—Tin belongs to a group of minerals that are classifiable together by the fact that they are not of widespread distribution, but are found in really commercial quantity only on a few spots of the globe, and yet are absolutely necessary for our industrial civilization. Such also are chromium, platinum, potash salts, nitrates, and nickel. Of this political-commercial group, tin is an important member. It is noteworthy of this group that the United States is not the lucky holder of the first prize in any of these cases. In the case of chromium, it is mainly the French and British colonies, of platinum it is Russia and Colombia, of potash salts it is Germany, of nitrates it is Chili, of nickel again the British and French colonies, and in the case of tin it is southeastern Asia and Bolivia.
The United States produces less than one-fifth of 1 per cent. of its requirements, and its control of foreign tin resources through mine ownership is negligible. On the other hand, the United States consumes over half the tin of the world, and is the largest manufacturer and distributor of tin products. The tin-mining and smelting industry of the world is dominated by Great Britain.
Tin is used in the manufacture of tin plate, in solder, brass, and many other essential uses, and no satisfactory substitute is available. In war as well as peace, tin cans are as necessary as rifles. Aluminum is the most likely possible substitute for tin in containers, and the United States controls the aluminum industry. About 68 per cent. of the tin is produced at present from southeastern Asia and neighboring islands, 21 per cent. from Bolivia, 4 per cent. from Nigeria and South Africa, and 3 per cent. from England. The Bolivian production will probably tend to increase.
Mercury.
—Mercury, or quicksilver, is a mineral of some importance, although by far not in the class of the last four discussed above. It is useful for drugs and chemicals; as a detonator for high explosives; as a pigment; for treating gold and silver ores; and for many other uses. The greatest quicksilver deposits in the world are in Spain. The United States comes second. The important Idria mine, near Trieste, formerly Austrian, but at last accounts in possession of Italy, takes third place. The production from the rest of the world is small. Spain, Italy, and the United States, therefore, divide the production and the control through state sovereignty. The great mine of Spain, the Almaden (the greatest in the world), is also owned and worked by the Spanish government. The Spanish government contracts, on the basis of competitive proposals, with the successful bidder for the sale of quicksilver for a term of ten years. For a number of successive periods, the contract has been awarded to the Rothschilds of London. By this arrangement the market is controlled in London; and during the war the sale was taken over by the British government. The control of the marketing of the product of this mine enables those in control to fix the price of quicksilver in the world’s markets.
Aluminum.
—An important metal at present, and one bound to be eventually still more important, is aluminum. While one of the principal constituents of all rocks, in the form of silicates, its release from that combination is so difficult that it has not been solved on a commercial scale. Since there is much more aluminum than iron in the earth’s compounds, however, there will never be a shortage, if cost is disregarded. Commercial aluminum is manufactured from the oxide, bauxite. Bauxite is also used directly as an abrasive and also as a refractory. The largest bauxite deposits are controlled politically by the United States and France, with the British Empire in a favorable prospective position. The aluminum works of the world are controlled by Great Britain, France, and Germany, and also Switzerland, Italy, and Norway. The aluminum industry of the United States and Canada is practically in the hands of one company, the Aluminum Company of America, which also holds interests in South America and other countries. The French producers of aluminum have effected a central organization through the incorporation of a selling company, L’Aluminium Française. The British Aluminium Company is the sole producer in England, and controls the Irish deposits.
THE NON-METALLIC MINERALS
Emery and Corundum.
—Abrasives are essential and important in the industries. Chief, perhaps, in the group of natural abrasives are emery and corundum, which are superior in hardness to other abrasives such as quartz, tripoli, garnet, and pumice. They are used in grinding and polishing metals—chiefly iron and steel—and glass. Commercially important deposits of emery and corundum are located in the Appalachian region of the United States, on the islands of the Grecian Archipelago (especially Naxos), in Asia Minor, India, Madagascar, and South Africa. There is little control other than that inherent in state sovereignty.