THE TRADE AND PRODUCTION OF COPPER, LEAD, ZINC, AND TIN-Continued. 1 Annual (and Monthly) Statements of Trade of the United Kingdom. 3 The Mineral Industry during 1917, pp. 895, 896. In the case of copper a noticeable development is the decline in the imports of ores and concentrates and the increase in the importations of crude and semicrude. This indicates a decline in the smelting and refining industry of the United Kingdom as far as copper is concerned. The shortage of shipping may be in part responsible for this development, as well as the need for all available industrial equipment in the manufacture of munitions and other essential war materials. Another change is the decrease in the exports of crude and semicrude copper: in 1917 this trade had declined sharply to 12,189 tons. Approximate figures for copper consumption can be arrived at from the above table. The estimated metal content of the net importations of ores and precipitates in 1913, for example, is 41,000 tons. Adding this figure to the net supply of raw and semicrude copper (net imports plus the production from domestic ore) gives a total of 95,000 tons as the amount available for consumption in 1913.1 In 1917 the metal content of the net importation of ores and concentrates amounted to 23,000 tons, which, combined with the figures for raw and semicrude as before, gives a consumption figure for the year of 156,000 tons, or over 60 per cent more than the amount available in 1 The normal copper requirements of the United Kingdom are usually estimated at from 125 to 140 thousand tons. See introductory section. 1913. The figures for 1918 show a still further increase. It should not be concluded from these data, however, that there has been any great abundance of copper in the United Kingdom during the war. The production of munitions not only has absorbed the increased supplies, but it has been necessary to ration accessory industries rigorously in order to maintain adequate stocks for the essential industries. An easier situation with respect to copper is reported since the conclusion of the armistice. According to an advice recently received, the Minister of Munitions reported copper in his possession in the country on January 1, 1919, at 36,000 tons. The brass industry has been hampered by war conditions. Importations of brass in 1913 amounted to 3,646 tons and exportations of brass and brass manufactures to 14,137 tons. In 1915 there was a sharp increase in importations of such materials to over 44,000 tons. This figure has not been maintained, however, the total for 1917 being 13,572 tons. The exports of brass and brass work in 1917 declined to 5,279 tons. A report received in May, 1918, stated that important economies in the use of raw material have been effected in the brass industry and that 50 per cent of the metal used is scraps and waste. This report also stated that successful attempts have been made to replace brass by cast iron. Plans are under way for the reorganization of the brass industry after the war, and special attention is being devoted to the standardization of patterns and similar improvements. According to the table presented above, the imports of lead in all forms have fallen below the figures for pre-war years, although increasing somewhat in 1914 and 1915. Exports have also declined, although not quite in the same degree. The consumption of lead is approximately equal to the net supply figure in the table, since the importations of lead ore and concentrates are relatively small. In 1913 the amount available for consumption amounted to about 170,000 tons, and in 1917, 150,000 tons. Numerous reports have been received in 1918 to indicate that the smelting and refining capacity of the lead industry has been developed. But since there has been no increase but rather a decline in the supplies of ore available, it seems very unlikely that there has been any considerable increase in the lead smelting and refining industry. Stocks of lead on hand January 1, 1919, are reported by the Minister of Munitions to total 62,852 tons. It is reported that the United Kingdom has arranged to secure all of Australia's output for several years. In the case of zinc there has been an increase in the smelting and refining activity. Importations of zinc ore in 1914 were 80 per higher than the corresponding imports in a normal pre-war year, and although this high level has not been maintained, the figures for 1917 show an increase of 20,000 tons over those for 1912. Trade in crude and manufactured zinc has declined during the war to about 50 per cent of the normal level. The increased importations of zinc ore have led to an extension of the existing plants for treating this ore, and the present capacity is estimated at about 75 per cent of the United Kingdom's total spelter requirements. The metal content of the foreign ores smelted in 1913 was about 30,000 tons. The total amount of zinc available for consumption for the year was then about 180,000 tons. The recovery of spelter from the cent foreign ores received in 1917 would be about 40,000 tons, and the amount available for consumption for the year 115,000. Although these figures show that there has been a considerable shortage during the war, the present situation as regards the supplies of spelter is fairly satisfactory. The Minister of Munitions reports a stock of spelter on hand January 1, 1919, of 