Salt Lake Tribune | 1916-09-25 | Page 10 | Copper Refiners Taxed to Utmost

COPPER REFINERS ! TAXED TO UTMOST! Inability to Smelt Red Metal May Cut Down Production. Tt Is well Known t h;i t the pro 'J union a larger extent than has that of refined a la rge exient than that of refined ropper, pavh the Knlnc-ring & Mini up Journal. The las In the hitter lias been due to Inability to !nic-ase o,ui-kly the refining oar a r-lty, which ihroiitfhoiit the year has bc-ii taxed to rim utmost. The mipply of copper hari In f;cl been checked In t lie refineries. We have recently made a survey of this situation. On January 1, II'IH. the olertroly t refiners re-finers nf the I' n I led Htn tcs reported an i agrf-sare rapacity at the rale of ,S7T,-! (nVt.iiinj pouiniM of coppor per annum, or j about 1 .r.i;,u(in,)uf pounds per montli. Add- ing rOniii.cOi) pounds per month for the topper that Is refined otherwise than eler- ; troiyth allv ami for wliat is marketed as pig, we. had a total capacity for the pro- i d net ion of a 1 tout 1 Tii.niuj.nOO pounds of refl ned copper per month. j However, ihe. operators nf refineries are seldom aide lo maintain the full rated (Hiiarity for a long period. The actual production during the first hair of i:uti is estimated at about l,Oni),OuH,000 pounds, or a hoi it 1 r.T.HMUHiu pound.s per montli, and that estimate Is prohahly not fur out of the. wav. 'm September 1, 1IH6, the refiners reported re-ported an aggregate capacity of 2.173,-(imO.OOO 2.173,-(imO.OOO pounds per annum. The Increase was due elderly to the new Anaconda re-tinery re-tinery at Jreat Falls, intended to replace re-place the old one, which had been begun In lliir.. Ac three olher refineries there hal been increases of capacity relatively small. t On September 1. 1;16, there was construction con-struction going on at four refineries, which was figured as adding about 220.-otni.niio 220.-otni.niio pounds per annum to the capacity of the United States. This was coming along hut slowly, owing to the Inability to obtain prompt delivery of material and niachinerv. l is estimated that part of it will he icady for use in January, 1017, and part of it in February. However, at present there is no certainty respecting csi imalep of time. Anyw.iv, It is clear that no relief from the tightness In the position of refined copper is to be expected until the early ; part, of 1!17. In the meanwhile many mines producing increased qua ntltles of copper must face the contingency of being be-ing unable to sell all of it immediately out of sheer inabilll y lo get It smelted and refined. The situation in copper is now similar to the situation In zinc In 1013, hut copper-refining capacity cannot he augmented so easily and so rapidly as was the ease with zinc.