POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL CONTROL
The British Empire, through state sovereignty, controls 75 per cent. of the present sheet-mica production of the world. In Brazil and Argentina, which have important potential resources of mica, and in the United States, political control is determined by state sovereignty.
For the most part, the ownership of mines and concessions in India has been in the hands of natives. In the Hazaribagh district, F. F. Christen & Co., an English firm, owns rights over large areas of land outside the government forest and has mined on a considerable scale. At the outbreak of the war, Germany, through commercial interests, had obtained a large measure of control over many Indian mines. S. O. Fillion & Co., of New York, is the one American firm known to be working mines in India.
The most important producing phlogopite mine in Canada, at Sydenham, Ontario, is owned and operated by the General Electric Co., of Schenectady, New York. The same company owns several other properties in the vicinity and has a large mica-manufacturing plant at Ottawa, Ontario. Other smaller interests are held chiefly in Canada.
Davol & Co., of New York, is the only foreign firm known to be actively working mica mines in Brazil at present.
Mica mines in the United States are, as far as is known, all owned by Americans.
POSITION OF LEADING NATIONS
The United States was before the war the world’s largest consumer of mica of all kinds. The development of her electrical industry is dependent upon her supply of mica, a large part of which is imported from India and Canada. Production in this country has been considerable, but has not proved nearly adequate to supply the demands, particularly the demand for the higher grades of mica for use in magnetos, radio condensers and spark plugs, and for mica splittings used in making built-up mica.
The large demands and high prices created by the war did not increase domestic production enough to warrant the belief that this country can become independent as regards sheet mica under any but the most artificial conditions. The producer is protected by a 25 per cent. import duty on unmanufactured (rough or knife-trimmed) mica and a 30 per cent. duty on cut mica, splittings and other manufactured forms. Production in this country is largely in the hands of individuals and small companies, who are financially incapable of increasing output spasmodically even under very favorable conditions. Moreover, many consumers have a decided prejudice in favor of imported mica.
If the United States is to take a dominant position in the electrical industry of the world an adequate supply of mica must be assured. The most promising field for the development of such a supply is undoubtedly South America. This is particularly true because the important development of the electrical industry in England during the war places that country in the dominating position formerly occupied by Germany and Austria. This development will require a large part of the Indian mica formerly available for export trade.