The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-01-25
The Position of Spelter--Analysis of Con
ditions During Past Two Years
Mining and Engineering JournaD
sts'1,3'

The spelter satisfies for 1916 do
much to clear up some features in the
market that recently have been puz-
cling. In the first place. the produce
ton, large as it was, was neverthe-
less smaller than what we all had
been looking for At the beginning OF
the year we foresaw an early produc-
ing capacity of 100000 tons per an
mum. The yeats total-672, 900 tons
fell far short of that, and even in
the fourth quarter, which showed the
largest production, the rate was less
than 100000 tons per annum. How
ever, it is noteworthy that quarter by
quarter the production increased and
the jump from the third to the fourth
quarter was the largest of the year.
Also, that at the end of the year, al
though nearly 10000 retorts were idle,
new plant with about $4,000 retorts
was in process of construction.
There were several things to ac-
count for the failure of the production
to come up to expectations. In many
cases new plant was not completed
so rapidly as was expected. Although
much building was in progress at the
end of 1915, the output in the first
quarter of 1916 was only 5000 tons
~ ~, In
1915. Rather generally also, the out
put per retort was diminished by fall
ing off in metallurgical extraction. Ir
the second quarter the new plants be-
gan to do more and the total output
gained by 10000 tons. During this
period stocks increased and the mar
ket experienced a severe decline.
In the third quarter the price fol
spelter ranged from to sc and some
of the uneconomical plants were clos
| ed. This subtraction cut down the
increase in production in this quar-
ter. That, together with the large in
crease in the demand from brass MAX
ers produced the conditions which
permitted a sharp advance in the mar
ket in the early part of the fourth
quarter BY that time, however, some
large new smelling plants were COM
Il ing in, the Great Falls plant of the
Anaconda company was put in oper-
alton and their output outweighed by
far the reduction by numerous of the
older gas smelters of Kansas and Ok
lahoma, who were checked by the
usual winter shortage of gas supply.
The stock of spelter in producers
hands was little larger at the END
of 1916 than at the beginning, but was
not so large as at the midyear. These
figures mean very little, however, be-
yond the simple assurance that there
| is a stock, that the market has bal
ance wheel. If the total stock, in
Guiding what is in transit and what
is on steamship docks, etc, could bt
known, the figures would be very
much larger. 1t is we'll known ina
the railway and shipping congestion
has caused a great deal more speltel
to be between producers and consum
ers than in normal times. The Gus
toms of consumers also may be chang
ed. Reflection upon these features
Indicates the futility of attempting Il
estimate consumption by difference.
In 1915 the average monthly pric
for common spelter ranged from 6.2
to 21c. In 1916 the range was iron
s.5c to 1926. The average for 19l
was about ~ 5-Sc, against about IL
in 1915. The average price for blend
lin the Joplin district however, wa
$S8 in 1916 against 1880 in 1915. Thi
shows that conditions were not
favorable for the smelters in 1915 a
, in the previous year. in other word
that the smelling margin diminished
although it was still large enough t
: satisfy the greediest The increase
smelling capacity, the sharper com
!, petition for ore, was bound to hav
l this effect. During 1917 we may eH
e pect to see a further contraction
r the margin.