16 Miscellaneous Circular 39, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 
forced an unusual development of It would be unwise to recover the 
labor-saving machinery. The recov- fumes in the Rocky Mountain sections, 
ery yield was secondary. Competition as delivered cost at point of consump- 
in some lines also had its effect on tion would be prohibitive. ; 
extraction yields. In European manu- In many mining operations a point 
facturing countries where raw mate- is reached in recovery beyond which 
rials were not so abundant and where it is not good practice to venture, as 
labor was plentiful, the trend was to- costs would be excessive and above 
ward a more complete utilization of competitive asking. If these decisions 
raw materials. The European early are made by competent engineers and 
made greater use of chemical research carried out by able superintendents, 
than we of America—our genius ran we of to-day can not justly find fault. 
more to engineering as better solving It is the avoidable waste—the waste 
our problems. To-day we are making which comes from incompetent han- 
large use of an unusually competent dling, from inadequate equipment, 
staff of research and executive scien- from technical ignorance, and above 
tists. all from greedy exploitation of the 
In recent years the chemist and cream for the profit of the day at the 
metallurgist in this country have made expense of the future—that we can 
progress even beyond that of their properly criticize, and take steps to 
European fellows. Our utilization of remedy. 
low-grade ore bodies and recovery of One of the most important surveys 
dilute wastes is not excelled in any of waste in industry was that made 
country. by a committee of the Federated 
In the development of industry American Engineering Societies. * This 
much avoidable wasts has been per- report covers intensive study of the 
mitted, although it must be accepted following industries: building indus- 
that no large enterprise can be (try; men’s ready-made clothing manu- 
brought to successful operation with- facturing; boot and shoe manufactur- 
out some weste. Our problem is to ing; printing; metal trades; textile 
minimize it. manufacturing ; along the general lines 
Man labors and produces. Both of “Sources and cause of waste” and 
labor and production vary in accord “ Recommedations for the elimination 
with the amount of head and back put of waste,” as applied to the above 
into the task. A large part of pro- businesses. General chapters on un- 
duction carries final costs for to-day employment, strikes and lockouts, ac- 
and to-morrow above what should pre- cidents and health, purchasing and 
vail if we put more vision, science, re- sales policies, as they are applied to 
search, and human understanding back the problem in question, are also: in- 
of the problem. cluded. It is a most able summary 
The larger part of-delivered cost on of the situation. 
commodities is accumulative labor Agriculture is fundamental. Waste 
cost, which is not to be confused with on the farm is basic. Feeding grain 
direct labor cost. In the lumber in- to scrub animals with resulting low 
dustry, from stumpage to the deliv- weight gains or low milk production 
ered wholesale price, 79 per cent is is pure loss, as compared to feeding 
paid labor in some form or another. animals of maximum possibilities. 
Coal figures are about the same; rail- Overproduction of special perishable 
road labor, 81.8 per cent; steel, 85 per crops in restricted areas causes un- 
cent ; agriculture, 75 per cent, includ- told losses. Potatoes in Maine to-day 
ing butter, fruits, soil crops; all fig- are bringing the grower but 75 cents 
ured on the delivered wholesale price per barrel—far less than the cost to 
at distributive markets. grow. Undoubtedly some potatoes will 
There is a theoretical waste—not ex- not be dug. Others will freeze in un- 
tracting the most that might be pro- heated storage. Again waste, produc- 
duced from a given material if com- tive effort expended on unproductive 
plete utilization were effected. To do acres, low yields due to lack of ap- 
this of course is not always practical. preciation of proper tillage and fer- 
What might be wasteful practice in tility. And again, transportation cross 
one section would be unwise in another hauls and long mileage due to lack of 
where plant, labor, and transporta- crop diversification. are examples of 
tion costs to possible markets would our agricultural shortcomings. 
show a loss. It is good practice to One of the first industries to attract 
recover as sulphuric acid the sulphur attention to waste conservation was 
fumes from the zinc and copper smelt- the livestock industry as it ramified 
ers of the mid West, East, and South into the modern packing plant. There 
where the acid can find a ready outlet. soon developed the principle of mak-