Evening star., 1934-07-01
Tin an Important
Industrial Element
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

The passage Of the Faddis bill, pro-
hibiting for one year the expectation
of secondary tin plate clipping" ex-
cept by permit from the Secretary OF
War, and the House resolution au-
thorizing its Foreign Affairs Commit
tee to investigate sources and supplies
of tin, "in the interest Of national
defense" have attracted public atten-
ton to the importance Of this metal
in our economic life and as factor
in our national security.
Tin Is one of the few natural prod
ucts of which the United States has
practically no native supply. In our
entire history as a Nation. figures OF
the Bureau Of Mines show, we have
produced less than / 400 tons Of tin,
whereas our regular annual needs are
more than so 900 tons. We import
our supplies from foreign countries
for the manufacture Of tin and terne
plate, babbitt, and bearing metals and
solder.
As q coating In the manufacture Of
food containers, 1t has up to the
present time proved indispensable.
Our vast canning and automobile in
dustries are absolutely dependent on
tin. It has many uses in the prepara-
ton of war munitions. During the
first quarter of 1884 more than $4,000
tons were used in American industry
as against less than 10000 in the
same period in 1888. We are the
largest consumer of this metal in the
world and our annual bill for it varies
from $5o,oo0,000 to sl00,000,000.
The economic experts tell us that
we can hope to be practically self
sufficient eventually in all our basic
raw materials, except such as coffee,
tea, tin, nickel, manganese and tung-
stem. These we cannot produce in
adequate quantities. and we have not
been able to hit upon any satisfactory
substitutes for them. The chief do
mestic producer of tin Is Alaska, with
almost negligible quantities coming
from California and South Dakota.
n 4 Il 4
Most of the tin output Of the world
comes from British Malaga. More
than SIS per cent Of the worlds tin
production Is controlled politically by
the British Empire and, through
smelters and reflners. commercially
dominated by its nationals. Great
Britain handles some 80 per cent OF
the total world production of metallic
tin. In short, the British Empire is
the world seller of tin; all other
countries are purchasers.
Some years ago an international
Tin Committee organized a tin cartel
to control production. Representatives
of the five n-producing countries
Bolivia, the Dutch East Indies, Nige-
ria, Siam and the Federated Malay
States-came to an agreement In 1881
to limit production and exports by L.
cense. The cartel ran into difficulties,
however, and its future does not seem
very secure.
In the House resolution one Of the
subjects of investigation is "the extent
to which the nation, or nations. own
ing or controlling the tin resources
of the world are indebted to the
United States for sums due and un-
paid" and whether acquisition by the
United States of foreign tin resources,
Gin fair and mutually agreeable ex-
change for the debts owing the United
States by the nations owning or con-
trolling such resources, or otherwise,
would improve the present costly and
dangerously dependent position OF the
United States with respect to this
matter"
For some time there has been grow
ing in favor the idea that we might
accept in return for at least the part
Of the war debt owing us by foreign
nations some of these essential raw
materials which We do not produce
ourselves. In accordance with this
line of reasoning, Great Britain might
supply US with tin sufficient to last
US for several years.
An interesting sidelight on the way
In which world metals move in in
ternational commerce Is furnished by
tin. Recent trading operations have