The Washington herald., 1917-06-20
HOLLAND LETTER
The Biggest Daily
Financial News Feature of
the country's Best Newspapers.


II may be that one Of the incidental
results Unexpectedly occasioned by
the European war will be the devei-
very large tin smelling industry. This
industry will be concentrated in part
In New York City and in part al
Perth Amboy, N. j., which Is within
the metropolitan district. The New
York plant is to be established upon
and will be one of the first of the
great industries which It is presumed
VIII within a few years be esta ablished
upon that water front.
With the exception of three or four
very small tin smelling plants in the
United States, there has been no in
dustry of this kind in the country,
England commands the business be-
cause England commanded the tin
production. Her manufacturers were
able absolutely to control the Amer
tcan market, and although several at
tin smelling industry here. England
speedily put an end to them, Prob
ably the chief reason why we have
had no industry OF this kind is to be
found in the fact that tin in CONNER
cial quantities Is not found in the
United States, and so far as the men
OF science have been able to learn,
we shall never discover tin mines of
any commercial value. except pos
sibly in Alaska.
But uron the American hemisphere
Is 10 be found a republic which is the
second largest tin producer in the
world. The Straits Settlement mines,
which are controlled by England, are
the only ones which surpass in rich
ness and magnitude the tin mines
which have now for some time been
, worked in Bolivia, and to the COM
| r11nrRial udN ~ m Of hnk kryr
Bolivia has for some years mined tin
in great amounts, but she exported
the metal to England. large was
this export that Bolivia rejoiced in
the receipt yearly of an export tax
which added greatly to the revenue
Now as one Of the remarkable eco
nomic advantages which the United
States will gain on account of the
European war, there is the decision
| of the WilliamsHarvey corporation
| to erect one OF the greatest tin
smelters in the world at Jamaica Bay,
which is within the boundaries Of New
York City.
One OF the large industries of the
United States the National Lead Com
pany, has been persuaded that 1t is
to its advantage to invest heavily in
this new enterprise. That investment
is understood to be so per cent of the
capital OF the corporation. 1t is easy
to understand why the National Lead
Company was persuaded to make this
ket every year for the purpose Ct
| buying 100000 worth Of tin con-
centrates But when the great smelteT
upon the shores Of Jamaica Bay is
completed, the company Will be able
to secure Though .one of its sub
ordinates, or through d company III
which it Is heavily interested, all OF
the concentrates which It needs.
All of the tin concentrates will be
brought here from Bolivia. and the
| proba bilities are strong that after the
war is ended England will not be able,
Notwithstanding her vast possession OF
tin properties. to gain complete con-
troll of the American market. II
this should prove to be the case Cand
the men of capital who are making
heavy investments in the establish
ment of a big smelling plant believe
that it will be- then the command
OF a considerable part of the tin
smeiting industry will come to the
United States as a result of the war,
supplementing the command of con-
siderable part OF the dye-stuff indus
try, hitherto controlled by Germany,
and 1t may be the command of con-
siderable portion of the potash in
dustry, which heretofore Germany has
exclusively controlled and upon which
1t is believed her men OF commerce
rely for a renewal OF world trade, eS-
pecialIy with the United States. after
the European war is ended. There
is almost as much romance in the
first development of tin industry in
| Bolivia ,as there is real romance in
| the transfer to the United States, at
! least during the war, OF her tin eX-
ports, as the story of the discovery
and operation of copper or silver
mines in this country tells.
From the time of the Spanish con-
quest until the beginning of the pres
| ent century, silver was the mineral
prince of Bolivia But after railway
! transportation was secured. and after
a peasant, who was gifted with ex-
| trordinary business ability, had dem
onstrated what tin might mean for
| Bolivia's prosperity. and in doing that
anna ssed for himself one of the great
| fortunes OF the world. Prince Silver
\ was displaced and tin became the min
| eral king of Bolivia. The magnitude
| of the production is disclosed by the
| official figures received today in New
| York, which showed that in 1915, S6
| 452 tons Of tin were exported. of which
| all but. about one thousand tons was
| destined for Great Britain. The United
| States received only 1,l0O tons. Prob
! ably the amount exported to England
would have been much larger had not
| the domineering war conditions tr
| Great Britain made II impossible for
| her tin purchases in Bolivia after 1915
except in a small way.
American capital as one of the re-
suits of the war, is largely to sup
plant the heavy capita! of France,