THE WORLD'S IRON ORE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 46, 31 March 1914, Page 10

THE WORLD'S IRON ORE.

200 YEARS'.SUPPLY. r In 1912 the world 's " output of ira'ri ore "was about 152 million 1 ionsf,'; thd principal producers being the United States, Germany, Francey the United' Kingdom and Spain, in the order given; these five countries - produce ( about six-sevenths of the wdrld's output. Since 1896 the output 6f'Germany has outstripped that of the ynitetl Kingdom, and since' 1902, with the exception of the years 1904, 1908 snd 1911, the output of the United States has considerably exceeded that of the. United Kingdom and Germany com.biried. The maximum output 'in this country was reached in 1882, when it amounted to over 18 million tons.. The average output in the -years 1908-12 was about 15 millions tons per annum. ~

It is interesting to note that . Panada, Australia, Newfoundland "anil India are all producing iron; \Newfoundland's output is over a'million tons, and that of India in 1912 was 580,000, Spain exports, nearly the whole of her iron; Belgium ,imports almost tde whole of the iron ore she requires. The United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States are all importing countries, though- in different degrees. Our exports are and we derive about three-tenths of the ore we utilise from abroad. The United States is nearly, independent of foreign supplies. The total quantity of pig-iron produced, in the world in 1912 was about 72 million tons, the United States, Germany and fhe United Kingdom, in/fcjie order named, accounting for ninths of the total. .? T v'

Steel was produced in 1912 to the. extent of about 72 million, tpns, the United States, Germany and the' United' Kingdom being responsible for over' 55 million tonsj ' The following interesting estimates of the principal ore resources of -the world are given:- ' f . Million tons. United States .. .. .. 4258 ; .Germany .. .. .. 3878 United Kingdom. " ... 1300 France ... ... .. 3300 . Spain .. .... .. 711 The total for the world was estimated in 1910 at 22,408 million tons of ore, representing 10,192 million tons of iron. This would supply the world for considerably less than two centuries. .