in which deformation of rocks under their own weight might lead to the production of fractures in which veins could be deposited. A direct, uniformly-distributed pressure of sufficient intensity, applied to an elastic brittle mass offering strung resistance to deformation, produces rupture. In a material of ideal properties the surfaces of rupture under such pressure would be shearing planes inclined at 45&apos; to the line of force, unless there be preliminary deformation, in which case this angle would be greater than 45. This general conclusion, resting upon analytical mechanics, is completely supported by the results obtained by DaubrBe2 in experiments upon the deformation of wax and resin prisms under compression. Let us then first consider one of Daubree&apos;s diagrams. In the case illustrated in Fig. 1, four sets of fractures in two approximately right-angled pairs (that is to say, in conjugate sets) were produced by endwise compression of a square cross-sectioned prism. These fractures cut the axis of compression at approximately equal angles, not varying greatly from 45o. The location of the four sets of fractures is obviously determined by the shape of the prism, since the material in each corner acts in a way as a buttress, permitting the bulging to take place most readily on the sides. By limiting the directions in which bulging may take place, results of a more simple nature could be obtained. Take, for instance, a square prism, and place it between two fixed and

Jan 1, 1906

By George Espey, George Sachs, G. B. Kasik

IT has been reported frequently that the hardness and strength vary over the cross section of cold-worked, particularly cold-drawn, material. Brass rod and wire usually have been found to possess a maximum strength and hardness near the surface.1,2 According to Sachs,&apos; the center fiber has about the same strength as a wire stretched by the same amount in a tensile-test machine, the strength increasing toward the surface (Fig. I). These differences are particularly large for wire given a small reduction on drawing through a die with a wide opening. However, with increasing reduction and hardness, a tendency to form a thin soft surface skin becomes apparent. On the contrary, copper wire has usually been found to possess a soft surface skin3-5 and it has been reported by Harris3 that during the cold-drawing of hot-rolled wire the surface layer becomes increasingly softer than the core, while the layer of maximum strength moves toward the core, it being found near the surface at first. The increase of strength and hardness from the core to the skin is readily explained by the observation that, in addition to the stretching, the layers of a rod or wire are sheared more the closer they are to the surface.1,6-8 However, the presence of a soft surface layer can be attributed only to an annealing effect. The source of such a softening might be the extremely high temperature that originates from the friction between

Jan 1, 1942

By G. B. Kasik, George Sachs, George Espey

IT has been reported frequently that the hardness and strength vary over the cross section of cold-worked, particularly cold-drawn, material. Brass rod and wire usually have been found to possess a maximum strength and hardness near the surface.1,2 According to Sachs,&apos; the center fiber has about the same strength as a wire stretched by the same amount in a tensile-test machine, the strength increasing toward the surface (Fig. I). These differences are particularly large for wire given a small reduction on drawing through a die with a wide opening. However, with increasing reduction and hardness, a tendency to form a thin soft surface skin becomes apparent. On the contrary, copper wire has usually been found to possess a soft surface skin3-5 and it has been reported by Harris3 that during the cold-drawing of hot-rolled wire the surface layer becomes increasingly softer than the core, while the layer of maximum strength moves toward the core, it being found near the surface at first. The increase of strength and hardness from the core to the skin is readily explained by the observation that, in addition to the stretching, the layers of a rod or wire are sheared more the closer they are to the surface.1,6-8 However, the presence of a soft surface layer can be attributed only to an annealing effect. The source of such a softening might be the extremely high temperature that originates from the friction between

Jan 1, 1942

By Michael Chender

The current outlook for financing new copper production is not very encouraging. At a time when companies are slogging through a protracted period of low prices as well as having to accept lower profits due to more stringent tax and royalty schedules, banks are beginning to require companies to take a greater equity interest in new projects. Mineral resource financing, including copper, seems to have lost much of its appeal to the lending institutions, and loans of any kind to many of the developing countries -from which over half of new copper capacity could be expected to come-are being examined much more critically than they were in the late 1960&apos;s and early 1970&apos;s.

