The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-06

land. Every present and potentian
producer Of zinc in the Common
wealth has Joined the association, on
the governing body of which the Bril-
fish and Australia governments have
representatives.
tt was explained that the Zinc Pro-
ducers Association was the most inn
portant and influential metal combin-
alton south of the equator, and fur
Their that it was one Of the most inn
portant in the world. 1t had been
|inaugurated to handle all zinc CON
centrates produced in Australia. The
yearly output of concentrates and
zinc ores in the Commonwealth totals
100000 tons and the gross value of
the metal contents at todays market
prices was no less than $4,000, 900.
One of the sschief principles of the
association" was equality of treat
ment" to all members, apart altogeth-
er from the output, and it was found
ed upon cooperative basis. In order
to facilitate the early establishment
OF Australian zinc industries, the I'm
perial government had undertaken to
advance 100000 at the same rate of
interest as was paid by the Imperial
government, if required, to finance
Australian zinc works. Early in the
year the worlds spelter position
pointed to a huge overproduction af-
ter the conclusion of hostilities, hav-
Ing In mind new plants erected IN
America and the new plants under
erection and proposed to be erected
In Australia and the United Kingdom.
This view of large production was
subsequently modified on the ruth
less destruction in Northern France.
pract1ced by the German contempor-
aneously with his retreat That pol-
Icy OF ruthlessness was indicative of
the Belgian zinc smelteries being de-
molished on the evacuation of Bel
GUM by the enemy Then. again.
there was the question of the Amer :
can smelteries, which were erected
when spelter was at very high price.
which might not be economical to
operate when the metal was under
lfs5 or f40 per ton. New installa-
| tons in the United States of Ameri-
ca were more or less patchwork af-
fairs; that is to say, they were never
intended as anything more than !,
makeshift to meet the then existing
needs of the day, and in most cases
they We're, and actually did return
their total capital expenditure in four
or five months. The position TO-DAY
In Great Britain was that a majority
| or the small zinc smelters had in
creased and were increasing their ca
pacie.es.
The British government, the infor-
mant continued, has guaranteed q
minimum price UP to an agreed
quantity of f23 for ordinary spelter,
and, f2S for higher grade spelter. II
must be remembered that before the
outbreak of hostilities those concern
ed in the British speIter industry de-
clared that it was not a paying pro-
position permanently to produce spell
ter under f22 per ton. Under exist
ing conditions the cost of speIter for
some time to come would be much
higher
The registration of the National
Smelling Company, Ltd, was announ-
ced at the end of April. This COM
pany in addition to taking over the
present smelteries at Swansea Vale,
will erect large works at Avonmouth
near Bristol, with a capacity (of
treating) up to 100000 tons Of zinc
concentrates annually. The Austria
liam Producers Association has under
consideration equally large zinc smell.
terfes in Britain. On the completion
of all of these new works the produc-
! ton of spelter in the United Kingdom
may be expected to provide her total