TRANSPORTATION A LARGE ITEM IN COST OF 
CEMENT 
While the increases in freight rates are a matter of 
common knowledge, it is not generally appreciated that 
these charges on cement from point of production to point 
of use have increased from 1009, to 175% or more above 
the rates in effect in 1914. These increases also add greatly 
to the cost of the 134 tons of coal and raw materials required 
in the manufacture of a ton of cement. 
The effect of freight rates on the cost of transporting 
cement from mill to destination is shown in the following 
table: 
Freight Rate Per Barrel of Cement 
From Plant at Universal (near Pittsburgh) Pa. 
To Pittsburgh To Cleveland 
@r aq ¢n of 
January 1, 1916 
January 1, 1918 
July 1, 1918. 
Januarv 1. 1921. 
2 
3 
v 
J 
TRANSPORTATION THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE 
The traffic congestion in 1920, led some people to believe 
that there would not be enough cement to supply the needs 
of a large construction program. This was a mistaken 
impression based on past difficulties. The trouble during 
the period of heavy demand in 1920, was not lack of cement 
manufacturing capacity, but inability on the part of manu- 
‘acturers to keep their plants operating at capacity. Cur- 
tailment of cement production was caused by strikes, 
scarcity of labor at cement plants, strikes in other lines of 
industry on which the cement plants are dependent, such 
as strikes in the gypsum plants and coal mines, and the 
general lack of transportation facilities including embargoes 
on the railroads. The ratio of cement production to manu- 
facturing capacity for the entire year 1919, was only about 
55%, and for 1920, less than 709%. The capacity of all 
cement mills in the United States is 560 million sacks or 
more annually. The most cement ever produced in a vear