The Washington times., 1916-01-06
Plant Will Be Built At Perth
Amboy, N. j., For Handling
South American Ore. Z
WILL COME FROM BOLIVIA
American Smelling Company
Notifies Department Of CON-
merce of Plans.

4 tin refining industry is to he sstab-
lshed in the United States. Heretofore
all tin has been imported in a finished
state to be manufactured In this coun-
try. A tin smelter and refining plant
fs being completed by the American
Smelling and Refining Company at
Perth Amboy. N j.. for the handling Of
South American ores. according TO an
announcement today from the Depart
inent Of Commerce.
Al! arrangements have hcen made for
the importation OF Bolivian tin ole The
venture is the first attempt TO establish
tho tin industry In this country
First word of the new industry was
received In a letter from William Loeb
jr. Of the American Smelling and Re-
inning Company to Secretary Redfeld
IN which 1t was stated that the new
Plant FOR the smelling of tin ores and
concentrates and the electrolytiC refin-
ing ~ tin had practically been completed
There were many difficulties In the way
OF establishment of the industry IN this
country, he tod the Secretary. but
those nave all been overcome.
heretofore this country has irnported
about 5000 tons of tin annually, and
stont 70 per cent of this came from the
straits settlements. where an export
duty is placed on ores to compel treat
ment In the Settlements
Little Is Mined.
Hithoush tne United states IL easily
the greatest user Of tin, OILY small
quantity Is mined In this country, and
no smelling has been done here Large
way OF England. Belgium. and Ger
nany. IN normal times; some of this
fcentrate ore being shipped from the
latter country to Europe for further
states m nor%ai abat 'mes 6 5hs o QntIG
or tin. which Is somewhat more than
third Of the worlds production Bo-
lvia produces about i25.U1O.OOO worth
annually.
The Bolivian tin. according to Mr..
J.oeb's letter contains impurities which
with the established methods of smelt
lug, do not produce tin suitable for
tin plate. but the plant at Perth Amboy
proposes not only to smelt the impure
ores from Bolivia and other countries
but to refine the product by the cleo
trolytic process. A recent analysis of
this eiectrolytic tin by experienced
pure. while the base metal from which
II was produced contained only SO per
cent For the manufacture cf TN plate
TINS TIN 70 pronounced as good as the
In addition to building the plant and
purchasing the South american TIN
ores" writes Mr.. Loeb. we are H.
advances Immediately on shipments
from South America. We hope event
ually to be able to extend our present
plant and increase the business con-
siderably. In the initial steps of our
negotiations to secure these tin ores
we were greatly helped by the co-opera-
ton Of the chief of your Bureau of For
eign and Domestic Commerce. the com
nercial attache Of the department. in
South America. and by the State De-
partment."
There were many cbsta cles in the way
Of importing TIN ore from Bolivia. some
Of which have been removed through
the assistance of the State Department
and some by the assistance of the De
partment of Commerce. The whole
project was formally launched when Mr.
Loeb called at the Bureau of Foreign
and Domestic Commerce and outlined the
Importance of establishing a tin-smelt
difficulties in the way of getting tr
from Bolivia regularly and in the re-
Uuired amounts. The bureau immediate
" got In touch with its commercial at
taChe at Lima. Peru, who thereupor
went to Bolivia and started negotiation,
with the Bolivian government through
the United States minister Through these
negotiations many misconceptions or
the part of the miners were removed
had prevented the drawing up Of mu
smoothed out.
Assurances From Bolivia.
In the meantime 'the Secretary ot
Commerce had addressed a letter 20 the
State Department suggesting that the
matter of Bolivian export duties bt