During the war, when overseas chromite was not available, Germany was enabled by her relations with Turkey to obtain chromite from Asia Minor, and probably from chromite mines in Serbia, Hungary, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. Thus in time of need, when the usual overseas sources of supply were cut off, Germany, through her relations with neighboring countries, was able to obtain by land sufficient chromite to supply her ordnance requirements. Had the war continued Germany would doubtless have developed the chromite resources of the Urals, and those, together with the deposits of Asia Minor, even in their present state of development, could have kept Germany supplied indefinitely.
It is probable that German control became important in the mines of Asia Minor during the war. By relatively small improvements in transportation facilities, such as building branch railroad lines to the principal deposits, the chromite mines of Asia Minor might be rejuvenated to such an extent as to enable the ores to compete with Rhodesian and New Caledonian ore and to place them again among the world’s large producers. The deposits are large and the reserves rank in importance with those of Rhodesia and New Caledonia.
Russia.
—Russia is independent as far as her requirements of chromite are concerned. Out of her production of about 20,000 tons annually, the domestic industry consumes less than one-fourth and the rest is available for export to nations less favored with chromite resources.
Most of the chromite used in Russia goes into the manufacture of chrome chemicals. The Russian bichromate works at Elabouga, east of Kazan, established in 1892, have consumed about 2,000 tons of ore annually.
SUMMARY
The political and commercial control of the principal chromite deposits of the world is summarized in the following table:
Table 27.—Political and Commercial Control of Chromite Deposits
| Country | Political control | Predominant commercial control |
|---|---|---|
| New Caledonia | French | French-British |
| Rhodesia | British | British |
| Asia Minor | Turkish | Turkish |
| Ural Mountains, Russia | Russian | Russian-British |
| Greece | Grecian | Uncertain |
| Serbia | Serbian | Uncertain |
| India | British | Probably British |
| Canada | British | United States-Canadian |
| United States | United States | United States |
| Brazil | Brazilian | United States |
| Cuba | Cuban | United States |
| Japan | Japanese | Japanese |
| Austria-Hungary | Austrian | Uncertain |
| Guatemala | Guatemalan | United States |
Great Britain and France produce in their colonial possessions chromite enough for their own needs and for export, but the United States, the world’s largest consumer, must depend, except in time of extreme emergency, upon imports, mainly from New Caledonia and Rhodesia.