24

OUR  MINERAL  RESERVES.

Destination  of  domestic  lead  exports.
Short  tons.

Great  Britain  7,153
Germany  5,141
Netherlands  4,  720
Belgium  2,101
Russia  448

The  production  of  domestic  lead  in  1913  was  the  largest  in  the
history  of  the  industry,  and  considering  trade  conditions  during  that
year  it  is  likely  that  there  was  a  considerable  increase  in  domestic
stocks.  The  exports  of  domestic  lead,  however,  must  have  gone  far
toward  relieving  this  condition.  A  .continuation  of  these  exportations ­
  must  result  in  advanced  prices  in  the  United  States.
TIN.
Probably  one  of  the  best  illustrations  of  America’s  opportunity
to  develop  new  industries  is  afforded  by  tin.  The  outbreak  of  the
European  war  caused  the  New  York  price  of  tin  to  rise  to  65  cents  a
pound  early  in  August,  although  late  in  July  tin  was  sold  as  low  as
34  and  35  cents  a  pound.  This  increase  of  price  was  due  mostly  to
the  insecurity  of  ocean  freights,  and  already  prices  are  lower,  and
they  may  go  lower  still,  owing  to  the  stoppage  of  manufacturing  and
other  industrial  plants  in  Europe  and  the  consequent  restriction  of
the  market  for  bar  and  pig  tin.
The  known  American  deposits  of  tin  are  small,  and  production
from  them  will  probably  net  be  much  affected  by  the  present  higher
prices.  The  benefit  which  the  United  States  may  obtain  from  the
present  situation  is  the  establishment  of  a  tin  smelter  in  this  country
in  which  to  smelt  Bolivian  tin  ores  and  such  small  output  of  American ­
  ore  as  is  produced.  The  tin  concentrates  produced  last  year  in
Alaska  and  shipped  from  Nome,  as  well  as  those  produced  near  Gaffney, ­
  S.  C.,  and  T  inton,  S.  Dak.,  amounting  to  84  tons  of  GO  per  cent
ore,  were  all  shipped  to  British  smelters.
At  the  present  time  between  30,000  and  40,000  tons  of  tin  concentrates, ­
  carrying  more  than  20,000  tons  of  metallic  tin,  are  shipped
each  year  from  Bolivia  to  Europe  for  smelting.  The  United  States
imported  several  times  that  amount  of  metallic  tin  last  year  and
would  easily  absorb  all  the  tin  smelted  from  the  Bolivian  ore.  Furthermore, ­
  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  smelting  of  Bolivian
ores  presents  no  difficulties  that  American  metallurgists  can  not  readily ­
  overcome.  Owing  to  the  European  war  Bolivian  ores  will  now
be  easier  to  buy,  and  if  ships  can  be  found  to  carry  the  ore  an  opportunity ­
  seems  to  be  presented  for  Americans  to  begin  purchasing  ores
that  have  hitherto  gone  to  Europe.
A  few  years  ago  a  smelter  was  established  at  Bayonne,  N.  J.,  in
which  to  smelt  Malayan  tin  ores,  but  when  the  fact  became  known