Director of Mint Shows the Production for 1904—Australasia Leads in the Yellow Metal, with United States Third.
GEORGE E. ROBERTS, the director of the mint at Washington, has prepared a statement of the world's production of gold and silver for the calendar year 1904. The statement shows a total of gold valued at $347,150,700, an average of 168,493,538 fine ounces of silver, and a commercial value of silver totaling $97,726,300, the coinage value of which is $217,850,200. Of the total the United States produced $80,723,200 in gold and $33,516,000 in silver. Australasia produced the greatest amount of gold, $87,767,300. Africa ranks second, with $85,913,900, the United States being third on the list. The greatest silver-producing country was Mexico, the commercial value of whose output was $35,269,200. The United States ranked next. Russia produced $24,803,200 in gold and $100,300 in silver. Japan produced $3,984,000 in gold and $1,861,000 in silver. Canada's output was $16,400,000 in gold and $2,156,800 in silver. The figures show an increase of about $22,000,000 in gold over the bureau's estimate for the calendar year 1903. The United States shows a gain of about $7,000,000, and South Africa of $8,000,000. The director says that both of these countries are still upon a rising scale of production. Australia, on the other hand, is an important producer which shows a tendency to reduce its contribution, altho the falling off is not large and may be temporary. Considering developments in well-known fields, it seems a reasonable forecast to expect the world's output in 1905 to exceed that of 1904 by $25,000,000, with another gain probable in 1906.—Springfield Republican.