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

engaged in the zinc industry would
have said that there was not very
much of future for the industry.
The general stagnation of the business
of the country, especially in steel and
iron, had been piling up huge sur
plus Of metal at the shelters, and the
miners had curtailed output and piled
up a surplus of zinc concentrates that
could not be marketed profitably A
revision Of the tariff had been made
which took away the protection that
had been afforded the American miner,
save a mere nominal 10 per cent ad
yalorem tax. The smeltermen had
their protection cut in half, The whole
industry was in the dumps and any
one who would have predicted any
thing of a promising nature for the
immediate future would have been
promptly discountenanced.
No one expected a higher market
level for spelter than cents, while
many predicted cents. When the
price of Joplin zinc fell below $40 per
ton 1t passed below the general aver
age cost Of production, and was nat
urally followed up by the usual result.
The Joplin district with hundreds OF
mines saw them shut down by the
dozen at time. The western states
zinc mines were also in the same po-
sition In many cases and they too,
either curtailed output or stopped
production. Yet out of these condi-
tons came sudden prosperity, and
such prosperity as had never been an
ticipated In the dreams Of the most
optimistic.
Unfortunately from a purely hui
name standpoint, but certainly provi-
Dental to the American zinc miner
has been the continuance of the revo-
luton in Mexico. Had Mexico be-
come tranquilized, Mexican zinc ores
would have displaced $4,000 to 100000
tons of American zinc ores following
the heavy reduction in the tariff made
In the Underwood tariff bill. But in
stead the revolution has acted practice
ally as a prohibitive tariff and Ameri-
can zinc miners have been spared
that competition.
Then came the upsetting IF the
world finances and trade conditions
from the European war, and out of
that terrible conflict has come the
greatest prosperity in the history of
the zinc industry With Belgium
oyerrun by the Germans, the only
source Of supply for this necessary
metal in munition manufacture for the
allies was the United States, and on
account of their demand for high
grade spelter, prices for zinc advanced
rapidly to undreamed of heights II
is difficult to believe that ordinary
spelter could go from 5 to % cents and
fancy grades even up to A, but these
things happened, and have been pre-
vailing for the past year. II is in view
of these new conditions that have
arisen and of the modification of old
settled conditions that a look into the
immediate and more remote future
may prove interesting If not profitable
to the zinc industry.
Perhaps a few of these changes may
be hurriedly sketched in systematic
way to form the warp for for the tex
ture of this discussion. These changes
may be sketched to best advantage
under three heads; viz, mining, smell
ting, and trade conditions.
The effect of these changes on the
Joplin mining district. the largest sin
gle producer of zinc ores in the Unit
ed States, and the largest producer of
high grade concentrates in the world
forms an interesting chapter in cur
rent history The demand for spelter
brass for munitions naturally fell to
those concerns whose product came
principally from the smelling of high
grade zinc concentrates The effect of
this demand was felt on the Joplin
market Immediately after the declar-
alton of war, and the over running of
Belgium by the Germans. England
needed spelter, and, finding it lmpos-
sible to obtain 1t from former sources, :
turned to the United States. Prices
for concentrates jumped from $SS and
$40 to $50 per ton in Joplin; and thus
began one Of the greatest eras of pro-
duction the Joplin district has ever
known.
Following the long period of low
prices in 1913 and in the first half of
1914, there had accumulated in the !
bins Of Joplin producers surplus stocks
to 10000 to $4,000 tons of /
simultaneously the rate |
of production had fallen to approxim-
ately 5000 tons per week, the major
portion of which was coming from the |
smaller mines and richer ore deposits 4
from which profits could still be OBJ
tanned, even In the face of low prices.
The large sheet ground areas were full (
Of idle mines and mills; and these
were the properties, too, from which /
come the large weekly outputs. An 1
other singular condition was the fact 4
that in the thin sheet ground areas
there were still standing some of the (
mills that had become monuments to
lha fail,,ra ~ annnarnc that bad a. II