Shipments of domestic cement from mills into States and per capita, 1922 and 1923 Bureau of the Census. Non cement-producing State. Population Jan. 1, 1920. Total for continental United States. • Includes shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico. LOCAL SUPPLIES By comparing the shipments from the mills within a State or group of States with the estimated consumption in the same area it is possible to ascertain the surplus or deficiency in the supply of cement locally available. The following table has been arranged with that in view, and the consumption in the non cement-producing States is shown in the general table above. Data for 1916 to 1921 will be found in Mineral Resources for 1917 to 1921. end The surplus shown in the following table was distributed, by years, as follows: In 1922, to non cement-producing States, 19,337,776 barrels; to foreign countries and to Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico, 1,394,219 barrels; unspecified, 55,813 barrels; in 1923, to non cement-producing States, 22,083,433 barrels; to foreign countries and to Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico, 1,208,805 barrels; unspecified, 87,516 barrels. Among the cement-producing States there are, of course, fewer deficiencies than surpluses, and certain of the deficiencies indicated are due to local conditions that did not change materially from 1922 to 1923. For instance, in 1923 Ohio showed a deficiency of more than 4,840,000 barrels, which was largely supplied from Pennsylvania's surplus of more than 27,300,000 barrels and from Indiana. New York, though a large producer, had a deficiency of more than 9,000,000 barrels, which was mostly supplied from the Lehigh district in Pennsylvania. In Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia there was a shortage of more than 2,300,000 barrels, probably supplied in large part from the Lehigh district. The quantities consumed in the nonproducing States are of interest in comparison with the other data. Between 500,000 and 1,000,000 barrels was consumed in 1923 in each of the States of Arkansas, Maine, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and the District of Columbia. Louisiana consumed more than 1,000,000 barrels, Florida nearly 1,300,000 barrels, Connecticut more than 1,400,000 barrels, Massachusetts and NorthCarolina more than 3,100,000 barrels each, and Wisconsin more than 5,000,000 barrels. Estimated surplus or deficiency in local supply of Portland cement in cementproducing States, 1922-1923, in barrels At factories.-Average values of Portland cement sold at the factories, as reported to the Geological Survey, are shown in the tables of shipments by States and districts during 1922 and 1923. The averages by States ranged from $1.73 a barrel in Minnesota to $2.39 in California in 1923, compared with a range from $1.60 in Indiana to $2.62 in Oregon in 1922. The averages by districts ranged from $1.76 in the Illinois-Kentucky-Indiana district to $2.44 in the Oregon-Washington-Montana district in 1923, compared with a range of $1.61 to $2.42 in the same districts in 1922. The general average value for the whole country showed an increase in 1923 of nearly 8 per cent, and averages increased in all the districts except Colorado-Utah and in all the States except Colorado, Texas, Utah, and Washington. The average factory value of Portland cement may be slightly higher in certain States than it would be if the ordinary structural cement were the only kind produced, on account of the marketing of certain special cements that command a higher price. Among these are white Portland cement, made in Pennsylvania, and cements made particularly for shutting out water in oil wells and for stucco finish, both made in Califonia. Oil-well work requires a rapid-setting cement, and for stucco work a cement that is more than ordinarily plastic and waterproof is desirable. 1912. 1913. 1914. 1915.. Average factory value per barrel in bulk of Portland cement, 1912-1923 At markets. A summary of wholesale prices of Portland cement in bulk in carload lots at the principal cities of the United States and at Montreal, Canada, by months, for 1922 and 1923, as published in the Engineering News-Record, is given below. This table is not absolutely consistent, as is indicated in the footnotes, and there are some inconsistencies that are not accounted for by the footnotes, such as sudden large changes in prices. The figures in this table are susceptible of comparison in several different ways. Comparison of prices at a single locality between corresponding months of 1922 and 1923 and between the several months of the same year can readily be made, as well as comparisons between prices at different localities. Nearly everywhere prices were higher throughout 1923 than in corresponding periods of 1922, and the trend of prices during 1923 indicates that in the winter months lower prices prevailed. The net result of the movement of market prices in 1922, as with factory prices, was downward, the decreases