OUR INDUSTRIAL POSITION IN THE WORLD 5 



Our production of manufactured goods is nearly seven times 

 as great as our proportion of population. Great Britain con- 

 tributes 15 per cent of the manufactured goods of the earth, 

 Germany 12 per cent, and France 11 per cent. 



These figures suggest an extraordinary efficiency for the 

 American artisan, which is borne out by examination of the 

 figures of production and of occupations. The average gross 

 manufactured product, per hand, in the United States has a 

 value of $1,900 per annum. The French artisan, under the 

 same definition, produces $650; the English artisan, $485; 

 and the German $450. In other words, the product, per hand, 

 of the United States artisan is nearly three times as great as 

 that of his nearest competitor. Of course, it is understood 

 that these figures, although comparable with one another, 

 are not correct as representing the value of the manufacturing 

 processes. The value of the raw material should have been 

 subtracted from that of the gross product before dividing 

 it by the number of hands. This would, naturally, reduce 

 the figures, but it would reduce them practically in the same 

 proportion. 



This enormous difference in efficiency between the artisans 

 of the United States, on the one hand, and those of Europe on 

 the other, which is due mainly to the universal use in this 

 country of the most modern machinery and methods, enables 

 us not only to hold our own markets, but to invade success- 

 fully the home markets of other countries, to send coal to 

 Newcastle, steel to Sheffield, and cotton to Lancashire. 



In mining the showing is still more favorable to us. Of 

 course, in this branch of industry we enjoy the abundance of 

 ores easily mined and worked, which fact is our chief advan- 

 tage. Of the coal of the earth we produce 29 per cent — more 

 even than Great Britain, which is now producing 27 per cent. 

 Of petroleum we produce 43 per cent, being exceeded in this 

 product by Russia, which produces more than half the world's 

 total. Of gold we produce 31 per cent, and of silver 33 per 

 cent, being the leading producer of both metals. Of copper 

 we produce 56 per cent; our nearest competitor being Spain, 

 with less than one eighth of the world's production. Of lead 

 we produce a fourth; again Spain follows with a little more 



