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Show 1 . ) ; OF U LIBRARY JITY 1 J '4. v U tH "n. L; SAUl' V Vol. 24, No. 4 One Year $2.50 Balt Lake City, Utah, January 23, 1953 Extraction Methods Key To Extent Of Minerals Use Extracts from an Article by Eugene Hainan, President Standard Oil Co., (New Jersey) It is not inconceivable that the entire globe earth, ocean and air represents raw material for mankind to utilize with more t I 1 4 I I I (I J i Zinc production during the past year recorded a small increase even in the face of strikes and lowered metal prices. Higher labor and material costs ;;t a time of reduced prices are now exerting a definite influence on operations at both producing and exploration projects. Shown above is a unit of Combined Metals, one of the larger custom reduction mills in Utah producing zinc. i c i X X U. S. Smelters Increase Production At Sunshine Production of Zinc in 52 United States smelters produced In tons of slab Records Gain about more cent than in the per previous year and not r i By ERNEST V. GENT, Executive Vice President American Zinc Initltete, Ine. 1952 K 961,200 3 zinc, i record reached in 1943. very far short of equaling the e smeltfrom these Shipments shine Mining companys reached a total of 896,114 derground operations in the sil- ers tons in 1952, or 2 per cent ver belt between Wallace and 1951. domeslower in For than Kellogg totaled 222,577 tons dur- tic consumption, shipments ing 1952, a company official in- moved at an excellent rate exformed the Wallace Miner; for the period of the steel This is slightly greater than cept which strike spoiled the chance the 220,265 tons produced in to the top performance in equal 1951, but, the official pointed 1950. were 33 per out, production in 1951 was re- cent Exports and for higher shipments Continued1 progress in expanlabor strike. duced by a account were about 7 government sion of materials production is Mine output in 1950 totaled 9 per cent lower than in 1951. tons. reflected in the removal of thirBureau of Mines statistics in teen materials from the most These totals include not only Table V of this review are a bet" critical category during the production from the Sunshine ter measure of actual consumpproperty but also tonnages from tion than smelter shipments. past year. The most recent List of Basadjoining properties which are Consumers report directly to ic Materials and Alternates, mined and by developed being the Bureau and include zinc the Sunshine firm under oper- consumed from all sources, released on December 28 by the ating agreements Silver Syn- whether foreign or domestic or defense production agency, shows only 11 materials now dicate, Silver Dollar, Sunshine from their own inventories. Consolidated and others. most critical, as Slab zinc imports in 1952, on considered Monthly production during the basis of the ten months fig- compared with 24 on the list pre1952 followed the usual season- ures shown in Table II, should pared a year ago. al pattern with a decided slump somewhat exceed the 1951 tonAmong the metals and minduring the summer months nage. If added to the deliveries erals still listed as in critical when many underground work- by United States smelters, it is supply are titanium, cobalt, ers seek outside employment. indicated that the slab zinc molybdenum, nickel, During the winter months of which moved in 1952 will ap- tanalum and diamond bort the first and fourth quarters of proximate the 1,007,000 tons in Eased from this category durthe year, mine output averaged 1951 as compared with 1,152,000 ing the past year and now list more than 20,000 tons a month. tons in 1950. balance with ed in The average monthly output Smelter stocks, which at the defenseapproximate civilian essential and during the second and third beginning of the year stood at demand were aluminum, berylquarters, on the other hand, 21,901 tons, gradually built up to copwas only a little over 17,000 tons. a total of almost 97,000 tons in lium, selenium, platinum, and tungsten, zinc, The low point of 1952 was hit July but then on a declining per, lead, tin,several with types of alin June when only 13,997 tons trend were reduced to 86,987 alongsteel castings, plates and loy of ore was mined from the ex-- tons at Dec. 31. Imtensive deep workings. The Institutes statistics in-- . structura shapes. fairDropped entirely from the provement thereafter was Continued on Page 2 new list because their supply ly steady except for November now is ample with no threats when production was temporarof shortages were tellurium, ily hampered in arranging schedules to meet the 10 per Week Ending January 17, 1953 osmium, rhodium ruthenium, cent power cut imposed by the BINGHAM DISTRICT, UTAH and zirconium. DPA officials said that a strict defense electric power adminCombined Metals Reduction istration. Co. 275 tons. interpretation of classification Mine production I 1 ( ( i all-tim- from Sunbig un- Materials Taken From Critical List 1-- 3 it 5 10-da- y i 251,-87- co-umbi- . nt Nevada Mines Up Output Of Manganese ShipHENDERSON, Nev. ment of manganese began from the $2,500,000 plant of Manganese, Inc., near Henderson late last year. A spokesman for the company said the plant is not yet in full production, but should be