Jan 12, 1976

By Walter R. Hibbard

ALTHOUGH extensive pole figure studies have been reported by Brick1 and others2,3 showing preferred orientations in rolled and annealed 70-30 alpha brass, and by Hermann and Sachs4 in 70-30 alpha brass cups, comparatively little information has been published on textures in drawn 70-30 alpha brass tubes. Crampton5 reported a (110), [III] texture in drawn brass tubes based on selected individual X ray photograms following the method of Norton and Hiller,6 but the extent and ease of developing this texture and the annealing texture have not been reported and pole figures of these structures were not found in the literature. The present investigation was further stimulated by the possible influence of textures on the mercury stress-corrosion cracking of brass tubes. According to Snoek,7 iron-nickel alloy sheet with a strong cubic texture was more resistant to corrosion than a randomly oriented sheet. Crampon5 reported that single crystals of 70-30 alpha brass drawn into tubes did not crack after 24 hr s in a standard mercurous nitrate test. Edmunds 12 found that single crystals of 70-30 alpha brass did not crack in a standard mercurous nitrate test but did crack when subjected to ammoniacal vapor. Wassermann reported a similar failure of a single crystal of brass in ammonia. A tube with a strong texture might approach single crystal behavior and tend to resist mercury cracking if the differences in orientation between adjacent grains were sufficiently slight. PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS Crampton&apos;s5 tubes drawn 28 pct reduction in area developed a slight degree of preferred orientation while in tubes drawn 48 pct it was more marked. Based on this information, in order to obtain specimens with markedly different degrees of preferred orientation but with the same final draw, two sets of 70-30 alpha brass tubes were made following the mill schedules shown in Table I. The final draw involved a large reduction in outside diameter, and a ratio of reduction in area to reduction in outside diameter similar to that reported by Crampton,5,10 to cause mercury cracking of brass tubes. The brass contained 71.31 pct copper, 0.01 pct lead, 0.01 pct iron and zinc by difference. DETERMINATION OF POLE FIGURES A 6-in. length from each tube was rotated rapidly by an electric stirrer in 25 pct nitric acid until the gauge was reduced to 0.003-0.005 in. The tubes were carefully cut longitudinally and the walls gently flattened. They were further etched in 25 pct nitric acid to 0.0015 in. thickness and (III) pole figures were determined using copper K-alpha radiation in the manner described by Brick.1 The three general types of pole figures

Jan 1, 1947

By G. S. Hume

The total production of crude oil in Canada showed only a small improvement in 1936 over 1935, but developments of great importance took place in Alberta on the west flank of the Turner Valley field in the foothills southwest of Calgary. These have led to renewed activity in drilling such as has not been experienced for many years, and undoubtedly this will result in a very considerable increase in the oil production during 1937.

Jan 1, 1937

By G. S. Hume

Petroleum is produced in Canada in the provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta and in the Northwest Territories. The total production, however, is relatively small in comparison with the consumption, the value of imports exceeding 40 million dollars a year. Production figures are given in Tables 1 and 2. In Turner Valley, still the largest producing gas and oil field in Canada, five wells were completed during the year. The largest of these

Jan 1, 1936

By G. S. Hume

Petroleum is produced in Canada in the provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta and in the Northwest Territories. The total production, however, is relatively small in comparison with the consumption, the value of imports exceeding 40 million dollars a year. Production figures are given in Tables 1 and 2. In Turner Valley, still the largest producing gas and oil field in Canada, five wells were completed during the year. The largest of these

