According to J. E. Orchard[[17]], the commercial control (financial) of the world’s output of platinum of 267,233 oz. of 1913 was divided as follows: France, 74 per cent.; Russia, 18 per cent.; United States, 4 per cent.; British Empire, 2 per cent.; other countries, 2 per cent.; whilst the political control (territorial) was divided as follows: Russia, 93 per cent.; Colombia, 6 per cent.; other countries, 1 per cent.
ASIA
India
Traces of platinum and iridium have been noticed in association with the gold obtained from native workings at Bonai City. The gold occurs in a deposit of iron oxide, which forms the cementing material in a hard stratum of quartz pebbles. The oxide is separated by pounding, and then washed away to extract the gold. The proportion of platinum to gold is probably less than 1 to 20.
Platinum occurs, associated with gold, in the gravels of the Irawaddy River in Burma. A small quantity of platinum is obtained at Myitkyina by the Burma Gold Dredging Company. During the years 1911–13, 152 oz. were won by this company. In 1915 the output was 17·7 oz., and in 1916, 9·25 oz. In 1917, 4 oz. only were produced[[18]]. Owing to the cessation of the golddredging operations at Myitkyina, Burma has ceased to produce platinum, the quantity recovered during the year 1918 being only 0·31 oz.[[19]].
It has also been located with iridosmine in the auriferous gravels of the rivers draining the slopes of the Patkoi Ranges, both on the Assam and Burma sides[[20]].
AFRICA
Rhodesia
Platinum has recently been located in the Gwelo district, about 6 miles north-east of Indiva siding, where it occurs in the great dyke of norite, which is here about 4 miles wide. A. E. V. Zealley, the late assistant Government geologist, made this occurrence the subject of a special report[[21]].
The country rock is a serpentinized dunite. The deposit is capped by a ferruginous siliceous gossan from 4 to 5 ft. wide, which may be traced on the surface for about 100 ft., and is comparable to a fissure vein. The gossan consists largely of hæmatite and chalcedony, with occasional veinlets of copper and nickel minerals. Although the presence of platinum in the ore could not be detected by panning, the possibility of its occurrence on geological grounds was considered, and a sample of concentrate from an unstated amount of ore was forwarded to the Imperial Institute for analysis. The sample was found to contain platinum to the amount of 1 dwt. 20 gr. per ton. A report on the further development of this deposit is awaited with interest.