The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-11-04

tations of zinc ores by American zinc
shelters is shown by the number of
smelling concerns which recently
Jointly met with the treasury depart
ment in asking a certain set of stand
ard specifications be adopted upon
valuing zinc ores imported into the
United States. These smelters repre-
scented very large percentage of the
smelling capacity of this country. Il
thus becomes Immediately evident why
the price of zinc ores, and especially
low grade zinc ores, are not on par
ity with spelter prices, and why some
of our western zinc ore producers
market for their product. That the
United States is facing a period of
very large zinc importations admits of
little doubt.
Still another feature of great inter
est to the American zinc miner lies In
the character of zinc and zinc manu-
facture that will make up our exports
SO long as the demand is limited to
zinc suitable for brass manufacture
and munitions, the exports will be
made up principally Of American spell
the high grade, pure American ores
that are suitable for making these
brands without recourse to smelling
and refining practices. On the other
hand exports of zinc for galvanizine
and galvanized products will likely be
made up from imported ores from
which the manufacturer can secure
ordinary spelter easily and from the
cheaper ores, and at the same time
get his duty related when he reeX-
ports his products. That this latter
course will be extensively followed
and become a growing feature of our
foreign export trade seems certain
with such large supplies of foreign
ores to draw upon.
The action of the American Steel
Wire company in building a new zinc
smelter Of 10000 tons capacity neal
Plttsburg is also a feature that fore
shadows a change in the future of the
industry While this concern has for
years been interested in zinc smelt-
ing through its subsidiary, the Edgar
Zinc company, this additional capac-
ity is noteworthy in that it takes out
of the general market for spelter the
heaviest single consumer and hence
forth 1t will become a buyer of ores
instead of the finished product. 1t is
interesting to note here that in the ex-
banding trade in steel, wire and sheets
this company is playing a leading part
and that it is likely to use foreign
ter in it's exports is only the part
good business would be expected to
play. In fact the Edgar Zinc com
pany, it's subsidiary has just closed q
contract for $4,000 tons of Australian
ores.
! 1t is therefore going to be increas-
of low grade zinc ores, or such grades
as are similar to those now possible
of importation from Australia, MeXi-
co, Canada and Spain, to sell their
ores for prices in proportion to the
prices paid for spelter or even high
grade American zinc ores.
To sum up, it would appear that the
present and immediate future of the
whole zinc smelling industry is and
will be prosperous, and that it is rea-
,sonably certain that for a number OF
years America will have a very large
Ishare in the export zinc trade of the
iworld.
In the second place the producers o.
high grade zinc ores have now, ant
will continue to have, a comparatively
prosperous future for their product.
The outlook for the producers of low
Igrade zinc concentrates is not 81
bright They will have to be conten
with receiving prices for their ore OF
a par with what low grade foreign
lores can be purchased for until sucf
time as a revision Of the tariff is made
that will give protection, or there Is
such a reconstruction of the worlds
trade as will turn foreign ores to 9TH
Ier countries. In the meantime theil
only recourse is to reduce the cost O
production and strive to bring up the
grade of their product, a thing that
the Wisconsin ore producers have al.
ready done and is an example for 9TH
err low grade camps to follow.