﻿THE 
  :>IIXIXG 
  AND 
  QUARRY 
  INDUSTRY 
  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 
  w^as 
  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 
  114 
  plants 
  in 
  operation 
  last 
  year 
  with 
  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 
  w^as 
  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- 
  

  

  