THE IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY OF BRITAIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3313, 12 September 1917, Page 25

THE IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY OF BRITAIN.

THE RELATION OF NEW ZEALAND TO IT. The British Department of Scientific and Industrial Heseareh—at the instance of the Advisory Council, has published a report, dated May, 1917, on "lhe Resources and Production of iron Ores and Other Principal Metalliferous Ores used in the Iron and Steel Industry of the United Kingdom." The report is drawn up by Mr G. O. Lloyd, secretary of the Iron and Steel Institute, and it "bristles with interesting and useful information. In connection with the mineral wealth of New Zealand, its facts are of great value to this dominion.

The industry is a colossal one, and deals with gigantic figures. Professor Louis, of Armstrong College, Newcastle, estimated (in 1910) the availablo iron ores of Great Britain and Ireland at 39,500,030,000 tons—a figure which he concludes is below the mark—but much of this is not workable on a commercial basis. The total amount of ore smelted in Britain in 1913 was 24 million tons, of which 16 millions were produced in Britain, and the balance imported—Spain contributing more than half. The quantity of pig-iron produced was over 10 million tons, which quantity was the third largest amount in the world's production;—the United States coming first with nearly 31 milllion, and then Germany with over 19 milbon tons.

In the dominions valuable ores occur in Newfoundland, Canada, India, South Africa, Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, the principal here being the Parapara deposit and' the New Plymouth ironsands. The Parapara deposit is estimated to contain about 64 million tons of ore, averaging nearly 35 per cent, of metallic iron. Tho titaniferous sands of New Plymouth have never been estimated, but they are measurable in millions of_ tons, and tho average composition is titanium oxide 9 2 per cent., ferrous oxide 40.68, and ferric oxide 36.05 per cent. This means over 48 per cent, of metallic iron, and about 5.5 per cent, of titanium. " Speaking of iron oro deposits in foreign countries Mr Lloyd says: "With reference to the iron ore deposits in the United States the economic and industrial conditions render it unlikely that those ores will ever be imported! into Britain, bo far as the iron industry of tho United Kingdom is dependent on tho iron resources of other countries, any supplies drawn from the United States will probably always bo in the form of pig iron or semi-finished and finished iron goods Tho iron ore .resources of Germany and Austria have also not been touched upon here. Both countries have large resources of good ore, which, however, are never likely to be utilised in the British industry. Th« rate of production of iron in Germany is already not sufficient to supply tho needs of tho iron smelting works, and she largely supplements her supplies of oro from Sweden and France, and in ordinary times also, from Spain and Algeria. Before the war Germany depended almost entirely on the Swedish, Spanish, and Algerian ores for tho manufacture of hematite iron: _ Ferro-chrome, an alloy of chromium and iron, is manufactured in Great Britain in two works—at Newcastle and Liverpool. Its manufacture is a result of the utilisation of the electric furnace. In 1902, when this became a practical success, the market price was about £6O per ton, but in 1912 it had fallen to £l4. In tho latter year an international Ferro-Chrome Syndicate was formed tho head office of which was m Paris. All the important European producer's were included in the syndicate, but tho United States was left out for the reason that the whole of the American output was absorbed by inland consumers, and the prohibitive tariff prevented imports. The manufacture has been considerably developed in Britain since 1914. Chromium finds its most important application in the steel-making industry, as an alloy with steel for guns, armour plate, and tool steol. Tho ore itself is also used as a refractory material for tho lining of metallurgical furnaces. Forro-chrome contains from 60 to 70 per cent, of chromium, 25 to 35 of iron, and from 1 to 8.5 per cent, of carbon, its price varies with the proportion of carbon. In 1916 tho price per unit for 60 per cent, chromium was 10s, for 8.10 per cent, carbon, up to 40s for a maximum of 2 per cent, carbon. Chrome iron ore occurs in the Dun Mountain district of Nelson, in northern Otago, and in south-west Otago from Jackson s Bay along the Chromo and Red Hill ranges, when- it probably is tc be found in quantity but tho country is at present inaccessible. No oro was shipped until 1900, when a deposit was opened at Croisilles Harbour, near Nelson, and 28 tons were exported. In 1902 175 tons were exported, but since that dato all exports have ceased Manganese is used in the Bessemer steel process; it is added to spiegeleisen—an alloy with iron carrying from 10 to 40 per cent, of manganese; or as ferro-manganese with from 40 to 80 per cent, of tho latter metal. It is also used in making manganese steels, to which it imparts great toughness and hardness. India and Russia aro tho most, important producers of manganese ore. In New Zealand the metal occurs as psilomelane, a hydrated oxide, and has been found at the Bay of Islands, Waiheke, Wellington, Taieri Mouth, and elsewhere. During the' period 1878 to 1910 the production of ore in this country was 19,364 tons; in 1910 is was only 5 tons, and no figures have been published since. Tho present unit price is to 9d, tho cheap Indian production regulating tho price. Molybdenum is a somewhat rare metal, used in tho production of speciail kinds of steel, and the principal ore—molybdenite— is tho sulphide, containing, when pure, 60 per cent, of the metal. Th* grade of .this oro runs from 1 to about 6 per cent, of molybdenite, 1 per cent, being considered high grade ore, and a half jer cent, profitable, if it can bo easily mined. The ore requires concentration on the spot whore it occurs, otherwise the cost of transportation makes any profit impossible. In Australia, where the largest occurrences of molybdenum exist, tho preparation is carried out till the concentrates contain about SO per cent, of pure ore. In 1911 the average market price for such concentrates was about £ll2 per ton. In 1916 the quotations wore £5 5s per unit for 95 per cent, molybdenite, or about £498 per ton. The increased demand in the first half of 1914 is attributed to the dicovery in France of a process for tho preservation of cordite in hot climates against its normally mpid

