INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS. 613 



Total rail product in round numbers 930,000 net tons. 



Rolled iron, excluding rails and including nails 



(same as last year) 144,000 ' ' 



Open-hearth steel (approximately) 50,000 " 



Crucible, blister, and other steel (approximately) 50,000 " 



The secretary, in summing up his review of the iron trade in 

 1878, is of opinion that the year, taken all in all, was a more 

 active and prosperous one for the iron trade than either 1876 

 or 1877. There was an improvement in the demand for all 

 iron and steel products, and prices, save in the case of pig- 

 iron, were well maintained. He concludes that "the new 

 year opens with the promise of a still more active and more 

 prosperous business for our iron and steel manufacturers than 

 the old year gave to them." 



COAL PRODUCTION OF 1878. 



The only branch of our coal industries of which accurate 

 statistical information is available is the Anthracite Coal 

 Trade of Pennsylvania, which is credited with a production 

 of 18,275,000 tons (of 2240 pounds). This amount was di- 

 vided among the several regions in the following proportions : 



Wyoming region 7,925,000 tons. 



Lehigh " 3,440,000 



Schuylkill " 6,910,000 



Total 18,275,000 



This amount shows a falling-off of nearly three millions of 

 tons as compared with the output of the previous year 

 (21,323,000 tons) ; but the causes regulating the production 

 of anthracite are so intimately connected with the business 

 combinations of the great carrying companies that no infer- 

 ences as to the bearing of the above figures upon the general 

 business of the country would possess any value. 



It may be of interest here to note that the total produc- 

 tion of the anthracite region up to the close of the last year 

 amounted to 400,162,832 tons, divided as follows: 



Wyoming region 159,614,309 tons. 



Schuylkill " 16-4,686,236 " 



Lehigh " 75,862,227 " 



Total 400,162,832 " 



Concerning the production of bituminous coals (and coals 

 other than anthracite), we have at the present time no relia- 



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