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Show m i 1 -- BUREAU OF MINES S. AJ. TIT MR. rt. u. CITY OF U. LAKE ' VALLK1 BMELTEK FRICKS .... MMt LEAD, per peini . COFFEE BALT . SURVEY devoted to the mining end ofl Indwrfrie of Utah and the Went. A return of the outstanding to rrlopment la carried each week. .1 .. ....... ...... KE B.tSNe GOLD 21KC SILVER (per m. nrw mind) SILVER (per m. epot) WESTERN MINERAL . 7t.Stc US( Features Mining, Oil, Financial Salt Lake City, Utah, May 21, 1943 VOL. 14, NO. 21 $2.00 Year, .00, 6 Mos. $1 etals High 3 Copper Total For 42 Soars 12 Per Cent Above 41 Figure Official Mines Bureau Figures Show Increases In Lead, Zinc by. Chas. W. Henderson, Supervising Engineer of Western Offices, Denver, Supervising Engineer of Western Offices. Denver, Prepared Prepared by Chas. W. Henderson, Mineral Production and Economics Diyis.oii, Economics and Statistics Service. Economics Service. Statistics and Economics Division, Mineral Production and In 1942 the total mine production of recoverable lead and zinc in the "1942 the total mine production of recoverable copper in the United United States In ant Alaska (including that made into pigments and chemicals II increase of 12 direct from ore) was 492,435 short tons of lead .and 7G0.210 .States (Alaska included) was about .1,072,003 short tons of zinc, I? per cent over 1941, according to preliminary figures of the Denver office of according to preliminary figures at the Denver office of the Bureau of Mines, short-tonsa- H I n United States Department of the Interior. These figures compare with a' production of 4G1,426 short tons of lead and 749,125 short tons of zinc in 1941 and show that there was a 7 per cent Increase in the production of lead and a 1 per cent increase in the production of zinc in 1942. The total value of the metals produced in 1942; calculated at the average weighted prices used by the Bureau of Mines of $0,607 per pound for lead and $0,091 per pound, for zinc, was $65,986,290 for lead' and $138,358,220 for zinc. the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior. The output is the largest in the history of the United States. Of the total mine production of copper in 1942 in the United States (Alaska included) Arizona contributed 36 per cent, Utah 29 per cent, Montana 13 per cent, Nevada 8 per cent, New Mexico, 7 per cent, Michigan 4 per cent, and . other states 3. per cent. - ! , . The mine output of copper was valued at $257,280,720 in 1942, with $226,123,164 in ' compared of 14 per cent. an increase 1941, - The average weighted price per the Bureau of used . s gmnd in .the by. preliminary for 1942 was $0.12; the average weighted price used for 1941 was $0.118.. The domestic price for elecf .o.b. refinery, trolytic copper, 11.775 cents per was stabilized at Bepound throughout the year. the. Metals ginning "in February Reserve Company offered of 5 cents per pound for all copper produced above certain fixed mine quotas. The following table and state reviews for 1942 were obtained from current preliminary reports of the western field offices of the Bureau of Mines.-- ? ' ; Arizona Arizona produced 390,500 short tons of recoverable copper, in 1942, compared with 326.317 tons the in 1941. The state has-beecop- -' largest producer of. domestic per since 1907 except in 1909 when Montana held first, place, There were six copper smelters operating in the , state during 1942, one each located at Hayden, Clarksdale, Douglas, Superior, The total Miami and Morenci. ' rated capacity of these smel.ters .. is 4,380,000 tons of charge, per per day year. The new 1,200-to- n smelter of the Phelps Dodge Corporation at Morenci Was completed in March and started regular Nine mines operations in April. again yielded 99 per centout-of the total recoverable copper in 1942; the larg- STILL THE WORLD'S LARGEST single copper producer, Utah Copper Mine was a major put of the state est of these was the. New Cornelred metal last year, as the country got seriousia mine, of the Phelps Dodge Cor- factor in the national Increase In output- of the ly down to the war effort. poration at Ajo (Pima County) and the others in order of production . were, the Morenci, Inspiration, Nevada Consolidated (Rav mine). Copper QUeen,' Unit- calcu-lation- : - " n . . - . . -- ed Verde, and Miami, Magma Denn properties. California There was a 78 ' per cent decrease in the production of copper from California in 1942 as compared- with 1941. Hie closing the of the Walker mine in Genesee district, Plumas County, October 31, 1941,' left California with no large copper producers. The closing of the gold mines in October served to further- - decrease- the production of copper, as this metal is- recovered as a byproduct in the mills of many districts', in. the state. - Colorado , . . , copper in Colorado decreased 82 per cent in 1942 as compiared with 1941. The replacement of production of ore in favore at the Eagle or, of zinc-lea- d mine bf the New Jersey Zinc Company. Empire Zinc Division In Eagle County was the greatest contributing factor to the decrease. , Production of . . copper-iron-silver-go- ld . Michigan -- In 1942 the production of copper (in terms of recoverable metal) was 45,500 short tons, a decrease of 2 per cent as compared with 1941. The principal producers were the Calumet ana Hecla Consolidated Copper Company. Copper Range Company, ' Isle ant Royale Copper Company, Quincy Mining Company. Amonf the measures . taken by fedora See COPPER on page 4 The following table and summary reviews of lead and zinc production were obtained from current reports of the western field offices of the Bureau of Mines. Lead The mine produciton of recoverable lead (including that made into lead pigments) in the United Stats and Alaska was 492,435 short tons and, at the average weighted price of $0,067 per by the United State's. Baund used of Mines, wras .valued at $65,986,290, an increase of 7 .per cent in quantity and 25 per cent in value over the 1941 production of 461,420 tons valued at $52,002,-56- 4. . Prices, The price of lead at St. Louis was quoted, Jan. 2, 1942, at C.125 cents per pound; this price held until February, when it rose to 15.35 cnets per pound (G.5 cents at. New York). The price remained at this point throughout the rest of .the year. Beginning n February, the Metals Reserve Hompanv offered a premium of 2 cents per pound for all lead certain fixed produced' above nine quotas.