Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-11-16
INCREASED COST or ToRY
Causes Which Have Led to Advance
in Price Are Very In
teresting.

1t Is a curious fact that notvith-
standing the marked adv@n.e in ths
price of ivory IN recent years. the vol
ume of sales has not diminished. but
has actually increased. Tusks have
been selling in the markets of LONDON
n Antwerp at an advance of about
90 per cent. over the prices charged a
few years ago, says the jewelers. Cir
cplar Weekly.
The causes which have led to this
advance in price are very interesting
1t is not due to any artificial manip-
ulatiOn of the markets in the great
centers, nor is it due to increased de-
mand or scarcity of elephants. For
the We must look to the heart
of Africa, where a spirit of genuine
commercialism is manifesting itself
among the natives. Their wealth is
in ivory, and they have learned TO
value it as such. Indeed. the wealth
of leading men among the natives was
once commonly counted in tusks.
They would say Of a dusky capitalist
of this kind that he was worth SO
many tusks, just as one in this
try would say that a man is worth 30
many dollars. Of course. that was a
natural phase in the development of
a primitive people. The red man
estimated his riches in wampum, and
the L%aplander in furs. They often
would part with their possessions for a
few beads o%rtrinKets. They lie not know
the value of a dollar. Certainly it can
no longer be said of the natives of AZ
RIGA that they do not know the value
of money. They have learned. Thus
it comes that the heather in his
blindness" is not SO blind as has been
supposed.
Increased transportation facilities
and ~telegraphic communications have
brought Africa into closer touch with
the rest of the world, 1t is said that
a native may be working 1000 miles
in the interior, and yet he can quote
you the cash value Of tusks in the
Antwerp or London market.
vi COulSo, IL 10 d ldl tIy al
RIGA to the United States, and YET
there is a very good market for ivory
in this country. Alert and enterpris'
ing buyers are always on the lookout
for opportunities to pick up good tusks
If Bostock or Barnum & Bailey eve'
chance to have an elephant die on theil
hands in this country, it is not a deat
loss to them by any means. 1t l
likely that an energetic buyer o
ivory will be bidding for it before tn
carcass Is cold.
American manufacturers confin
themselves mainly. though not excl
sively, to such workings of ivory a
are appropriate for toilet goods. Tn
process of manufacture is a delicat
one, requiring considerable skill. /
tusk weighing, say, from rs to II
pounds is bolted to a moving table
on which it is sawed into plates. Dul
ing this stage the tusk has to be ker
thoroughly wet down to prevent burn
ing, as ivory is very hard, and a geo
deal of heat is generated by the frit
ton.
From these plates, or fiat pieces, var
GUS rough shapes are sawed out, a
cording to the forms or designs While
are TO be perfected later on. In say
ing out these shapes care has to
taken to avoid spots II blemishes
the ivory, and at the same time gual
| against wasting valuable material. l
be able to do this with good Jud
ment and discrimination is n te
of a good workman in worry, and tt
number of men who are competent
F., do this kind OF work is very Unite