The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-20
Large Supply Of Graphite
 Needed For War Purposes

The actual mine production of crystal a notable gain, according to the United States geological survey. The total pro- duction, including stocks on hand at the mines, was about II, 100000 pounds in 1917. as against about 10,900,000 pounds in 19l6-
 Alabama was the largest producer of crystalline graphite in 1917, the amount marketed being 6,22S,os5 pounds; New York came next with a production of 2,941,o40 pounds, and Pennsylvania third with production of SM,s45 pounds. Cal ifornia, Montana and Texas also made a combined production of 545,OoO pounds.
 Amorphous graphite was produced in fs17 by five mines in Colorado, Michigan, Nevada and Rhode Island. sThe produc- ton was S301 tons, compared with 2622 tons in 1916
 Artificial graphite is also manufac- tured to a limited extent from anthra- cite coal or from petroleum coke, and is used mainly in lubricants, paints, foun- dry facings, boiler-scale preventives and battery filters, and it is particularly adapted for making electrodes, the de- mand for which has greatly increased during the last three years on account of the remarkable growth of certain elec- trochemical industries.
 According to figures furnished by the department of commerce, the imports wk graphite in 1917 amounted to 4, 6Os short tons. The imports the year before the war began were 2S,SS5 short tons The exports in 1917, principally to Great Britain, France, Canada and Italy, amounted to 2576 short tons, compared with 79S tons in 1916.
 Even at present war prices the miners in this country who are working dissem- mated fake deposits must, according to the geological surveys report, depend on their No. l and No flake for their profit The survey says: Graphite dust is merely a by-product, and is salable only at a very low price. Improved methods of graphite milling adopted dur ing the last year, promise to increase largely the production of flake of better grade. While flake graphite holds it's present prices profits can be made by a mill of almost any type, but after the war only the mills that are most efficiently managed can hope to survive. The Mada- gaScar production IS increasing rapidly and after the war domestic producers will have to meet competition from Mad agascar, as well as from Ceylon. The domestic producers, now that their prod- uct is in good demand, should adopt fixed standards for the different grades of flake, in order that, when imported graphite comes on the market more free ly, they may be better able to meet the competition, or they should so regulate their methods of milling that they may be able to prepare special grades based on the purchasers specifications.
 iThe figures available indicate that a domestic production of 10000 tone of flake graphite in 1918 is well within the capac- ity of the mills already established Or under construction. This is more than the amount of domestic material usually required by crucible manufacturers, and unless the crucible trade should use a larger proportion of the domestic product than formerly many mills will have diff culty in disposing of their graphite, and the production will not greatly exceed that of 1916.
 About s0.O0o tons of graphite suitable