Jan 1, 1936

By C. W. Merrill

The price records of seven representative mineral commodities for the 68-year period 1890 through 1957 have been compiled and analyzed for significant trends. When these records are reduced to real prices in terms of dollars of constant purchasing power or to the purchasing power of industrial wages at average rates, a substantial overall fall in prices is revealed. This downtrend contradicts the widely held concept that heavy drafts on a mineral resource must lead to scarcity, reflected in rising prices. Three metals (aluminum, copper, and pig iron), two fuels (bituminous coal and petroleum), and two nonmetals (sulfur and cement) have been chosen because of their pre-eminence in their respective categories, their significance in an industrial economy, and the ready availability of their price records. It might be added that these seven commodities were selected before any price figures were compiled; none was selected or rejected to substantiate any preconceived notions as to price trends. The overall importance of the seven is demonstrated by the fact that, taken together, they composed over three-fourths of the value of all minerals produced in the U. S. in 1957. The first step in the analysis was to reduce the price records to a basis for significant comparisons. Two such comparisons have been made: 1) The quantities of each of the commodities that could have been purchased for an average hour&apos;s wage in each year, and 2) the unit price of each commodity through the years in terms of deflated dollars. These data are set forth in the accompanying table and two charts. The quantities of the mineral commodity purchasable with the average wage for one hour&apos;s work in all manufacturing industries through 1926 were based on annual average prices and on average annual wage rates determined by Paul H. Douglas and published in his "Real Wages in the United States, 1890-1926." The series was extended through 1957 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor. Calculations based on these data show that the average worker could have purchased 1.28 lb of copper with his hourly wage in 1890, whereas his hourly wage would have purchased 8.11 lb in 1957, an increase of 633 pct in the 68-year period. An average hour&apos;s wage would have bought 10.85 gal of petroleum in 1890, compared with 33.04 gal in 1957. Even more spectacular is the increase in sulfur, of which 25.25 lb could have been purchased with the 1904 average hourly wage; 223.08 lb were purchasable with the wage in 1957—an increase of 883 pct. Comparable price data for sulfur are not available for years earlier than 1904. For every commodity, the calculations show an improvement in the wage earner&apos;s purchasing power in 1957 compared with the early years. Measuring purchasing power in terms of wages does not give an entirely fair picture of the availability of a commodity in an economy. When the efficiency of an economy changes and the balance shifts among such elements as raw-material production, manufacturing, and service trade, the economic significance of an hour&apos;s work changes. Partly to meet such criticism, but mostly to present another interesting measure of the response of minerals to changing market conditions, a second set of calculations has been made to deflate unit prices for the seven commodities into terms of 1954 dollars. To accomplish this adjustment to a common 1954 parity, the Gross National Product Price Deflator, developed by the Office of Business Economics, U. S. Department of Commerce, was used. Although the results of these calculations are not as striking as those based on labor&apos;s increasing purchasing power, nevertheless the declines outweigh the rises in the prices of the mineral commodities. In terms of these deflated prices, aluminum and sulfur are much cheaper today than in the early years; copper was substantially cheaper in 1957 than in 1890; pig iron and petroleum are little changed; and only bituminous coal and cement have increased substantially. Strangely, the two mineral commodities with the strongest reserve positions are the two to exhibit rising real prices. Now this apparent overall downtrend in prices has taken place during a period of almost fantastic increase in the demand for mineral products. The value of minerals consumed in the world during the period greatly exceeds all mineral consumption up to 1890. A stage has been reached in the U.S. in which 95 pct of the energy used is of mineral origin and in which machines, structures, roadways, communication facilities, and most other elements in the industrial economy are primarily of mineral origin. Even agricultural fertility is maintained, in large measure, by mineral fertilizers. A series published in Minerals Yearbook shows that the value of U. S. mineral products has risen from $615 million in 1890 to $18,000 million in 1957, a 29-fold increase. Even in deflated dollars, the increase has been eightfold, while population has expanded less than threefold. Not only are demands of the industrial nations— the U. S., countries of Western Europe, and Japan— increasing at rapid rates, but those countries with agrarian economies are calling themselves underdeveloped and clamoring to industrialize. The ever-expanding mineral requirements in the U. S. and throughout the world show no abatement. Mineral reserves frequently have been described as wasting assets. Much concern has been shown for future users, who have been pictured as finding themselves on a plundered planet. Conservationists have viewed the future with alarm and have demanded legislation and regulations to reduce the drain on mineral reserves.

Jan 1, 1960