Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-04
COPPER PRODUCERS
PLEAD FOR TARIFF
U. S. Commission Is Urged
to Protect Industry
Against imports.
ny LOUIS Y. VAN NORMAN.

While copper producers from many
parts Of the world continue their In
formal conferences In New York In all
effort 10 reach an agreement on cur
tailment Of output. domestic copper
producers are appealing 70 the Tariff
Commission TO protect their business
from increasing competition with for
eign ore.
Copper Is now on the free list. and a
tariff Is demanded by various producing
companies, supported by members OF
Congress from Arizona. which. accord
ing 70 Senator Ashurst. mines more
copper than any other State In the
Union. while this product is the only
metal not protected by the presen.
tariff"
Technical Ability.
Up L, n few years ego the extent Of
resources condition Of equipment in
tegTation with industry. available capi-
tai and technical skill for development
placed the copper industry OF the
United states In position where II
apparently had little to fear from out
side competition. During the past few
years however the exporting Of technl-
cal ability By the United States TO vari-
Gus copper ceuterg of the world. accord
ing 10 Government experts. has rem
dered the position Indicated less secure.
In the New York conferences an ef-
fort Is being made TO bring the new
South African copper Companies into
the Copper Exporters Association, Inc,
an organization which markets the
metal abroad Since the producers met
last June there has been practically no
change I'm the general situation In the
copper industry, except a further drop
OF | cent a pound In the price Of the
metal For several months. however,
there has been practically no real
market for copper.
The effort at reduction of world out
put agreed upon last year $4,000 tons
q month"; failed OF pronounced success.
IL was feared by some influential pro-
ducers that cuts in production would
result In increasing first costs. and these
initial expenditures usually rise as the
rate of output declines. Since then
production has been some 20,00n to
10000 tons month above consumption.
sending stocks to the highest level in
history.
The output of the comparatively
new African mines in Northern Rho
desia and the Belgian Kongo. as well
rs Of that OF the Canadian fields, pre-
sents special problem.
A little more than half VI the worlds
copper production is supplied by the
United States. This country, together
WIN Ciillc anu bic beiBldil hOHgO.
supplies three -fourths of the worlds
stock. Before the World War the con-
sumption of copper in Europe was
nearly double that of the United
States. Since the war America has
been using more than Europe.
Increase In Production.
With the exception of the years
1921 and 1922 there has been an al
most steady increase in the mine.
smelter and refinery output of copper
from domestic American ores. This
increase went on through 1929. The
output of domestic origin in 1880, how
ever. dropped off--30 per cent smelter
and Il per cent refinery.
The average price OF copper in the
United tates during 1929 was l7.6
cents per pound. The European pro-
ducers challenged this price, fixed by
American exporters, holding 1t to be
too high. The present price is around
Z cents. 1t is this drop in price, the
result of overproduction and other
causes, that has created the main
problems now before the industry.
The new factor of immediate inter-
est in the world copper situation is
the role, as yet uncertain, of the re-
sources in Rhodesia and the Belgian
Congo. 1t has been estimated that in
Rhodesia there are reserves which may
make possible in 1899 an annual pro-
duction Of more than billion pounds
of copper. What will be the effect OF
these new supplies when they reach
the world markets? This is what is
puzzling American copper producers
IConvrfrht 1o7I