The Dutch control the smelters, having a capacity of 16,000 tons, of their East Indian colonies, but the annual output of ore from these colonies is equivalent to 20,200 tons of tin, so that an excess of 4,200 tons must be smelted elsewhere, and most of this goes to the smelters in the Straits Settlements, which are English owned.
Chinese capital controls smelters that are seemingly capable of handling the entire output of China, about 12,000 tons of tin a year.
American capital, since the war, has developed tin smelters in the United States and Bolivia, which have an annual capacity of 18,000 metric tons. This capacity is being enlarged and should be able shortly to take care of the entire Bolivian tin output, provided it receives the ore. But Chilean capital has built a smelter at Arica which could handle about 10 per cent. of the Bolivian output, and if this smelter is favored by Chilean mine owners the American smelters may find themselves short of ore.
German capital is interested in tin smelters in Germany that have a producing capacity of 15,000 tons a year. All of the ore treated must be imported, but it hardly seems possible that much ore from outside sources can be expected for some time, as the smelting capacity of the world exceeds the output of the mines.
The tin-smelting capacity of the world is approximately 154,000 tons, whereas the world’s production of tin ore is equivalent to approximately 130,700 tons. It is evident that, unless greater production is forthcoming, some smelters will be idle, and it is a reasonable surmise that neither the British nor Dutch smelters will lack ore. The United States, owing to its favorable situation with respect to Bolivian supply, may hope to have a large part of its smelter capacity at work, though there is some question whether enough ore will be available to assure the maximum operation of the tin smelters in the United States.
POSITION OF THE TIN-CONSUMING COUNTRIES
Great Britain produces more tin than she consumes and is therefore in a position to dispose of tin to the rest of the world. From a study of import and export tables it seems that England consumes about 20,000 tons of tin a year and that she imports about 55,000 tons and therefore has 35,000 tons for export. She is in position through her large political and commercial control of tin deposits and smelters to practically dictate the world’s tin policy.
The Dutch colonies produce about 16 per cent. of the world’s tin, and as Holland is normally a very small consumer of tin, she has supplied a considerable part of the tin used in Germany and the United States.
Prior to the war a considerable tin-plate industry, dependent on foreign tin, was built up in southern Russia. The consumption was about 8,000 tons of tin a year, which was largely supplied by Great Britain, Holland, and Germany. If this industry is maintained Russia will still be under the necessity of importing considerable tin.
Tin users in Germany, who, before the war, apparently consumed about 22,000 tons of tin, must purchase all supplies from others. Before the war the principal supply of tin ore was Bolivia, and of metallic tin the Dutch East Indies. It seems reasonable that Germany’s supply of Bolivian ore may be curtailed in the future, as the United States is now in position to treat the ore, and freight rates should favor shipments of Bolivian barilla to the United States rather than to Germany. Whether the German tin-smelting industry will survive or not remains to be seen.