The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-02-08
OF TUNGSTEN
DISCUSSED BY EXPERTS
THINKS PRICE SHOULD REMAIN
STEADY AT ABOUT $40
PER UNIT.

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During the latter part of 1915 and
the first four months of 1916 the in
creased uses of tungsten and the linn
tied amount produced caused the price
to go beyond all expectations, the high
mark reaching sos per unit. This
price, compared with $3.50 one year
before, seems almost beyond reason,
and 1t is hard to tell where the price
would have stopped had not the high
price increased the production in South
Dakota, California and other states, as
we'll as South America. The big pro-
duction was dumped on the United
States market, and the real reason for
the break in price was the productions
from the latter place. 1t is thought
very probable that had 1t not been for
the South American tungsten, the
price would have reached 5000 per
unit.
After the price began to drop, dur
ing the month of May, it continued
downward until October, when the
low point was reached on the New
York market, South American tung-
stem (wolframite) selling at $14 per
unit, though it is not known of any
sales being made on large lots of fer
berite at price below SIT per unit
mark, which was the price paid in
several instances during the late Oc-
tober and early November period.
Look for Better Prices.
We find at the present time, Deem
Der, 1916, the conditions are changing
Very materially. The low price quoted
on the New York market is SIG for
wolframite, hubnerite and scheelite
with premium of 81 per unit for fer
berite. And indications are favorable
for better price for all tungsten bear
ing ores There are several reasons
for the upward trend though there is
no reason to expect, in fact 1t Is out
of reason to expect, an unreasonably
high price, such as has been expert
enced.
Here are some of the reasons why
the price will be better. The produc-
ton has dropped off 60 per cent in the
United States and fully as much in
South America The warning nations
are taking most all of the production
from South America direct. The war
ring nations are taking a great part of
the scheelite produced in the western
states. This is being loaded on ships
at Pacific ports.
The amount of tungsten used is full
ly AS much as it has been since the
war began. Contracts made during
the high prices, when the consumer
thought there was not going to be a
limit to the price, have most all been
fulfilled; almost all of the large lots
stored have been used.
Profit at $50 Per Unit.
Everybody familiar with the bust
ness is of the opinion that the use of
tungsten will continue to be greater
than formerly, but hardly anyone will
hazard a guess as to the amount Com
paratively speaking tungsten mining
price adopted should be around 500
per unit. This would allow the miner
reasonable profit for mining and the
manufacturer a chance to place the
finished product on the market at
reasonable price and still make pro-
fit.
There seems to be more of a get to-
Gether feeling between the miner and
the consumer than has existed. AL
ways before the manufacturers have
bought from the miner as cheaply as
possible, and when the miner got his
turn, /. e., when the manufacturers had
to have tungsten and did not know
where he was going to get it, the min
err handed out the same medicine he
had been used to taking. Undoubt-
eddy the price of tungsten went too
high. If a happy medium could be
agreed on by the miner and manu-
facturer, so that price received by the
miner would be graduated according
to the price received for the finished |
product, it would be a boon to tung- |
sten mining and a most satisfactory
solution for the manufacturer
It's Chief Use.
While tungsten is otherwise used |
for all practical purposes relating to
the conversion of its ore, it's use In
making alloy or high speed steel needs
only to be considered And as its
presence there is in the form of metal !
(the chemical element W. the CONVEX
sion of ores to the ultimate form Of
the element is the matter for consd-
Grafton by all who are interested in
the uses of tungsten. Until the pres
ent time, or rather short time ago,
steel makers used different methods Of
securing the incorporation of this ele-
ment and these different methods
cause the use of different materials
containing the element tungsten. Some
steel makers secured the incorporation
Of the element direct from the ores or
concentrates. Others use the oxide
(WO3), which has been secured from
the ores or concentrates by one or an
other chemical process. Others use
the element itself (W), which has been