MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 55 



The statistics evidence the changing conditions in the industry 

 from year to year. The aggregate value of clay wares has averaged 

 about $12,000,000 throughout the period, but has fallen considerably 

 below that figure occasionally in times of severe depression as in 

 1908 and 191 1, when the building trades were almost at a standstill, 

 and again in 19 14 when the outbreak of the war caused a severe 

 decline of industrial activity. The notable feature of the statistics, 

 which marks apparently a fundamental change in progress at present, 

 is the increase of the higher-grade wares by which alone the dimin- 

 ished outputs of the commoner grades have been counterbalanced 

 in their effect upon the annual totals. 



In 191 7 there were 170 enterprises who reported a production or 

 sale of clay products for that year. In 19 18 the nimiber was 147. 

 Both years showed a falling off in the number of enterprises from 

 that of 19 16, when 182 reported sales or production. The last 

 two seasons were unprecedented in severity of conditions for the 

 operators, who were unable to secure the necessary labor or fuel 

 to conduct work on the normal basis. The most prosperous years 

 of the industry, so far as widespread activities are concerned, were 

 1905, 1906 and 1907, when the nimiber of operative plants reached 

 a maximum of 265 and were distributed over 48 counties of the 

 State. 



Brick manufacture. The brick-making industry is carried on 

 more widely than other branches of clay manufacturing and is 

 represented in practically every section where a local demand exists 

 for the product. Inasmuch as the clays are adapted mainly for 

 the common grades of brick, the enterprises are practically dependent 

 upon the nearby markets for outlet. They are located therefore 

 in the vicinity of the larger towns and cities, but particularly along 

 the tidewaters of the Hudson which give ready access to the towns 

 on that river and also to the great metropolitan district, the largest 

 market for building materials in the country. 



