18
OUR MINERAL RESERVES.
Kattowitz, Beuthen, and Tarnowitz districts, which are adjacent to
one another and lie within 5 or 10 miles of the Polish-Prussian
border and near the corner of Russia, Austria, and Germany. The
two smelters in Russian Poland are just across the border from the
Silesian smelters. They all seem destined soon to be compelled to
suspend or decrease operations on account of military activities,
and in any event their output certainly can not reach the outside
world. The same thing is true of the smelters in Rhenish Prussia
and Westphalia, some of which are very near and most of which
are within 100 miles of Liege. In Belgium all but three or four of
the zinc-smelting plants lie between Venders and Liege or are strung
along the valley of the Meuse between Liege and Namur; and their
industrial prospects can well be imagined. The zinc smelters of
France lie outside of the territory where active military operations
are likely, and so will probably suffer only from scarcity of labor
as the employees are called to the colors and from derangements
of transportation. The same is true of the zinc smelters in England;
but those of Austria-Hungary will, of course, be put out of
commission. Other small smelters in Europe, Australia, and Japan
will possibly not be affected except as transportation is interrupted.
From these observations it can be seen that the zinc-smelting industry
of Europe will be in a sadly demoralized condition while the war
continues and for some time thereafter.
If the war continues for one year, the output of these countries for
that period would, at a conservative estimate, be only about 250,000
tons—a loss of nearly 500,000 tons for the year. The continental
spelter market will also be demoralized, however, so it may be that
the reduced production will still be ample. Apparently England’s
industrial activities after the first readjustments are over may not
be seriously restricted.
The war only serves to emphasize a condition which already confronted
the zinc industry of the United States—that smelting capacity
and spelter production have increased faster than consumption
in the United States, as shown by a growth from 98,958 retorts,
having an estimated maximum capacity, when working on high-grade
ore, of 404,900 tons in 1910, to 127,754. retorts at the close of 1914,
with the completion of those now building, having an estimated
maximum capacity of 542,955 tons. The production in 1910 was
reported to be 210,424 tons; the production for the first half of
1914 is at the rate of over 350,000 tons a year, and no doubt the
second half of the year will witness a considerable gain over that
figure. The increase of spelter stocks from 4,522 tons at the close
of 1912 to 40,059 tons at the end of 1913, and to 04,039 tons at the
middle of 1914, also shows that production is increasing faster than
consumption.