operating at capacity in a short time. It is currently treating mine r,un and stockpiled ore. Designed to process 1200 tons of manganese ore daily, the plant uses a new matellurgical method said to be vastly superior to a process employed in World War II using ore from the Three Kids mine. This property, now owned by Manganese, Inc., contains 5,000,000 tons of ore assaying 18 per cent to 25 per cent manganese, according to estimates Located near the new plant, the Three Kids is credited with one of the nations largest deposits of commercial grade manganese ore. Mining is conducted by the open pit method and is expected to produce the metal at relatively low cost. Another major manganese producer is scheduled to be in operation soon at Henderson, when Pioche Manganese Co., subsidiary of Combined Metals Reduction Co., puts its $3,000,-00- 0 plant in action. Construction of the plant was delayed last summer by the steel strike, but its operation is expected to start soon. It will treat manganese ore mined from proper-ie- s in the Pioche district owned or controlled by Combined Met als Reduction, Nevadas leading producer of lead, silver and zinc. . the-plan- Zinc Mine Closed Alcoa Mining Company has announced that it1 will suspend production of zinc ore at its Hutson mine near Salem, Ky., because the price of the metal is too low for profitable operation. Seventy employes will be let out, but the company hopes to be able to absorb them in its fluorspar mines. Ore Shipments j a i, i 9 December output, totaling was the of the tons, highest year. Variations in the supply of underground workers is largely responsible for the fluctuation in output. At the present time the company has a full underground crew, averaging about 375 un- derground shifts per day, and hiring is on a replacement basis only, the official said. Average monthly production during each quarter of 1952 was approximately as follows: 1st 22,-72- ..t j i ) 1 i 1 , ii j. and more ingenuity and skill. From earliest times men have used minerals drawn from the earth. And as they did so, larger numbers of minerals, in became availgreater quantities, e process which able by a step-likhas proceeded at a geometric rate. Each successive age has been shorter than the one before it The Stone Age lasted several hundred thousand years. The Copper nd Bronze Age 4000 years; the Iron Age 2500 years. In modern times the age of Iron has given way to Steel Age. Steel was first made in commercial quantities 95 years ago. And within qut own lifetime there has been superimposed on the Steel Age what we may call the age of lightweight metals, plastics and atomic fission. Each step in the history of material progress has been dependent on the one before it The use of the materials available in one period supported societies in which men could accumulate knowledge. Such knowledge then made new kinds of material available. I emphasize that people used the materials, for this is true conservation not the hoarding of materials but efficient and intelli. gent use of them. operknowledge Increasing ates in a number of ways to expand our natural resources, It helps us discover new sources of raw materials; for example new techniques like the airborne magnetometer help us locate oil fields. It enables us to extract material from raw forms which we were previously unable to process, such as iron from taconite. It extends matesupplies of the familiar effici-ciemore rials by developing methods of use. It helps us utilize materials hitherto not usable, such as titanium. And it discovers entirely new materials that do not exist in nature such as plastics. Lets take petroleum, for example. In the past several years many new sources of oil have been discovered in North Dakota, Utah, Texas, Canada, Sumatra, Iraq and Venezuela. In some of these areas exploration had gone on for years without finding oil. In other areas oil had been produced, production had subsequently fallen off, then new horizons were tapped. .According to recent report, for every barrel of crude oil or Continued on Page 2 definitions would have placed aluminum in the critical supUtah Qopper (Kennecott) 922 ply group because of produccars, daily average. PARK CITY DISTRICT, UTAH tion losses sustained as a result of the power shortage in the New Park 1590 tons. EUREKA DISTRICT, UTAH Northwest and the Tennessee sitDragon Cons. clay 22 cars. Valley. .However, since the uation is considered temporary, Chief Cons. ore 49 cars. the metal was continued in the Empire Mines ore 1 car. approximate balance" group. Mountain View ore 1 car. Courtesy J. A. Hogle & Co. . Capacity is steadily increasing and regular allocations have quarter, 20,425 tons; 2nd quar- been and will be maintained, ter, 17,135 tons; 3rd quarter, 5 they said, although there may tons; and 4th quarter, 19,725 be some delays in shipment of tons. the metal. U. S. Mines 85-to- 7765 tons. n When is a mine really worth something. Only when t can make a profit after paying expenses, which include meeting payrolls, paying taxes and buying supplies. If costs of supplies, labor' and taxes get too high, and profits disappear . ; . no more mine, no more benefits to everyone in Utah. Thats happening right now in Utah! 16,-91- tjnai;i flararaa aeaaaifisragtti i i f . t |