30,290 tons. Although Great Britain has political and commercial control of more than half the tin production of the world, the mines in Cornwall, as was stated above, produce but a small part of the amount needed to meet domestic requirements. Bolivia and the Straits Settlements furnish the larger part of the United Kingdom's supplies. The trade figures in the above table show some growth in the importations of tin ore and a decline in the imports of raw tin, as in the case of zinc. By estimating the metal content of the ores and concentrates imported and exported the consumption of tin in the United Kingdom in 1913 is found to be about 25,000 tons, and in 1917, 22,000 tons. The British control of the tin output has been the basis of the development of the important tin-plate industry in England. The United Kingdom exported 494,000 tons of tin plate in 1913, 321,000 tons in 1916, and 177,000 tons in 1917. The production of tin plate late in 1917 was reported to be at the rate of 24,000 tons per month. Of this amount 6,050 tons were said to be available for export to France, Italy, and Australia, and the balance was allocated to domestic industries. There have been few changes in the direction of the trade in these metals. Copper ore comes from several different countries-Chile, South Africa, Mexico, Spain, Australia, and others. The trade with all these countries has declined, and in 1917 Spain was the only country furnishing more than 10,000 tons of copper ore to the United Kingdom. A large part of the imports of crude and semicrude copper comes from the United States-47,000 tons in 1912, 94,000 in 1915, 34,000 in 1916, and 79,000 in 1917. Raw and semiraw copper is also received in important quantities from Australia, Spain, and Chile. The leading countries importing copper and copper manufactures from the United Kingdom are France and British India. Pig and sheet lead come principally from Spain, Australia, and the United States. Imports from the United States in the case of this item fell from 28,279 tons in 1912 to 10,084 tons in 1917, but in 1918 there was a revival in the trade, and the amount for the year was 61,576 tons, 34 per cent of the total. The importations of lead from Australia have averaged from 30 to 40 per cent higher during the war than in the pre-war period. Zinc ores come principally from Australia and Italy. Crude zinc before the war came from Belgium and Germany. The United States has replaced these latter countries to a very considerable extent during the war period. The United Kingdom imports large quantities of tin ore and concentrates from Bolivia and Chile, and raw tin from the Straits Settlements. Imports of raw tin have averaged about 25,000 to 30,000 tons during the war, a considerable decline from the pre war level. The following table shows the direction of trade (by leading countries) by percentages for the more important items discussed in this section: THE DIRECTION OF TRADE FOR CERTAIN METAL AND MINERAL ITEMS.1 In addition to the items discussed in the preceding sections there are a number of other important metals and ores entering into the industrial life of the United Kingdom. The more significant of these are manganese ore, antimony, nickel, aluminum, and tungsten. these metals, only manganese and antimony are separately listed in the official trade statistics. The following table gives the data for these two minerals: Of Manganese ore comes largely from British India and Russia, about 50 per cent of the total amount received coming from each country in 1913. The trade with Russia has disappeared, and now nearly the entire amount of manganese imported comes from British India. An official report received in November, 1918, gives 600,000 tons as the annual requirements of the English industry. According to the trade figures available, no such amount has actually been received during the war. It is probable that this report is based upon the figures for 1913, in which year a very large importation of manganese was recorded. The report of the Controller of the Department for the Development of the Mineral Resources in the United Kingdom, issued March 1, 1918, gives 400,000 tons as the annual consumption requirement of the United Kingdom. Manganese metal and manganese ore are very important in the manufacture of certain special steels, and the United Kingdom is in a favorable position through its control of India's output. The trade in antimony has increased considerably during the war, according to the above figures. The imports come from several countries, among which are China, Japan, Chile, Bolivia, and Australia. The metal content of the normal pre-war imports of antimony was about 6,000 tons per year. Pre-war domestic consumption amounted to about 2,000 tons annually. The Minister of Munitions reports antimony regulus in stock January 1, 1919, at 3,058 tons. Nickel is not separately listed in the trade figures of the United Kingdom. The imports of this metal are received largely from Canada and the United States. According to the trade data of these latter countries, the exports of crude nickel to the United Kingdom before the war averaged about 6,000 tons per year, and increased during the war to about twice that amount. A considerable amount of nickel matte is also imported. The production of refined nickel in English smelters and refineries was about 5,000 tons in 1913. |