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Show A NEW INDUSTRY. The smelting and refining of tin is an entirely new industry in the United State and although the present output is small an increase in the near future :s eortain. The only plant in operation at the present time is located at Perth Amboy, N. J., where Bolivian ore is first smelted and then refined eiectro-lyticallv. eiectro-lyticallv. Heretofore the United States has been almo-t entirely dependent upon Great Britain for its supply of tin and British interests still control the greatest great-est tin mines in the world. The most important mines are at Cornwall, England, Eng-land, and on the Malay peninsula. A few years ago half of the world's supply sup-ply of tin came from the latter district. Recently new mines have been developed devel-oped in other countries, but Cornwall and the peninsula are still in the front rank. According to the books tin was known in the time of Muses; and the Phoenicians traded largely in the ores of Cornwall. The mountains between Galicia and Portugal, and those separating sepa-rating Saxony and Bohemia, were also productive of tin centuries ago and still continue unexhausted. In addition to Cornwall and the Malay peninsula, tin occurs in the island 01 Bauca, India, Mexico, Chile, Peru. Bolivia, Australia and the United States. l has also been discovered in some other countries, but, like the tin ore found in the United States, the ore bodies are very small and little or nothing is being done with them. Some day a really big tin mine ivill be uncovered in this country and it may be a whole district underlain with this valuable ore will be discovered, but for the present we must continue to import im-port both ore and metal. In times past the big London companies, compa-nies, with enormous capital, have kept mining men and engineers in the field all over the world, and whenever a new "strike" has been made English capital capi-tal has always been available for development. de-velopment. Lately the American mining min-ing companies and capitalists have entered en-tered the field, with the result that engineers and practical mining men from the United States are at work in the four corners of the earth with unlimited un-limited American capital behind them. As an example of this 'sort of enterprise it may be mentioned that an American company is now mining copper on the island of Cyprus, which in ancient times was famous for its minerals. It istreasonable to suppose that American Ameri-can mining interests in foreign countries will reach vast proportions and that in the end we shall be independent of Great Britain as regards tin, the one metal largely used which we do not produce. pro-duce. There is no good reason why the ores from the west coast of South America should not all be treated in this country, since lew York, has replaced London as the financial center of the world and our trade with foreign countries coun-tries is done direct instead of through the British metropolis. The American Smelting & Refining company's plant at Perth Amboy. producing only about ten tons of tin daily, may be regarded as the starting point. As a new industry it has proved a complete success and already plans for its enlargement have been made. Other plants will be called into being in due course of time if -the necessary ore can be obtained in South America and the home tin market supplied. sup-plied. If the war in Europe continues another year or two there wil be no end to new enterprises in the United States. |