Bisbee daily review., 1913-06-29
WORLDS IRON
 0RE RESERVES

ApropOs of the recen. tes;-mony of Judge Ebert II Gary, Chairman Of the United States Steel corporation. in the suit of the government O dis solve that corporation. in which the states that the present reserves amount to but 40 years supply based on the present grade, it is interestlrz to note the figures which represent the worlds available supply of iron ore, says the current Thompson. Towle & Co. news letter
 One is apt to be misled by the statement tha a given supply of iron ore will be worked out in a given time by thinking that the last avail able iron ore will then be exhausted. the letter continues. The statement refers only to a particular grade of ore and with a slight reduction in iron contents the reserves of iron ore increase with great rapidity In the Lake Superior region, the ores for merly yeilded around 6l per cent in iron. The average is now in the neighborhood of 56 per cent. In other fields, ores which formerly yielded 40 to 50 per cent are now below 70 per cent, thus showing that ,he tendency is constantly toward the treatment of lower grade ore.
 A very interesting address on this subject was delivered by Professor James F. Kemp of Columbia before the International Geographical con gress at Stockholm.
 The subject of the worlds supply of iron ore, according to Prof Kemp. is a complete one and depends upon many variable quantities, among which may be mentioned the follow ing: Ca Increase in production and greater demand on the ore reserves b. decrease of the present sources Of supply and their final eXhausriou; (cD entrance of new sources of sup ply now perhaps inaccessible. tdl decline in average content of iron in ores: 4el increase of expense and decline in yield: i3 improvement in processes; tgD supply of fuel; (hJ new methods of smelting electricity. and CD substitution Of other materials for iron and steel, cement, the most important.
 Professor Kemp estimated in ll8 the available iron ore supply in the United States and probable addition al tonnage, as follows.
 Available supply, metric tons IT, SIS ,620 900.
 Probable additional supply, metric tons 74566, ,50e, ,0O0
 It will be seen from the above that the subject is one which re- quires a great deal of study. Much depends upon operating conditions. proximity to the markets and cheap transportation are essential. In 50 far as the future of the iron industry is concerned, the question Is not alone the supply of iron ere, bEt also the supply of cooking coal. As to the iyon ere. one need have no fear of the supply ever becoming exhausted. It is purely a commercial question as to the cost of production and the price of the product. In connection with the reserves, Prof. Kemp says: The report on the iron ore rs- serves makes it clear that there will be no exhaustion of iron ore Of oas kind or another for an indefinite pc riod of time. If We consider iron bearing materials of 30 per cent as ores, there is no lack of supply toI our furnaces. Much apprehension has been felt on this point, and it is re assuring to find that fears are, in a measure, unwarranted. Iron as a metal, of course, never can fail for if we drop 20 per cent to 10 per cent we find inexhaustible amounts Ui basic rocks with these percentages and we are then dealing with raN materials from three to ten times as rich in iron as are the usual ore' in copper. the next metal to iron Il abundance of production.
 At the meeting of the Geographica congress in 1910, Shere was aiso computed the summary of the world iron ore reserves. These were as toi lows:
 Summary Worid's Actual Reserves