THE MINING AND QUARRY IXDUSTRV I908 21 



billion of brick a year. The average product, however, falls con- 

 siderably short of that amount. 



During the past season, the depressed conditions in the building 

 trade were responsible for a very small output from this region. 

 On the whole business was poorer than for a long time with prices 

 throughout most of the year at so low a level as to afford little or 

 no profit to the manufacturer. An unfavorable factor in the early 

 part of the year was the large number of brick carried over by the 

 yards from 1907, amounting to fully 300,000,000 according to re- 

 liable estimates, though by a purposed delaying of active operations 

 beyond the usual time its influence upon prices was lessened to a 

 considerable extent. The season of manufacture was very short, 

 as the yards also closed earlier than usual. The prevailing prices 

 in the early part of the year were about $4.50 a thousand. As the 

 season advanced there was a gradual improvement ; and shipments 

 were made at $4.75 and $5 in the summer. The upward tendency 

 continued throughout the fall and early winter with the revival 

 of building operations, and at the close of the year the prices 

 reached as high as $6.75 and $7. The stocks held along the river 

 at the beginning of the current season were smaller than usual. 



The total number of common brick marketed from the Hudson 

 river region in 1908 was 817,459,000 as compared with an output of 

 1,051,907,000 in 1907. The figures for the past year were compiled 

 from the sales of the yards, while for the preceding year they were 

 based on the output, so that some allowance must be made in com- 

 paring the totals. The actual production last year was no doubt 

 smaller than the number reported as sold. The largest production 

 on record was in 1906, when it amounted to 1,230,692,000, or about 

 50 per cent more than that for 1908. 



There were 1 14 plants in operation last year witii an average 

 product of 7,171,000 against a total of 122 plants and an average 

 product of 8.622,000 in 1907. 



The value of the brick averaged $4.75 a thousand in 1908 and 

 $5.20 a thousand in 1907, showing a decline of nearly 10 per cent. 

 The highest price received in recent years was in 1905 when the 

 average for the entire output of the region was $6.54 a thousand. 



The decline in the production was generally distributed over the 

 nine counties of the region, and all reported a smaller total than in 

 1907, though the largest falling off was in Rockland and Ulster 

 counties. Ulster county stood first in size of output, as in the pre- 

 ceding year, with a total of 179,166,000 valued at $816,947. Rock- 



