64 • NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



SALT 



The canvass of the salt industry for 1909 indicated very little 

 change in trade conditions from those reported for the preced- 

 ing year. The only direction in which the trade may be said 

 to have evidenced an improvement was in a larger consump- 

 tion of certain grades of salt and a corresponding gain of out- 

 put. The prices generally showed no response to the increased 

 demand; in fact their average for the yeai was somewhat lower 

 than in 1908 when the market felt the full effects of the financial 

 stringency. 



Keen competition with the industry of other states has tended 

 of late years to reduce prices and to restrict the outlet for the 

 local product. The manufacture of evaporated salt has de- 

 veloped rapidly in Michigan, Ohio and Kansas, under the in- 

 fluence of cheap fuel, which now supply the markets of the 

 Middle West. In New York, New England and some of the 

 adjoining territory, the local manufacturers still have the ad- 

 vantage, owing to more favorable freight rates. Along the sea- 

 board, however, there is considerable competition with imported 

 salt which comes chiefly from the Mediterranean countries and 

 the West Indies. The importation is likely to increase in the 

 immediate future by reason of a reduction in the duty of 20 

 cents a short ton on all grades of salt, that was incorporated in 

 the Payne tariff bill. 



The total quantity of salt obtained from the New York mines 

 and wells last year was 9,880,618 barrels of 280 pounds. This 

 may be considered a very satisfactory showing, as the output 

 for 1908 amounted to 9,005,311 barrels and that for 1907, which 

 was the largest previously reported for any one year, amounted 

 to 9,657,543 barrels. The increase in production was thus 

 875,307 barrels or nearly 10 per cent, as compared with a de- 

 crease of 652,232 barrels or 7 per cent in the preceding year. 

 The total value of the yield was $2,298,652 against $2,136,736 in 

 1908 and $2,449,178 in 1907, or an average of 23.3 cents a 

 barrel against 23.7 cents in 1908 and 25 cents in 1907. 



Converted to a tonnage basis the production last year 

 amounted to 1,383,386.5 short tons against 1,260,743.5 short tons 

 in the preceding year. 



The gain was distributed between the output of rock and 

 brine salt, both classes showing about the same proportionate 

 increase. 



