The San Francisco call., 1908-09-06
Petroleum Develops Into Competitor With
Gold for The Premiership
California Beats Its Own Splendid Record for the
Production Of All Minds Of Minerals

In practically every line the impor-
tance of the mineral industry of Cali
fornia is steadily augmented by legiti-
mate developments. @
L. E. Aubury. state mineralogist,
has addressed letter TO the state
committee on tariff revision, asking
that protection for California asbestos
and California magnesite shall be IA
vorably considered by the committee.
which will make presentation of tariff
needs to the ways and means commit
tee of congress. Aubury makes the
following statements:
There is necessity for a higher tarin
on asphalt. The present tariff pro-
vides for duty at the rate of So ton.
This should be increased so that the
California asphalt may compete with
the Venezuelan asphalt. The freight
rate on asphalt from the California
refineries to New York is s10 a ton via
rail to Galveston and steamship to
New York. II the shipments. are all
rail the rate is s12 ton. This is
about the maximum freight rate per
ton to any point in the United States.
with the exception of a few places
east of the Mississippi river and south
Of the Ohio. The material from Vene-
zuela has the advantage of a cheap
rate by water. 1t is inferior TO the
asphalt produced in this state
ASPHALT INDUSTRY IS GROWING
The asphalt industry in California
is of growing Importance. Enough
asphalt can be supplied by California to
meet the demands of the whole United
States. In 1890 only 5000 tons were
produced in California. In 1906 the
production in this state was 77.756 tons.
The large developments of recent years
in California petroleum, from which
commercial asphalt is produced, makes
it certain that California can supply
the paving requirements of the en-
tire civilized world. If all the pc
troleum that was produced in California
in 1907 had been refined. the amount
of asphalt that would have been yielded
would have amounted to about 2,00O. 900
tons of pure material. As the present
consumption of asphalt in the United
States is about 10000 tons annually,
1t can be seen that California could
take care of all the requirements of
the United States, giving better ma
terial and at the same time providing
a large surplus.
SUPPLY WORLD WITH MAGNESITE
Concerning the protection of mag
nestle. Aubury says that California is
the only state in the union that pro-
duces that mineral. A sufficient guam
tity can be mined in this state to sup
ply the entire country. Magnesite is
used in the manufacture of carbenic
acid gas and. after 1t is caleined, in
the manufacture of paper.
1t is also used in the making of til
ing and in the manufacturing of re-
fractory firebrick Most of the mag
nestle that is used in the eastern
states is imported from Greece and
Austro- Hungary, which have such
cheap water rates that California is
from competing in the east
ern market About $4,000 tons of mag
nestle were imported into the United
States in 1906. California produced
that year 4,032 tons
The San Andreas Chronicle says that
better days are at hand for Mokelumne
hill, due to the reopening of someA of
the big mines in the neighborhood.
The sum of s1,000,000 so says the
Sacramento Bee, has been refused by
H. L. Johnson, the owner of the Tight
ner mine, in the Allegheny district, in
Sierra county.
The old Mozambique mine has been
bonded at Nevada City by a company
by Samuel Colt.
The San Bernardino Sun says that
rich gold strike has been made in the
Providence mountain region, Il miles
south of Barnwell.
The Brunswick mine, in Nevada
county, will sink lower.
The Calaveras Citizen says that the
gold dredger at Jenny Lind is getting
returns in gold from former alfalfa
patch.
Coal lands in Jackson valley, Amador
county, have been bonded by c. r.
Downs, of Sutter Creek.