U.S. ASBESTOS INDUSTRY.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14891, 14 October 1918, Page 2

U.S. ASBESTOS INDUSTRY.

, Th© asbestos industry of the' United States is in better condition now than ever before, especially as to the .quantity axid^ the grade produced, and the' outlook is encouraging. Most of the! asbestos used in the large asbestos factories of the United States comes fromj Canada, but the growing appreciation of the high quality American fibre,' especially that from Arizona, is a wel-j come feature of the industry. The total quantity of domestic asbestos sold in 1917, according to the United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, was 1,683 short tons, valued at 506,056d01, an- increase of about 13 per cent, in both quantity and value over 191.6. Most of the domestic asbestos comes from Arizona, where the'pro-i portion of crude spinning fibre to that of-lqwer grades is much larger than in Canada, so that the average price of American fibre in 1917 was 301dol a ton, whereas the average price of that in Canada was only about 50dol.

Some years ago the opinion was expressed that as the Arizona fibre contains less iron than that mined in Canada, it is therefore better adapted to use for electrical insulation than the Canadian fibre. This opinion has lately been confirmed "oj analysis made by R. E. Zimmerman, of Pitshurg, whose investigations also indicate that the harshness of certain parts of the Arizona asbestos is due to thin films of cakite among the fibres.