Show iua U S production products Product i on of spelter in I 1 ri 1914 BY C 1 E THAI 1 the large stocks at smelters shelters sm elters at the beginning of 1914 the much larger stocks at shelters smelters sm Sin elters at the midyear and the great demands for zinc for export for war purposes have served to augment the deep interest in this metal to estimate the total apparent consume consumption of spelter in the united states the production of secondary spelter both redis tilled and res melted should be taken into account the stocks of secondary spelter are not available so that consumption of secondary spelter must be assumed to be the same as the production which must be of primary spelter and of the production of secondary spelter are given bevery nearly the fact for the reason that secondary sm etling interests are generally small the annual figures of apparent conlow the figures for 1907 and 1908 are not r used because the figures of production of secondary spelter for those years are possibly not complete if used they would apparently patently ly result in a somewhat lower average consumption and indicate a somewhat larger annual increase the total consumption of Spelt spelter rr 1009 1909 1014 1914 3 taj ta j woo W 0 0 M 0 0 J 0 i 1 0 0 Z 0 0 3 0 0 ot og l ba 0 C r rv t 3 t Q y 1 0 W w M p m 01 3 3 a 25 0 D CO 0 S 0 x 3 S 03 3 v 3 0 s S 2 p s 0 0 C 0 CD t CD D 3 3 1 3 y P 1909 1910 41 oo 00 1911 1912 52 ha 1913 2511 1914 total average 1 from the figures of approximate total consumption for 1909 1914 given above we J may make an estimate of the normal consumption of spelter for those years and the annual normal increase the average yearly approximate consumption for the period is tons the consumption for is about tons in excess of the average for the whole period and the consumption for 1909 1911 is about tons less than the average from these facts we may readily determine the normal p annual increase and can then estimate the T normal norma consumption of spelter both primary and secondary as given in the last column of the table above the normal or prospective consumption of spelter for 1914 is seen to be 37 tons greater than the indicated actual consumption from which i it is is to be inferred that large concealed stocks of spelter at the close of 1914 area are not probable united states enjoy prosperous conditions if spelter consuming industries in t the ii c I 1 in U S G S bulletin in 1915 so that the total spelter consumption makes its normal gain which however in view of the high price of spelter and the resulting effect on domestic consumption is scarcely probable figured on the totals for the last six years as shown in the last column of the table above the total domestic spelter consumption for 1915 would approximate tons if to this we add a years domestic exports at the rate shown since the beginning of the war in europe tons and a years foreign exports at the rate during the latter halt half of 1914 equal to 17 tons we get tons as the possible demand for sp etIer this however is not the maximum possible quantity to be demanded attention was directed by the united states geological survey in a press bulletin in august 1914 ZINC AVAILABLE FOR SPELTER IN THE UNITED STATES 1909 1914 IN SHORT TONS hl H l hj i IN H 1 0 0 0 N P ON 0 0 3 5 QS SP D 0 M M aj 0 1 ss SS ar 5 3 sj 01 cl 3 2 1 r r 0 1 fl P S 0 00 a 00 i 00 0 t D 0 0 r ao SO 22 5 23 1 1 s D W 00 ort 30 c i CD 0 M 0 0 0 f D 1 0 CD 1 3 0 0 S 3 or 3 3 rt v co P 0 D rt D 3 S 0 0 S f ra 0 D M rf ff 0 0 f Z CD D 3 s rt Z p S 0 0 0 0 3 all rt 1 art D 1907 al i srn arn 1908 XU R n ofa t 48 afi 11 ll 1909 26 1910 19 1911 1 A R 7 ft 31 R anai ar 1912 I 1 afif asa asi aas sor 1913 1912 I 1 fia 1914 1 1 I 1 I 1 total apparent surplus P 1 does not include all the zine zinc recovered fr fram m imported ore in the form of pigments t to 0 the opportunity for the american zinc industry to supply the major part of tons of export spelter a year as long as the war lasts As pointed out above exports of spelter for seven months have been made at the rate of tons yearly moreover there remains the possibility of the trade in galvanized sheets wire and products with the southern continents and asia so far this has not been touched the exports of galvanized sheets in 1914 were 43 short tons compared with tons in 1913 the exports of barbed wire plain and galvanized of the trade in galvanized products with the southern continents and asia the domestic consumption of spelter will be increased and will in turn increase the total possible demand for zinc given as tons above accumulated stocks doubtful on consideration the domestic smelting smelling sm elting capacity seems scarcely more than equal to this possible demand the total number of ordinary retorts completed