The Washington herald., 1918-08-07
WAR TIME TIN
HIGH IN PRICE
Ore Now Sells for One Dol
lar a Pound, Says
Holland.

Not even william Mckinley. when
he was drafting the so-called McKin-
ley tariff bin, which contained q
paragraph providing for protection to
American tin plate manufacturers.
could have dreamt that the time
would come within thirty years when
tin ore would command q dollar q
pound In the markets Of the United
States. Yet by reason Of the exigen-
cies Of the war and the vast demand
for tin commodities the price has
gradually advanced from about Il
cents Q pound. which was approx
mately the quotation when the Nc
Kinley bill became . law. until now
there have been quotations in the
New York market Of q dollar o pound
for tin which is mined Just off the
coast Of Java This quotation, IL u
said by the Washington authorities.
places tin and iron in the place Of
honor beside steel, for the raw ma
terials, iron and tin. are now Of
greater value to the United States
and probably to the world as far as
production of commodities IL con-
cerned than 10 either Of the precious
metals, gold or silver. So far as pro-
duction Is concerned, We can get
hlOnk WlluOul bOios puI "S SohhSe
maintain and increase our productive
capacity unless we have ample sup
plies OF iron and tin.
Experts Appraise Fields.
Soon after the Mckinley bill became
law, experts were sent by men OF
capital to various parts Of the United
States 30 that II could be learned
whether there were any tin mines In
the United States large enough to
supply the tin plate manufacturers
with the raw material Some Of the
politicians, who were prominent In
the party then in power. were per-
suaded that in the far northwest tin
deposits had been discovered which
promised abundant yield. The ex-
pectation was that II sufiicient capi-
tai were invested In the development
of these mines the United States
raw material which 1t was supposed
she did not possess. The politicians
did make some investment in those
tin mines in the far northwest. but
without avail. There came reports
that tin had been found in Alaska
but these received little attention. At
pTCSChl lAlc SniNCo oN6eCS a.
producing tin products OF the money
value of a hundred millions a year.
But II has been found necessary In
order to maintain this manufacture
that tin be imported from other parts
trolled almost all Of the tin mines
Of the far east and It was that con-
troll which, until Bolivia came to our
aid a few years ago, prevented the es-
tablishment OF tin smelling plants
in the United States.
Turning to Bolivia.
After the war began. and especially
as there was increased shortage in
shipping 1t became dificult to secure
imports of tin from the far east. The
attention OF men Of capital Of the
United States was turned to the Boil
ivian tin. In that republic there are
enormous deposits Of tin ore which IL
of high grade. One of the most ro-
mantle OF any Of the narratives which
tell OF the rise in recent years from
poverty to enormous wealth of indi-
viduals Is based upon the far-seeine
capacity and the energy Of q Bolivian
peasant. who, beginning with moth
ing. at last accumulated one of the
worlds great fortunes through his
control OF the Bolivian tin mines.
From the mines, which he controls,
large exports of tin to the smelling
works In Great Britain were made
and the duty which Bolivia placed
upon the export Of this tin formed q
considerable part Of the revenue OF
that republic.
Were it not for the Bolivian mines
the tin plate industry in the United
States would probably now be seri'
ously impaired. Bolivia produces about
twenty per cent of the worlds yearly
output of tin and can produce much
more when the almost inexhaustiblt
tin mines in that republic are fully
exploited.
It is a curious fact which the seol.
ogists have sometimes attempted tc
explain that this interior republic OF
South America is the only producer
OF tin. excepting that which is OBJ
tanned from the Straits Settlement
near Java and from other parts OF
the Orient Half way around the
world from these tin mines OF the
far east. in the interior of South
America. nature has deposited tin
IL Sdplldi 10 e0ppAiCus VIII
much the greater part OF the world s
requirements.
Largest Tin Year.
Secretary Redfeld OF the Depart.
ment of Commerce recently stated
that the imports OF pig tin in the
twelve months which ended on June
30 last were the largest in the history
OF the United States. They amounted
to nearly seventy thousand long tons.
This increase reflects the growth OF
the tin smelling industry in this
country. Thirteen per cent of the
imports of tin ore in the past fiscal
year came from Bolivia and yet only
two years earlier the United States
bought no raw lin but only the finish
ed product. Now We are smelling
more and more OF the tin ore, and not
withstanding the greater importation
from Bolivia nevertheless market
quotations for the tin have increased
until quotations in the New York
market of a dollar pound for the
Banca tin are reported.
A Precious Metal.
1t has been repeatedly said since the
United States became one of the al
lies in the European war that steel
has taken the place Of gold as the
worlds most precious metal. The time
will never come when steel will match