New-York tribune., 1918-07-30
War May Make Tin
A "Precious MetaIn
Advances From 13 Cents >.
Dollar a Pound in Fl
Years

War has been a great preventive ~
the shipment Of tin. Although used the
world over, it is largely q Far East
product, and ship tonnage has been in
adequate to carry all the cargoes ~
this metal which are now needed. p.-
cent quotations of dollar a pound <o.
tin in the markets Of New York xuv.
gest that this highly necessary product
may soon rank with precious metals y
lin importations into the Unit.d
States according to a compilation bv
the National City Bank, of New York
averaged 1873 cents a pound in vs,na
In 1897, 27.23 cents in 1900, 1882 cents
IN 1910, 1897 cents in 1917 and so1
cents in April. 1918, responded to a
recent jump Of $50 ton in London
with quotations in the New York mar.
kets OF 81 pound for "spot Banca. !.
though the import prices above oro+sd
relate to the cost or sel}ino 49, 5oo'eS ~
the tin in the markets from which ,,o-
ported into the United States. and nn+
those IN the New York markets.
banca" tin, mined in the little isI.
ands OF Banca, just off the coast of
Java has been reaching the United
states OF late across the Pacific. i'm
stead of by way of the Mediterranean.
as under normal conditions: and this
IS also true of part of the tin of the
Malayan peninsula and the comnara.
lively small quantity of tin now being
drawn from mines in China, which are
reported at the present time as "out
OF the market on account of foods !"
winch prevent transportation to the
hong Kong smelters.
I'm continues to be, despite this re-
markabie advance in prices in recent
years, greatly in demand by the indus
trles OF the United States, chiefly for
use IN the manufacture Of tin plate, OF
Mhlch the United States is now turn
ing out over $100,00O,OOO worth an
nually. For all of this and the other
industries using tin the United States
IS dependent in large part upon the
mines on the opposite side of the
glooe, though considerable quantities
are now being drawn from our South
american neighbor Bolivia, which pro
ouces nearly one-third of the tin or
the world, but exports it as "concen-
trates' owing to lack of fuel for us.
IN smelling. 1''
|. All efforts to successfully develop
tin production in the United Ststea
winch now uses about one half of the
1ln mined in the world, have thus far
been unsuccessful. The extremely
small quantities found in Alaska and
other r, parts of the country have been
lnsufflclent to supply even 1 Der cent
OF the steadily increasing quantity "a.
qulred by our industries. The QUANTITY
OF tin imported into the United States
mas grown from 35,OO0,O 900 pounds in
do do9o to 100000 pounds in 1900, 1ol.-
ooo,oco pounds in 1910 and appfuyi-
mately l40,0O0,000 pounds in 1911. Mus
eo'ooo ~ ooo ton tons Of tin ore, valued at about
SICoOooO. This Importation of tin a.
ore IS comparatively new feature ia
our tin supply, though the United
states has been, during the last two
years, bringing tin ore for smelling in
TINS country from Bolivia, which for
merly sent all Of her tin ore to Europs
for smelling. 'p'
The value of the tin imported into
the country since the beginning of the
tin plate industry, in 1898, has agere-
gated approximately $500, 0,oO0. 600
about 80 per cent of it used in the
manufacture of tin plate, of which the
production in the United States has
grown from 100000 pounds in 1892
to l,OO0,000,000 in 1908, 1000 ,Oo0, 900 in
1912 and 2,766,4O1 ,227 pounds in 1917.