Show tin Short shortage aoe an no threat to united states security NEW YORK A searching study cherof hei ot military and domestic require ments tor for tin in the united states by the magazine steel reveals that in spite of the fact that our consumption during 1939 was tons out of a world consumption of tons almost 50 per cent and that our domestic production was but tons we have little to fear from a tin shortage that could be caused by En glands capitulation or inability to continue supplying our refined tin requirements about 43 per cent of the worlds tin is refined under british political control ores and refined tin come principally from malaya siam dutch east indies bolivia and nigeria some of the domestic tin comes from domestic de tinning plants but these are entirely secondary and might soon be partially or even completely exhausted ils further relief from tin demands will undoubtedly come from substitute materials such as lacquers and from new processes of tinning that reduces the virgin tin requirements passenger service started technical research has developed to the point however that smelting smelling sm elting plants could readily be built in this country for processing of bolivian ore in in much the same manner as was done during the first world war tin is controlled by the international tin committee representing leading producers in the producing countries and largely controlled by british interests to safeguard against shortage the united states government set up as a national defense measure a reserve of tin and other strategic materials that guarantees a purchase of tons of the metal within a year the metals reserve company as the government tin controlling organization is known will release tin from its stock upon request for use of the government and to private consumers in event of national emergency which in opinion of the company requires such release in addition to these precautions the magazine points out the recent congressional investigation recommended thorough prospecting of possible sources of tin in this country as well as the establishment of a tin smelting smelling sm elting industry and a govern ment financed research for substitutes |