CANADA'S ASBESTOS INDUSTRY.

North Otago Times, 2 December 1911, Page 4 (Supplement)

CANADA'S ASBESTOS INDUSTRY.

■' Canada produces .82 per cent, of the ;world's supply, of asbestos, The com-, panles operating asbestos quarries.' ' and factories in the Dominion are capitalised' at nearly five million ' •pounds. Inlßßo only'3Bo tonsjof as-l , bestos were produced, valued at; , £5i000;: whereas in 1909, the produc-; tlon amounted to 63,300 tons, valued at £460,000.. In 1909 3,000 men wcro employed in, the asbestos Industry,,, and received wages amounting £270.000. These facts and much valujjp able technical information of practical value to tho general public are contained in a finely printed and well illustrated volume oi 216 pages, issued by the Mines Branch of the Do- ' partment of' Mines, Ottawa. This j valuable addition to the scries of monographs being issued under the • direction of Dr. Haancl, was written jby Fritz Cirkcl, M.8., and treats the . BUbjcct of asbestos from every viewi point: history, geology, peculiarl- ' ties in Canadian occurrences, quarrying and milling, together with staI tistlcs, cost of .extraction, its occur- v jrence'in foreign countries, and Its ; practical application in the arts and | manufactures. To give, ah idea of I the enormous reserves in some of the asbestos deposits, Mr. Cirkel mentions the case of one, the Blake Lake quarries, Quebec, where there are some 45,000,000 tons of asbestos rock in sight. The author goes fully into the discussion of foreign asbestos occurrences, and considers Russia > the only real rival as regards extent of asbestos resources, But.inasmuch as tho Russians are heavily handicapped by 'the excessive cost 0 f transportato £B,per ton to Lpndon--1 serious competition is not feared in the leading markets of the world. Dealing with the practical application of asbestos, Mr, Cirkel lays special emphasis 0 n the prospective increased use of asbestos In tho manufacture of slate. He says ;- '"lt will not-be long before the asbestos slate or shingle business, which is Just commencing to le felt, , * will push its way more and more to tho front. Indeed it is not too much to say that the time is not, far distant when fully 75 per cent, of all asbestos produced in the world will be used in the manufacture of astestos slate and shingles. The asbestos slate business is .only four years old, but during that Bhorf space of time tho demand for this article has Increased to sua an extent that factories for this purpose are being established all over the world."

The report covers over three hrndred pages, contains 66 phototnjravings, 83 drawings, and two maps cf the Qiiebos asbestos districts. It is one of tho handsomest, practical, technical reports that has been issued by tho Dominion government.