The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-11-16


spelter, which was completely under
thu control of the German cartel
Since the war the domestic demand
has been enormous, TO make brass for
binding shells and for other warlike
purposes. The number of retorts in
blast has been nearly doubled since
the end of 1914, representing an in
crease of production equal to S50,O0e
an actual output OF 346,676 tons in
1913 Besides this there is the pro-
Guetion of eleetrolytic zinc, which is
destined to prove an important factor
| i'll regulating the price. At the end
Of this year there will exist the plant
fer producing 100000 tons of spelter
Per annum. The production in the
first half of 1915 was s67, 696 tons from
domestic ores and $4,000 tons from
imported ores, mostly Australian. Elk
portation will not cease when the war
ends, but there Is bound to be a Sc
we're decline, besides a heavy shrink
age of consumption by the brass trade
in this country. complete reorgan-
ization of the spelter business Is in
evitable, The high cost will compel
many retort plants to close down as
soon as the price of the metal re-
spends to the slackened demand
Many of the existing smelters can go
MT ~ hFYa oh f,,1x
pald for themselves several times
over, and the survivors among the re-
tort smelters will have to face the
competition of the higher grade cleo
trolytic zinc, which will dominate the
market. There lies the hope of the
industry, for if electrolytic zinc of
aa.9S purity can be made for cents
or thereabouts there will be chance
for the galvanized trade to expand and
fer the miner to make money out of
zinc even after the war.
/ Copper is the most important of the
base metals and the one playing the
greatest part in the economies of war
The outlook for this metal is cheer
fnl. Evidently the British and the
french governments believe that cop
Per will be in great demand for some
time to come, otherwise they would
not have contracted for 44S, 900, 900
pounds at 26 cents for delivery in 1917.
Normal consumption in the world in
creases Z per cent per annum; that in
itself is a potent factor. 1t is true
our domestic production promises to
] be 100000 tons this year. as against
! 100000 tons in 1913, and within a
few months we shall have a refinery
capacity of 100000 tons per an
num- but even before the war our con-
sumption was as high as 100000 tons,
and under prosperous conditions we
Icculd now consume fully 100000. Our
export for several years before the
var averaged 100000 tons annually, Of
which 100000 went to Germany. In
1913 the preparation for war caused
Germany to import 153,50O tons from
us. There is reason to believe that in
that country all the stocks Of copper
have been used and that the central
powers will be bare of the metal when
Ieace supervenes, despite the saving
and refusing of the reject from NUM-
tons. All the copper utensils roofing
and wire that have been melted will
not be replaced at once, of course but
/ there should ha a haavU danaan5 e.,
err copper from that part of Europe
A decline, of course, there will be, an(
the first effect will be to curtail pro.
duction automatically, the copper o.
many mines being, won at cost thai
viii prove in excess of the marke
price. If the average cost of Ameri
can production was 10 cents per pount
before the war, 1t is now probably
Iahout IL cents. Even the big low
grade properties are being worked
extravagantly in order to make tn,
most of the extraordinary market; il
a sense they are being Quilted to max,
the most of an unexampled opportun,
ity; so that when this orgy of produc.
tion is over there will come the day
of reckoning. Much cream will hav,
been gathered and much blue mill
will remain. But the reduction II
price will be less violent than in tn,
case of zinc or lead, because of tn,
Industrial demand for reconstructiv
work in Europe, including the shil
building that must follow the genera
resumption of peaceful traffic over
seas. The drop in copper will no
hurt the mining of the metal s.
, much as it will deflate the balloon O
, speculation that is now being blow
50 assiduously by the forced produc
ton of the mines and the cheerfu
, optimism of the brokers. There lies
real danger, as great as that OF peace
And what pitiable thing it is tina
peace should be regarded as a menac
' to welfare of any of us. Let us loo
, forward to the day when our prosper
p ity will not be built on the misery {
9 tothers and degradation of the huma
!. IDEAL
h MONTANA 800 MILLIONS.
s Montana will add to the world