PETROL AND METALS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22928, 5 January 1938, Page 12

PETROL AND METALS

SHORTAGE IN ITALY. MINIMISING DEFICIENCY LONDON. Dec. 31 Italy's domestic supplies of petrol and armament metals, except zinc, are as poor as Japan's. Intensive efforts are being made to find deposits in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland. Devices adopted to minimise deficiencies include the abolition of duties on many raw materials, the licensing of metal imports, and export premiums to promote lead output. The iron shortage threatens to become serious unless Italy can secure control of supplies. Normal home production of iron ore is under 750,000 tons yearly.

! Italy imports iron ore and scrap to make 2,000,000 tons of steel. Owing to the shortage of scrap, imports fell from 1,000,000 tons in 1935 to 400,000 in 1936.

Home production of petrol is 20,000 tons. Italy refines from imported crude oil another 750,000 tons. The total consumption is nearly 2,000,000 tons annually. . , Big plants recently were installed at Bari to treat Albanian crude oil.

Zinc production has been raised to 53,000 tons. Lead is imported mainly from Spam and Mexico, though the home output has increased. Copper is almost all imported, but is being largely replaced by aluminium in the building, automobile and electrical industries. Bauxite ore for aluminium is abundant in Istria, and water power is cheap. Italy imports 11,000,000 tons of coal yearly 'and produces herself only 1,000,000 tons, drawing mainly from Germany and Poland. Imports from Britain are now negligible.