Where metals had found their first use in factories and

on the railroads, metal implements soon became available

in increasing amounts to consumers. Fans, irons,

toasters, and wringers entered the catalogues of mail

order houses in 1912, vaccum cleaners in 1917, electric

ranges in 1930, and electric refrigerators in 1932.

Radios, telephones, television sets, electric heating

units, air conditioning units, electric can openers,

power mowers, and a wide assortment of other metal

implements were produced in increasing quantities by

machines that employed great quantities of power. Farm

goods could be grown and harvested in greater quantities

by using farm machines, then transported to cities,

between cities, and within cities by mechanical means.

They could be weighed, their dollar value calculated by

machines, transported to the home by machines, and

cooked there by machines using power generated by other

machines. Machines and metals entered every part of life

and became important to the provision of essentials and

luxuries alike.

 While the economy of 1860 was not heavily

dependent upon the use of metals, the economy of 1960

was, and figures purporting to show changes in Gross

National Product or in Material Wealth over the inter-

vening period perform an injustice to the amount of


 Giedion, Mechanization Takes Command, p. 42.