Abstract
STATISTICS relating to the Portland cement industry of the United States, compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, show that the quantity of this substance produced in 1940 was 130,216,511 barrels (the unit of measure employed throughout the statistics is the barrel of 376 lb.). The output for 1940 is not only 7 per cent higher than the output for 1939 but also was the largest quantity manufactured since 1930. Nevertheless, the output for 1940 was less by 20 per cent than that for 1928, which still constitutes the peak year of production. Basing their figures on the quantities of cement dispatched from works into the various States of the Union, aggregating nearly 127,800,600 barrels, it is estimated that the annual per capita consumption of cement averaged 0.96 barrel (about 3 cwt.) in the whole of the United States in 1940, as compared with 0.94 barrel in 1939. These figures represent only the records of the consignments inside the country. During 1940, 80.9 per cent of the Portland cement dispatched from works in the United States was moved by railway, 16.6 per cent by motor lorry and 2.2 per cent by boat. Furthermore, 25.6 per cent of the cement was dispatched loose, in bulk, 42.4 per cent was packed in paper bags, 31.9 per cent in cloth bags, and 0.1 per cent in other containers, including steel drums and iron or wooden barrels.
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Portland Cement Industry of the United States. Nature 148, 750 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/148750a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/148750a0