ranging between 4 and 56 cents a barrel, and in 1923 it was upward, the increases reaching 50 cents a barrel or more in places. Seattle, Wash., is the only place at which the prices remained practically stationary, and prices here appear to have remained nearly the same throughout 1922 and 1923. Other places at which prices appear to have been higher than would seem to be justified by their location with respect to mills and transportation routes were Atlanta, New Orleans, and Baltimore, although at Baltimore the prices appear to include cost of delivery. The extraordinarily high price of $3.50 a barrel at Atlanta in May, 1923, may be questioned as to accuracy, as it stands as a single quotation preceded and succeeded by lower prices within intervals of one week. As might be expected, the lowest market prices were quoted at cities near which Portland cement is manufactured, such as Duluth, Chicago, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Birmingham, and Dallas, but there are other cities where the proximity of cement mills might be expected to bring about lower prices than the table shows. In New York two scales of prices are quoted, the higher for cement delivered, the lower for cement alongside dock, the difference ranging from 10 to 40 cents a barrel, but this difference does not show any marked influence of foreign cement, nor do the prices at Los Angeles indicate the competition that has been exerted by imported cement. The differences between average factory values for 1922 and 1923, by districts, and the market prices of cement at the principal cities within the several districts as a rule do not appear to be excessive when all the elements that enter into these differences are taken into consideration. In 1922 they ranged from 24 cents to $1.05 a barrel and in 1923 from 9 cents to $1.41 a barrel. In most districts these differences were less than 75 cents a barrel in both years. The increase in the prices of building materials, along with those of all other commodities, since the beginning of the World War has so seriously affected the living conditions of the people that many inquiries into the price situation have naturally followed, as well as efforts to protect the public against organized price manipulation. In view of the fact that the annual per capita consumption of Portland cement in the United States has reached nearly 14 barrels and promises to continue to increase, the prices of this essential building material have attracted particular interest, and considerable information is now available to show their position among those of other structural materials and to explain the economic conditions by which they are determined. Data of interest in this connection compiled by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, are given below. This list comprises the principal building materials, but a few materials of minor importance showed a smaller percentage of increase than cement. Comparative prices of building materials in December, 1923 2 [Percentage of increase over prices in 1913) Building materials in general, simple average, 43 types. Lime (lump), average, United States. Oak, plain white, No. 1, Cincinnati 79.8 139. 5 132. 4 119. 1 116. 2 98. 7 90. 1 83. 2 75. 6 Portland cement, simple average at 6 representative plants-- 74.9 A detailed analysis of the current position of prices and price levels in the Portland cement industry, published early in 1924, is commended to the attention of all who wish to study this subject. The authors availed themselves of four Government sources of information as to cement prices and of many series of monthly and weekly prices issued by engineering and trade journals. They also had the advantage of making an examination of the earnings of cement companies during 1922 as indicated in their income-tax statements filed with the Treasury Department for that year. These data have been published in tabular form and analyzed in the treatise, which also outlines the history of the cement industry. Wholesale prices of commodities for December, 1923, pp. 6-7, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1924. Willis, H. P., and Byers, John R. B., Portland cement prices, their basis, character, and present position, 123 pp., New York, Ronald Press Co., 1924. Wholesale prices of Portland cement per barrel in bulk in carload lots, 1922 and 1923, by months. N N July August September October November December 1922 1923 1922 1923 1922 1923 1922 1923 1922 1923 1922 1923 222222222 Atlanta. Baltimore.. Birmingham Cedar Rapids. Chicago. Cincinnati. Cleveland.. Dallas. Davenport. Seattle. City • Prices quoted are f. o. b. points listed, without bags; cash discount not deducted. ⚫ Delivered. Atlanta. Baltimore.. Birmingham Boston. Cedar Rapids. Chicago. Cincinnati. Cleveland. Dallas. Davenport. Denver Detroit. Duluth Indianapolis Jersey City. Kansas City Los Angeles. Milwaukee.. Minneapolis. Montreal. New Orleans. New York (delivered)..... New York (alongside dock to dealers). Peoria.. Seattle. |