The sulphur mines are all operated by Japanese. The state reserves the right of original ownership of all minerals, except a few placer deposits. Right of working is granted to Japanese companies or individuals according to priority of application. The mining law, however, acknowledges the rights of any corporation organized by aliens under Japanese law.
Great Britain.
—Great Britain has an estimated annual by-product recovery of from 30,000 to 40,000 tons of elemental sulphur. The process of recovery is known as the Chance-Claus process, and is applied in connection with the Le Blanc soda process. It is based upon the decomposition of calcium sulphate in vat waste by means of carbon dioxide, and the recovery of sulphur from the sulphuretted hydrogen gas thus generated.
Other Countries.
—The production of sulphur outside of the United States, Italy and Japan is of minor importance.
Northern Chile has a small production of sulphur from the volcanoes of Tacora and Chupiquina. The reserves are estimated as quite large, but the high elevation (14,000 to 20,000 ft.) and poor transportation have restricted production to local uses in the vineyard districts of Chile. The production as reported had gradually increased to about 6,000 tons in 1913 and is reported to have doubled since then.
Spain produces about 10,000 tons of sulphur annually, from low-grade deposits located in the neighborhood of Almeria. The larger figures often reported are in terms of low-grade ore mined.
Austria is credited with a production of from 10 to 15 thousand tons of crude sulphur ore, probably representing only 2 or 3 thousand tons of actual sulphur.
The largest sulphur mine in Mexico is located at Cerritos, 25 miles south of Guadalcazar, San Luis Potosi. Fifteen years ago it was purchased by an American company, the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Co. It was later leased to German interests. The small output of a few thousand tons was shipped to Germany before the war. There are a number of deposits in San Luis Potosi in addition to the one at Cerritos.
It has been reported several times that a British company was about to operate the sulphur deposits of the Mexican volcano, Popocatepetl, near Mexico City. Statements regarding the deposits in the volcano are conflicting, but investigations indicate that their magnitude has been much exaggerated. Many other deposits occur in connection with local volcanic areas, but so far are of little economic value because of inaccessibility.