Show 0 SPELTER SPELT EFi production IN 1913 the annual preliminary statement just issued by the united states geological survey shows that the output or of spelter in 1913 established a new record exceeding that of 1912 by a fa fair ir margin though falling far short of the figure indicated by the phenomenal production of the first half of the year the increase was altogether from domestic sources as the production from 1 l foreign ores was the smallest since 1906 I 1 due of course to the strife in mexico the 1 production during the first half of th the e year 4 H kept on at an increased rate over that of i 1912 and somewhat exceeded the demand L y as shown by the increase in stocks from tons on january 1 to tons june 30 the production slowed down materially during the last half of 1913 but the demand failed to even a greater extent as shown by the increased spelter stocks to 36 q tons the greatest perhaps in t the he his hia j tory of the industry the extent to which production was curtailed is shown by the 1 I fact that only about three fourths of the II 11 retort capacity available for ore was in ac f tive operation during december the following figures have been corn com piled without change by C E Sl ebenthal of the geological survey from reports furnish ed by all operating smelters shelters sm elters of zinc ores showing their output for the first eleven months of the year and their estimated pro 1 for december figures showing the imports and exports for eleven months were obtained from the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce and to these figures es for december have been added production the production of primary spelter from domestic ore in 1913 is estimated at short tons and from foreign ore at 8 tons a total of tons worth at the average st louis price compared to a total of tons in 1912 worth and made up of tons of domestic origin and tons of foreign origin the production of spelter from both domestic and foreign ores apportioned according to the states in which it was smelted smelter smelt ed by six month periods was as in the accompanying table while the output of each state was less in the latter half of the year than in the i earlier kansas and oklahoma had the greatest losses the total production of spelter is equivalent to the output of average retorts operating continuously through the year on 60 per cent zinc concentrates the retort capacity available for ore of the plants active in 1913 was at the beginning of the year about retorts many of them of course were used on low grade ores lessening their capacity to these were added during the year retorts making about retorts available for ore during the latter part of the year it will be observed that only three fourths of the total smelting smelling sm elting capacity was in op aeration during december 1913 in kansas more than half of the total retort capacity was idle in oklahoma one of the ca lacity was idle and smaller proportions in ill the other states sta tes coupled with this curtail ment of operations there was a slowing down in the construction of addition ca at hegeler bros 1800 acety retorts r lacity p borts torts planned to be finished in 1913 will into operation until the middle of not t go I 1 1914 oia of the retorts to be added in 1913 g to the mineral point at de 1 put nut only 2280 were actually constructed and 2280 will be added some time in 1914 I 1 operations on the granby at east st louis are temporarily suspended but s 3 retorts will be completed and put into operation in 1914 matthiessen Matthi esson hegeler will add retorts at la salle ill and the american zinc company of illinois at gill hillsboro ill will add retorts in 1914 the latter company is constructing a large cement reservoir for the storage of fuel fief spelter production 1912 1913 by states in six month periods 1912 1913 state first second first second half half half half illinois kansas STaTIC QC oklahoma other states total yearly total no new retorts are planned in kansas or oklahoma for 1914 the construction work on the of the american zinc and chemical company at langeloth pa is being pushed as much as possible and it is hoped to have the initial unit consisting of two hegeler roasting kilns kalns with the corresponding acid plant and four blocks containing retorts in operation some time next summer this plant will be enlarged as required by the closing down of affiliated oklahoma smelt eries as the gas supply fails the prime western spelter company is constructing zinc roasting fur naces and an acid plant at Tilt onville ohio there will be two kilns kalns with a monthly capacity of 2000 tons of ore the construction tion of spelter furnaces in connection has leen been indefinitely postponed imports and exports imports of zinc ore were approximately short tons containing about tons ot of zinc compared with tons of pre ore containing tons of zinc imported in ill 1912 of the zinc ore imported tons about 63 per cent came from mexico compared with tons or 80 per cent imported from mexico in 1912 the exports ot if domestic zinc ore were short tons rallied valued at compared with tons ons in 1912 the imports of spelter are estimated at short tons valued at about compared compared with tons in 1912 A large part of the foreign spelter tons to apt be exact was imported in the month of january when spelter was worth cents a pound within a month the price had dropped a full cent on the pound the im ports of zinc dust were 2174 short tons valued at against 2736 tons in 1912 exports of domestic spelter are estimated at short tons worth compared with tons in 1912 the exports of foreign zinc decreased from short tons in 1912 to approximately short tons in 1913 during the first nine months of the year there were also exported under drawback articles manufactured from tons of foreign zinc on which duty had been paid compared to 1219 tons in 1912 consumption the apparent domestic consumption of spelter in 1913 may be computed as follows the sum of stock on hand at smelters shelters sm elters at the beginning of the year tons plus the imports tons and the production tons gives the total available supply tons from this there is to be subtracted the exports of domestic spelter 7 tons the exports of foreign spelter 5 tons the exports under drawback tons and the stock on hand at smelters shelters sm elters at the close of the year to be exact on december 15 tons a total of tons leaving a balance of tons as the apparent domestic consumption this calculation takes no account of the stocks of spelter held by dealers or consumers on comparing the consumption in 1913 with the tons consumed in 1912 the tons in 1911 the tons in 1910 and the tons in 1909 it appears that the consumption has returned to the normal after the phenomenally large consumption of 1912 in other words the large concealed stocks at the close of 1912 satis satisfied fled the demands of the market in the early part of 1913 with the result that stocks of spelter piled up at the works prices spelter opened at st louis in january at cents a pound the maximum figure of the year this price held until the middle of the month when possibly influenced by the importation of foreign spelter of which over tons entered in january it took a sharp drop which continued with the exception of a slight break in the early part of march until the middle of june when spelter reached cents a pound the lowest price of the year A rise then followed which brought spelter to centa a pound during the closing week of august A decline set in which left spelter bringing to cents per pound at the the average price of the close of the year metal for the year at st louis was 56 cents cenia a pound market opened at the london spelter 57 cents a pound long ton 26 as per declined in march to 24 per long ton pound rose to 25 56 cents a cents a pound in the latter part of april then took a big drop to 20 as ad cents a pound in july near the minimum price of the year through the latter half of the year the price of spelter fluctuated slightly but remained nearly level closing at about 21 as gd cents a pound the average london price for the year was 22 lod per long ton cents a pound |