deterioration. This development mainly accounted for the rise in price to about five times that which prevailed in 1913. In Now Zealand molybdenite vas discovered in 1898 at the Iron Gap mine and Tarauru, Thames, where it occura in pockets and stringers. It has also been reported from Dusky Found and Mount liadiant. Wulfenite. 'which is a molybdate of lead, containing when pure 26 per cent cf the metal, is known to occur in Dun Mountain, Nelson.

Tungrten is chiefly used for alloying in the manufacture of high-speed steel, but about 3 per cent, of the world's output is devoted to tho manufacture of tungsten filaments for electric lamps. Burmah yields tho largest quantity of it in the form of wolframite (containing over 79 per cent, of the metal), which is concentrated up to 60 per cent of the oxide. Prior to tile war all of this went to Hamburg, and tho whole of the tungsten metal used in the British Empire came back from Germany. In New Zealand, wolframite offurs in Stewart Island and in West Nelson, but has not been found in sufficient quantity to be profitably mined. On the other hand, scheelite—a calcium tusigstate, containing when pure SO per cent. of tungsten trioxide.—is widely distributed in the South Island. The chief mines are near Glenorchy, Lake Wakatipu, and on Macraes Flat; but it is found near Alexandra, fragments of it occur in many part/; of Otago, and there is a small deposit in the Wakamarina Valley. North Marlborough. These deposits are found in schist rocks, often associated with gold. The quantity of tungsten concentrates, averaging 70 " ocr cent, pure scheelite, exported during 1915 was 194 tons, valued at £27,784. Last year it was 226 tons, -valued at £49.070, while the total amount mined during the year was 258 tons. The Imperial Government takes the whole of the scheelite produced at a fixed import price of 55s per unit (equal to £192 10s per ton), and on this it advances up to within five points of the value as shown by tho New Zealand analysis. From tho report of the Department of Imperial Government Supplies we learn that the agreement with mincowners expired on December_ 31, 1916, but at the request of the Imperial authorities it was extended to August 31, 1917. One marked effect of the requisition of scheelite has been the increase of producers from five recognised companies operating at the beginning of the scheme to 40 syndicates, companies, and private producers furnishing supplies of the oro to the Imperial Government through tho department. Consideration of the whole report shows the advisability of further scientific prospecting for rare as well as for the commoner minerals. It shows also that industries formerly allowed to slip into the hands or the" Germans are being Strongly developed in Great Britain, and, once established, it is not likely that they will be lost hold of again.