and contemplated tem plated at the close of 1914 is some of those contemplated cannot be com pelted belted before the latter part of the present year if we estimate the average capacity per retort as tons of spelter per year ANN the capacity of ordinary retorts together with the large retorts listed is approximately tons add to this 20 tons of stocks on hand and tons of re melted spelter we get tons if we take into account that the maximum smelter capacity indicated above cannot be reached until the latter part of the year and consider the possibility of increased demand for galvanized products it seems very improbable that there will be any a ay iy surplus smelter capacity or accumulation or spelter stocks during the year apparently a continued decline in price can come about only by a slackening in the foreign demand for spelter for war purposes it remains to consider whether the zinc resources of the united states together with the contiguous countries usually drawn upon will be equal to the possible demands of the immediate future the total recoverable zinc available for spelter and the production of primary spelter for 1907 1914 are given in the following table the average yearly increase in recoverable zinc content of domestic ore for the period 1907 1913 inclusive is tons no figures are available for the zinc content of ores mined in 1914 adding the average yearly increase for two years to the output of 1913 we get tons as a normal estimate of the output of domestic mines for 1915 adding tons as probable imports in ore and subtracting tons as probable zinc content of pigments we get tons as the probable zinc in ore available for spelter in 1915 to this should be added the tons of spelter stocks on hand at the beginning of 1915 making tons available this is to be set off against a possible demand for tons as pointed out above it will be observed from the table above that the total recoverable zinc available for spelter for 1907 1913 was about tons in excess of the actual production of spelter for the same period this is to be accounted for as increased ore stocks at the large new smelters shelters sm elters oxide plants and separation plants which have been built since 1907 and is in large part available for immediate consumption adding this to the tons we should have roughly tons supply available for treatment in 1915 position of spelter to this there is to be further added the production of secondary spelter which reached tons in 1912 and could no doubt be expanded to tons or more if the occasion arises so that if the united states is called upon in 1915 for the possible supply of or even tons of spelter the zinc will be probably at hand without increasing the mine production above the normal to furnish nearly tons of it the remainder would easily be supplied by increased production from montana idalio idaho colorado new jersey tennessee and other states under the stimulus of high prices in the joplin district alone much lean sheet ground territory not recently operated would become productive under continued high prices to say nothing of increased production from operating and new mines zinc ore was imported from mexico at the rate of less than tons of zinc content per month for the first eight months of 1914 conditions limiting the shipment of zinc ore from that country have recently eased up somewhat and the imports for the period september 1914 to including february 1915 have averaged 1600 tons of zinc content so that a larger supply than for the last two years is to be expected from that country the available supply from canada will no doubt be largely increased by the high prices in conclusion it appears that spelter is in a highly advantageous position as far as the statistics afford evidence and the only danger to be apprehended is that the prevalence of high prices may so limit the domestic consumption as to partly offset advantage gained from the increased foreign demand the high price of galvanized sheets for instance has led some rolling mill operators to advise their customers to substitute heavier black sheets coated with paint it further appears that the zinc resources of the united states are arb amply able to satisfy any possible demand that is likely to be made upon them in the immediate future without drawing upon the zinc tailing piles of australia the figures given in the foregoing tables are based on confidential reports by each zinc smelting smelling company in operation in the united states this statement is designed to afford at the earliest practicable date authentic figures of the production of spelter in the united state in 1914 it if cooper co oper aaion of the zinc smelting smelling companies had been complete this statement could have appeared at an earlier date |