Show THE OUTLOOK since the editorial of the last issue of the mining review the investment barometer has shown some chi changes inges on saturday january 2nd and it reached 1000 6 it has shown some fluctuations since then having dropped down to 98 on the ath and recovered to on the ath the high point reached in 1908 was on december the low point for the year was on february the gain was or almost 50 per cent it will be observed that the new year has started out well vell and the pro prospects aspects are very encouraging for much higher points to be reached it will not be surprising if the high point of 1906 is reached bafo before re many weeks then the barometer reached the point of on january 19 1906 this was the highest point reached since the beginning of 1902 according to io the report published by R G dun company the figures for thirty seven years reading of the investment barometer are very interesting in 1872 the hig high 14 point reached was and the low point then came the panic of 73 when the low point touched was business then continued to show a decrease until the lowest point touched by the barometer in all these years was 2058 in 1877 the high point for that year was only from that time on the barometer rose rapidly and reached in 1881 then it began 6 an to fo decline again until 1885 and did not reach any higher point than from that year until 1899 the lowest point reached during that period of fifteen years was in 1896 from the year 1901 to the close of 1908 inclusive the high point was above each year in the case case of duns report sixty most active railway stocks were taken as a basis for the barometer in our comment in last issue it was stated that unusually the steel industry is taken as a very good index of the industrials of the country there was either a unintentional tensional tent ional mistake in the copy or in the typesetting 4 il it was stated or intended that the steel industry is usually taken as a good index As it has been in years past so it is at the present time the demand for iron and steel is increasing stin railroads are placing their orders for millions of dollars worth of steel the pig iron output is increasing in june of last year the production of pig iron was gross tons in november and in december this shows something of the increase in the iron business the american locomotive company is pla planning bining to build at gary ind one of the best works in the world it has a block of acres of ground and when the plant is fully occupied it will give employment to from to workmen the license for the incorporation in illinois was issued just recently all such activities indicate the return of prosperity and also indicate the general confidence in increased activities in the industrial enterprises of the country the question may be asked how all this will affect utah and mining interests the effect will be of course only indirectly as iron mines which when developed will probably prove the greatest in the country if not the greatest in the world As profits result from the general prosperity of the country the local mining stocks will be in greater demand many of the railroads which are building branches will use electricity in many cases and therefore there will be a greater demand for cop copper per and this will have a direct influence on several of our mines manes |