The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-31
LEAD PRODUCTION IN 1a1a

The final figures of the production
of lead in the United States in 1912
have just been published by the Uni.
ted States Geological Surrey. These
figures have been compiled by C. E.
siebenthal, OF the Survey, from re-
ports of the output of each lead smell
ter and refinery in operation in this
country in 1912. Two tables are Civ
en-. The first one shows the lead
smelted in this country from ore from
each lead-producing state and from
each foreign country furnishing ore
for treatment These figures include
soft lead, lead content of bullion Chat
is. work lead'o, and antimonial lead
and their total necessarily does not
agree with the total refined lead out
put OF the country, shown in the Sec
ond table. The refined lead, however
can not be traced to its sources SO
exactly as the smelted lead, hence the
figures for smelter production are
used in the table showing production
by states.
The total production of refined lead
in 1912 was 4S0,S94 short tons, which
is II tons less than the estimate Civ
en- out by the survey on January 2,
1913. This quantity Is exclusive of
1852 tons of antimonial lead. The
total of refined lead is made up OF
SS.317 short tons of desilverized lead
of foreign origin, 221 40 tons Of de-
silverized lead from domestic ores.
141,2 tons of domestic soft lead, and
29,IS9 tons of desilverized domestic
soft lead. The value of the whole
quantity OF refined lead was $3.50
$50: Of this the domestic lead was
worth s35.326,530. calculated at As
cents a pound, the average New York
price for the year. The total refined
lead output was less than that for
1911 by s.Os5 short tons, decrease
! of is per cent
Among the states. Missouri had the
greatest output-162. $40 tons. a de-
crease of almost 10000 tons from that
Of the previous year. Idaho had the
next largest production .7o7 tons,
a gain of 1922 tons over the output
/ OF 1911
In the absence OF complete figures
of domestic stocks, it Is not possible
to calculate consumption except for
the lead of foreign origin. However,
by taking into account domestic pro
duction and foreign imports, exports,
and stocks in bonded warehouse. it lie
possible to estimate the quantity Of
/ lead available for consumption from
year to year. On this basis the lead
\ available for consumption in 1912
4 was 410,953 tons, an increase OF H.
/ 766 tons, or 90 per cent Whether
! this increase represents an increase
! in consumption or an increase in do
nestle stocks is not determinable
from the information at hand.
The report includes graphic char
showing the fuctuation Of the price
/ of lead at New York and London for
1 the period 1906-1912, a list of lead
smelters and refneries In the United
States, table Of the lead production
4 Of the world by countries. and tables
Of imports Of lead by countries anc
by classes, as shown by the records
Of the bureau Of foreign and domes-
tic commerce The general imports
Of lead show continued decline from
1903 when 225,o9O,312 pounds of lead
was received to 1912, when the i'm.
ports were 167,t21,59 pounds. OF the
1912 imports, 159,455,664 pounds was
received from Mexico in the form of
ore or base bullion. 3.207,936 pounds
OF lead IN ore from South America,
and S'3os,S56 pounds from other coun-
tres mostly in ore from German East
Africa.
! A copy of the report may be obtain