COMING SHORTAGE OF TIN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20330, 11 February 1928, Page 15

COMING SHORTAGE OF TIN.

Several times within recent years we have been warned that the world would ' soon be faced with a serious shortage o£ tin, and within the last few weeks various authorities have been predicting a positive famine of that vital metal within the lifetime of the present generation (writes Mr William Graham, M.P., to the Manchester Guardian). I have just been privileged to see a report made by one of the most eminent mining experts in the world, who has recently returned from Bolivia, on mining conditions in that country. The following extracts throw a vivid light on the subject;—‘‘There can be no doubt," writes this authority, “ that the tin output of Bolivia will begin to decline seriously within a short time, and within a few years must decline very considerablv in- . deed. The reason for this is that the majority of the tin mines in Bolivia are nearly worked out. Despite the intensive prospecting that has gone on in Bolivia for over 20 years, especially in regard to the : search for tin, it is not surprising that even with the highly-developed scientific instruments of to-day, no additional tin supplies have been found in Bolivia for over 10 years. The last Bolivian mine to ■ be developed was just over 10 years ago* In considering the exhaustion of the_ world’s tin reserves,” he goes on, “as Bolivia contributes approximately 25 per cent, of the world’s total output of metallic tin. the rapid decline in the output of Bolivian tin which will inevitably take plac e within a short time must be considered of outstanding importance.” These few sentences fully confirm the warnings given by other observers. They emphasise afresh the necessity for the utmost economy in our use of tin, a product which, in its many variedforms. affects us all very materially in our homes and at our work, and which, with a reckless disregard of consequences, vs ' waste in enormous quantities everjr %