The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-05-16
IMPORT ENGLISH CLAY
FOR AMERICAN POTTERY
DOMESTIC SUPPLY HAS NEVER
EQUAlLED THE DEMAND
AT HOME.

Most of us think clay is something
as common and abundant as sand or
gravel. Consequently it comes as a
surprise to be told by the shipping
board committee on mineral imports
and exports in Washington, that even
in this day of great shortage of ocean
going ships we have to import from
England every year 100000 to 100000
long tons of clay. Last year we i'm
ported more than 100000 tons over the
ocean.
Furthermore, a great part of this
clay comes over in steamers loaded
full and the rest in big steamers load
ed with clay up to so per cent and
more of their maximum carrying cap
acity. These ships put into Fowey,
England, for their freight. To get
this clay on and off the boats requires
ten days on each cargo. An insig-
nificant percentage of the clay is ship
ped as ballast. This represents small
lots loaded into big liners at Liver
pool. But it will be seen that the
importation of English clay consumes
an important amount of ship tonnage
measured in days time lost because of
natural delays incident to the trans
port of this freight.
Lack Transportation.
Why do our manufacturers pay the
high freight rates now necessary in
order to obtain an article like clay
from England? There is, as we all
know, an abundance of clay in this
country. A great deal of high grade
clay is produced here, and of a char
acter suitable for pottery, porcelain
and other articles which require clays
of special excellence in their manu-
facture. But not much over half of
clay of this grade that our industries
require is domestic. When war broke
out in 1914 only third of it was do
nestle. We have not been able to
develop and equip our deposits fast
enough to make these English clay
imports unnecessary. In fact it is
doubtful whether we will produce as
much high grade clay in 1918 as we
did in 1917. Our manufacturers want
the clay but they cannot get any
where near as much as they want
The reduced output is due to railroad
and operating conditions and is not
related to the character or size Of the
deposits which are capable of large
production.
Domestic producers do not mine
their clay quite as clearly as their
British competitors. Nor Is the do
nestle clay uniform in character. 1t
will not bring the high prices paid for
English clay. But more could be sold
If it could be produced and carried
to it's market Still more could be
marketed if cleaner and more uniform
clay were produced, for in that event
the consumers would use a greater
of domestic and correspon-
dinghy less English clay in. their mix
lures.
However, our complete dependence
upon English clay continues. We must
rely on English clay as chief ingre-
dent of the dishes we eat from, the
paper in our books and magazines, the
porcelain in our electric light sockets
and half dozen other articles of less
general use.
Fortunately 1t is fact that far less
English clay is necessary to proper
manufacture of paper than is now
used. Besides domestic clay there are
many other substances of domestic
origin that could be used in the body,
not the finish, of this paper. Also
over half Of the English clay we use is
consumed in making paper. So that
If shortage of English clay should
develop it would not be highly serious
until the shortage became very great.
until there was only half of the nor
NAL supply or less available.