- Ontral and Eastern States disThe largest trict (or state) in the United States continued to be the southeastern Missouri district with a jroduction of 195,750 short tons, an increase of 31,408 tons from the .1941. production of 164,342 short tons. Output from this district alone accounted for about 40 per cent of the total domestic production. The greater part of the production n this district, as in the past, came from St. Francois County, where the St. Joseph Lead Co. operated four groups of mines and. four mills. The Mine .La Motte Corporation, with its mine and 1, 000-to- n (daily) mill in Madison County, was also a large, continuous producer. The Tri-Sta(or Joplin) region (Kansas, s metals scarcely changed southwestern Missouri and Okla.; The position of major the ' area inprincipal during the last week, but some' of the minor items beryllium homa), the United States, outore and tantalite advanced in price to stimulate domestic also produced about 7 per cent put; Metals Reserve Company last week posted higher buying of the total domestic lead in 1942; the. producing operator in Trf-Stat- e prices for both minerals. The Senate Banking and Currency the largest of region was the Committee on May 11 approved a bill authorizing' the sale Eagle-Piche- r Mining Sc Smelting 71.11 Co. at Joplin, Mo. Illinois proTreasury silver for domestic consumption on the basis of duced 2,400 tons of recoverable to Senate. the cents an ounce. The measure has been reported lead in 1942, nearly all from the Until the compromise on price was reached, senators representmine of the Co., in Hardin ing the New England states favored sales at 50 cents an ounce Mabonlng Mining New York produced 2,260 Copper was unchang- County. tons of recoverable lead in 1942, WPB reports that 98,500 . toqs I orelgh copper also ed. all from the Balmat mine of the of idle and excessive copper in Lead St. Joseph Lead Co. in St. Lawhas the forms lead for of fabricated common, Sales and rence County. Virginia produced primary amounted to 5,787 tons, 1.630 tons of recoverable lead in teen allocated .under the .copper which compares with 6,455 tons 1942, virtually all from the recovery program for war. use. Of ii the week previous. May needs zinc-lea- d mine of the New the remaining 50.000 tons of froz- of consumers have been covern Jersey Zinc Co., in Wythe County. en material on hand, 18,000 tons to the extent of about 95 per Other eastern and central states consists of assembled products cent, the trade believes. Call for producing lead were: Arkansas, not suitable for copper scrap. lead for June shipment is increas- Kentucky, Tennessee and Wisconfrozen stocks ing. sin. Early estimates offrom200,000 to available ranged So far, the production of do- Western States 250,000 tons. Mine production of recoverable mestic lead from small properties According to Foreign Com- eligible for '.premium payments lead in tne western states (Alaska merce Weekly, published by the lias hardly been felt in the indus- included) was 254,113 short tons Rhodesia Department of Commerce, tons try. Labor shortages and lack in 1942, an increase of 7,562 tons 20,992 long of equipment have been ; retard (3 per cent) over 194L and 52 produced of copper during January this ing work on such properties. per cent of the total domestic output. Idaho was again the largyear. Before, the war, Rhodesian0 Zinc production averaged around Except that the stockpile o est producer of lead In the sevzinc has been increasing mod eral western states and second long tops a month. The domestic market for cop-- , See LEAD-ZINon Page 2 See MARKETS on Page 2 per continued at 12c, Valley . lead-produci- Leadville Tantalife Beryllium, Mines To Be Unwatered Soon Prices Advance Slightly LEADVILLE, Colo. Under the Washington plan for a Leadville , mine drainage tunnel, according to word received here, it is proin posed to complete11constructionand months not to exceed have production under' way within 18 to 29 months. The tunnel would be started at a point 9950 feet above sea level, it would be 2W miles long; timing in a southeasterly direction from the mouth of Evans gulch to the shaft of the Pyrenees mine, and would be similar in crosscut sections to the Carlton tunnel. It would have three branches, the overall length of which would be 1 miles .from the main tunnel. The bore would, unwater 8 to 100 properties, drain most of the water and eliminate pumping 65 seepage in the per cent of the water below the area. In addition, tunnel level could be pumped to the drainage bore at much lower cost, than if carried to the surface as at present. Stiers Construction Company, which, built the Cripple, Creek engaged drainage tunnel and was construcon tunnel until recently tion on ' the Grand Lake-Bi-g Thompson transmountain diversion project, has. the men, go and equipment to ahead. . -- materials - ; v - te non-ferrou- zinc-produci- -- ar . . last-wee- Aus-tin-vil-le . 17,-70- . , C . |