POWER EMPLOYED IN MANUFACTURES 233 



paratively small number of wage earners required for them 

 show a high proportion of power to wage earner, or 15.4 

 horsepower for each wage earner in 1900 compared with 3 

 horsepower in 1870. Again, the enormous power require- 

 ments of this industr}', with the comparatively low price of 

 the products, show a larger amount of power required per 

 $1,000 of products than in any other large industry'. In 1900 

 it required 6 horsepower to produce SI, 000 in value of wood 

 pulp and paper, compared with 1.1 horsepower in 1870. 



The relations between power and labor, and between 

 power and product appear to have been more nearly sta- 

 tionary in the manufacture of lumber and timber products 

 during the past thirty years than in any other of the more 

 important manufactures. While the amount of power per 

 wage earner in this industry' appears to have increased from 

 4.3 horsepower to only 5.7 horsepower in thirty years, there 

 has been an actual decrease in the amount of power required 

 per $1,000 of products, which was only 2.9 horsepower in 

 1900, compared with 3.1 horsepower in 1870. In spite of this 

 very small increase in the amount of power per wage earner, 

 the value of products per wage earner increased from $1,401 

 in 1870 to $2,001 in 1900, and this with an actual decrease 

 in the ratio of power to product. 



The iron and steel industr>^ the largest user of power, 

 shows an increase in thirty years from 2.2 horsepower per 

 wage earner to 7.4 horsepower. The increase in horsepower 

 per $1,000 of products during the same period was in about 

 the same ratio; namely, from six tenths of a horsepower in 

 1870 to 2 horsepower in 1900. 



In the manufacture of cotton goods the amovmt of horse- 

 power per wage earner has increased in thirty years from 1.1 

 to 2.7, while during the same time the amount of horsepower 

 per $1,000 of products has increased from eight tenths to 2.4 

 horsepower. 



There is a striking evidence of continuous progression m 

 the manufacturing industries in the fact that, durmg the 

 decade from 1870 to 1880. in only 3 states was there any de- 

 crease. From 1880 to 1890, in only one instance was there 

 any decrease in the amount of power used, and that was so 



