THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I909 21 



their output by reason of the numerous large engineering de- 

 velopments in connection with the canal system, municipal 

 water supply plants, hydroelectric installations, etc., that have been 

 in progress recently throughout the State. 



During the last few years the cement industry of New York 

 has undergone radical changes. The manufacture of natural 

 cement used to be the principal branch of the industry and was 

 represented by many large and well equipped plants, with an 

 average output of over 4,000,000 barrels a year. The output of 

 the Rosendale district of Ulster county especially found a wide 

 market. With the growth of the portland cement industry in 

 this country, increased competition has so reduced prices that 

 there is now very little margin between the cost to the con- 

 sumer of that article and the natural cem.ent. As a consequence 

 the sales of the latter have decreased to a fraction of the former 

 quota and most of the plants have been permanently closed. 



The manufacture of portland cement on the other hand has 

 grown rather steadily, though not so rapidly as to counter- 

 balance the loss in the output of natural cement. That branch 

 of the industry has been largely centralized in eastern Pennsyl- 

 vania, where it was first established. For the last year or two 

 increased interest has been shown, however, in the develop- 

 ment of the local resources and there is little doubt that New 

 York will eventually take a more prominent place in the trade, 

 which it should occupy by reason of its abundance of raw 

 materials and its market advantages. The erection of a new 

 plant in the Hudson river region, with a reported capacity of 

 5000 barrels a day, has been underway during the last year. 



The total production of cement in New York in 1909 was 

 2,610,383 barrels, or about the same as in the preceding year 

 when it amounted to 2,612,462 barrels. In 1907 the quantity 

 was reported at 3,245,729 barrels and in 1906 at 4,114,939 bar- 

 rels. The accompanying table gives the annual output and 

 value for each kind of cement since 1890. There were alto- 

 gether 13 firms who reported a production last year, the same 

 number as in 1908, but a loss of five as compared with those 

 so reporting in 1907. 



In the Portland cement industry there was a slight gain of 

 output, the aggregate amounting to 2,061,019 barrels valued at 

 $1,761,297 against 1,988,874 barrels valued at $1,813,622 for 

 1908. With the placing in operation of the new plant at Green- 



