Show EUROPEAN MARKET FOR U S ZINC new york jan 8 the american zinc institute has issued as a confidential communication muni cation to its members the report of an investigation personally made tor for them by mr george C stone in respect to the possibilities ties of europe as a market for american zinc with an intimate knowledge of world conditions and a worldwide world wide acquaintance shio among the men in the industry in which he has for many years played a conspicuous part mr stone was able to obtain within a comparatively short time a balanced perspective of the opportunities which the old world holds for the new in the matter of zinc exports he was in personal contact with the large zinc producers and with engineers metallurgists bankers merchants and members of government boards in england and western continental europe in his report mr stone has particularly ticul arly taken into account the economic and sociologic factors with reference to national and international industrial conditions and his survey is a valuable contribution to a subject which largely occupies the minds of every zinc man in tho the united states england and france offer this country little opportunity for zinc ore exports but belgium affords an opportunity for such exports through antwerp holland is also a possible market for american ore through rotterdam or possibly antwerp germany will probably need to import high grade ore for several years at least the united states seems to be the only country in a position to supply the european demand for slab zinc unless the price goes too high or present exchange rates are radically changed the reasons why this is so including an instructive survey of various foreign smelting smelling sm elting plants are illuminatingly set forth in the report mr stones comments on the uniformity quality and appearance of slab zinc for export should be read by every american in exact foreign sizes and properly packed and marked american sheet zinc should be in good demand in european countries present conditions even favor the introduction there of american finished roofing plates it has recently been shown that american machinery for this purpose can be much more economically operated here than that now in use on the continent the largest use for sheet zinc in europe is of course in building construction and strange as it may be this field seems to be capable of worth while expansion by way of the united states the american zinc institute sti tute through the courtesies extended to mr stone while abroad is adopting methods which have made so general the use of zinc for construction purposes there the institute is already telling the american public that zinc for building purposes is moderate in cost light easily worked and long lived american lead free oxide and at least for a while should also have a european export demand belgium despite the pessimistic forecast of a year ago will probably react in every way more quickly than any of her allies in fact while conditions there are far from normal the optimism of the B belgians el is in marked contrast to that of the others the questions of foreign exchange transportation por tation and labor and their bearing upon american zinc exportations exhortations are fully discussed in the report mr stone views from four el geographical angles the problem of where the australian ore will be eventually smelted smelt ed belgium seems to be more naturally favored in this respect so far as the united states is concerned relatively high zinc freights to europe and an adverse exchange are formidable obstacles the report also comments upon the probable influence of the operations of the existing burma corporation and an enlarging tasmanian zinc plant and of the proposed tonkin zinc works upon the international zinc business especially with respect to america and europe mr stones report ends with an interesting comparative statement of belgian smelting smelling sm elting costs |