Arizona republican., 1918-10-19
GOVERNMENT TAXES
 OVER THREE METALS
 NEEDED DURING WAR

Because of the alarming scarcity of platinum, iridium and palladium, strict regulations have been made by the eX- plosives regulation section of the bu- reau of mines of the department of the interior, according to information just received in Phoenix by Ed. l.. Shaw, H. censing agent for Arizona.
 Applications for the purchase of any Of these three metals must be made to MT. Shaw in the same manner as for explosives. Licenses will be issued by the war industries board The following information in regard to the scarcity of platinum, iridium and palladium have been received by MT. Shaw:
 Through the secretary of war. the chemical section of the war industries board, in February 1918, was given power to requisition platinum for gov ernment purposes. Three requisition orders have been issued, each one broader in scope than the preceding. On February 23 the first covering only 14 names was issued; on May 1 the second covering over 900 names; and on June 20, the most recent, covering 1,555 names. Negotiations for raw platinum are being carried on by the ordnance department and war indus tries board in foreign countries.
 The powers granted you under the Act of October 6, 1917, carry an apprO- priation of $300,000 and have permitted a great organization for the proper ad ministration of the Act, as the organi- Zation comprises 49 United States eX- plOsive inspectors, one in each state and each inspector has an advisory committee of from 10 to 20 men. with a statewide organization of several men to county and numbering nearly 1000 members. In addition, there are some 15,0O0 licensing agents throughout the country, and in Washington an organi- zation of some 60 persons. A penalty is provided for the violation of any of the provisions of the Act, by a fine of not more than 5000 or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both fine and imprisonment.
 Representative of-the war industries board have set forth the sudden and great increases that the government authorities had found it necessary to make in connection with platinum, etc. requirements. In fact the govern
 ment's estimate of requirements was
 only 10000 ounces in March and 69, COG in June. Their statement of stocks or hand while large, is not reassurine should the war continue for years. anC
 the Russian platinum mining be Ions
 susuended by internal revolution.
 For the year 1913 the worlds produc
 ton of crude platinum has been givel
 at about 313,000 ounces troy, while fo
 1917 only S3,000 ounces; thus at presen there is obtained from all the mine
 only 2612 per cent of the pre-war out put. In 1913 Russia was credited wit
 95 per cent of the total and in 1917 onl 50 per cent.
 Iridium is associated with platinum
 and the supply of this metal is for tn
 most part obtained from the platinum
 deposits of Russia. Platinum was dis covered in Colombia. South Americ; , in 1735. In 1910 it commanded onl from 30 to 40 cents an ounce. It wa found in Russia in 1919. In 1928 it ha a value of about s7 an ounce. Tn fluctuation in values of platinum an
 iridium from 1901 to 1914 is most nc 3 ticeable, the price per troy ounce : platinum varying from S14 to $36. Sine : 1914 platinum and it's allied meta ] have varied in price as follows: Ft Q 1914, platinum s45. iridium s65, an palladium s44; 1915, platinum S55, ir = dium SS3, and palladium S67; 19l y platinum s103. iridium $50. and palla '. dium $110; 1918, platinum S105, iridiu n $175, and palladium $135, the goverT l. ment fixed prices.
 Q The seriousness of the platinum me e als situation lies in the fact that as u . output of the mines have been decrea . ing so have the demands for essenti
 and industrial requirements-thus W;