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TABLE XII.-Project exploration: Summary of costs of exploration work approved and exploration work completed

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1 Includes shaft pockets, stations, timbering, etc. Much of the work consisted of small, shallow winzes. NOTE. The above costs do not include allowances for amortization of equipment or rehabilitation of old workings, which amounted to a total of $388,232, or 6.47 percent of the total exploration expenditures. TABLE XIII.—Project explorations: Summary of miscellaneous data pertaining to exploration

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TABLE XV.-Summary of premiums paid and exploration costs "limited" and "project" exploration combined

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637 mines, located in 24 States, received production premiums during the period in which exploration premiums were assigned. 463 mines, located in 20 States, received "Limited" and "Project" exploration premiums. Therefore 73 percent of the mines having production premiums also had exploration premiums.

EXHIBIT 10

Salient statistics of the lead industry in the United States, 1942-48, in short tons [Data obtained from Bureau of Mines Yearbooks or directly from the Bureau of Mines]

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The considerable reduction in smelter production of lead during 1945 was due to prolonged strikes at the smelters of the American Smelting & Refining Co. A repetition of such strikes could seriously interfere with the lead supply in a future emergency.

Note 32 percent decline in the mine production of lead from 1942 to 1946, inclusive. Had war continued, production undoubtedly would have declined much further as a result of manpower and equipment shortages and the depletion of developed ore reserves. The development of ore reserves in individual mines largely was deferred in order to obtain maximum mine production under mounting difficulties. (Notations are by the subcommittee staff.)

EXHIBIT 11

Hon. WILLIAM LEMKE,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

BUREAU OF MINES, Washington, D. C., December 29, 1948.

Chairman, Subcommittee on Mines and Mining,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. LEMKE: Information on plants treating copper, lead, zinc, tungsten, and mercury with data on capacities as promised in my letter of November 24, has been completed and tables presenting it are enclosed in duplicate.

Capacity figures (reported) for copper and lead plants are measured as tons of refined metal in the case of refineries and tons of charge in the case of smelters.

It is impracticable to give capacity data for smelter in terms of metal product because plant limitations are based on the nature of the raw material treated which varies greatly in grade, amenability to treatment, etc. The raw material of refineries, however, is more nearly uniform and variations in it do not affect output to any great extent.

A new refinery, with an estimated monthly capacity of 12,000 tons, is being constructed by the Kennecott Copper Corp. at Garfield, Utah. The planned completion date has not been announced. The Phelps Dodge Corp. plans to construct a new smelter at Ajo, Ariz. The plant of the Quincy Mining Co. has been idle for some years but recent plans call for its return to service. The Copper Range Co. plant has been idle for over a year.

I am not aware of any new construction of lead smelters or refineries which would add to the enclosed list or expand the capacities listed thereon.

In general the total capacities of United States copper and lead smelters and refineries are ample for the treatment of the products of domestic mines plus imports.

In addition to the primary zinc smelting companies listed there are several which were idle throughout 1947 but could be reopened under emergency conditions. These are:

Moundsville, W. Va. : United Zinc Smelting Corp., 50 Union Square, New York 3, N. Y.; annual capacity, 22,000 short tons.

Van Buren, Ark.: Operated by Arkansas Smelting Co., Van Buren, Ark.; owned by the Eagle-Picher Mining & Smelting Co., 430 Pearl Street, Joplin, Mo.; annual capacity, 17,000.

Excessive operating costs forced the closure of the Danville (Ill.) smelter of the Hegler Zinc Co, on November 11, 1947, and the Langeloth (Pa.) plant of the American Metal Co. at the end of 1947. Only the Danville Smelter could be reopened if emergency conditions warranted. The Langeloth plant has been completely dismantled.

United States zinc smelters currently are operating at practical capacity, although affected by strikes and shortage of labor in the Southwest. Additions

to smelting facilities now under construction at Kellogg, Idaho, and Josephtown, Pa., are expected to provide 50,000 tons more capacity per year.

I am not certain as to the best way to give you the desired data on mercury, but believe that Mr. Soule probably obtained what was needed when he was in the office several days ago. At the peak of World War II production, close to 200 mines were in operation. Many of these, of course, recovered only small quantities of mercury, but each had a plant that in a sense could be called a refinery. Many of the plants were crude home-made retorts with no significance except in connection with the deposit each served. A list of the plants now standing idle is not available. Seven mines accounted for over 96 percent of the total output in 1948 and of these only two were operating at the end of the year. A few properties accounted for a few flasks each in 1948. The large mines in operation in December 1948 were the Mount Jackson, Sonoma County, Calif., and the Bonanza Mine, Douglas County, Oreg.

Data on tungsten ore custom treatment plants and on producers of ferrotungsten are presented in the enclosed table.

Work is proceeding on the other mineral reduction plants concerning which you requested information by February 1.

Please let me know if the Bureau of Mines can be of service to you or your committee in any other way.

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Copper smelters and refinreies in the United States in 1947
[Plants that treat primary crude materials exclusively or chiefly]

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Primary lead smelter sand refineries in the United States in 1947 [Plants that treat primary crude materials exclusively or chiefly]

Capacity

Location

Name and company

Smelter 1 Refinery2 (short tons) (short tons)

California: Selby 3.

Colorado: Leadville 4.

Idaho: Bradley 3.

Illinois: Alton 3.
Indiana: East Chicago '.

Selby plant. American Smelting & Refining Co.,
120 Broadway, New York 5, N. Y.
Arkansas Valley plant. American Smelting &
Refining Co., 120 Broadway, New York 5, N. Y.
Bunker Hill Smelter. Bunker Hill & Sullivan
M. & C. Co., Kellogg, Idaho.
Federal plant. American Smelting & Refining
Co., New York, N. Y.

U. S. S. Lead Refinery, Inc., 5300 Kennedy Ave.,
East Chicago, Ind. Parent company, United
States Smelting, Refining & Mining Co., 75
Federal St., Boston 6, Mass.

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Kansas: Galena 3.

Missouri: Herculaneum 3.
Montana: E. Helena 4.
Nebraska: Omaha .
New Jersey: Barber'

Texas: El Paso.

Utah:

Murray 4

Perth Amboy plant. American Smelting & Refining Co., New York, N. Y.

Galena plant. The Eagle-Picher Co., American Bldg., Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Herculaneum plant. St. Joseph Lead Co., 250 Park Ave., New York 17, N. Y.

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Omaha plant. American Smelting & Refining Co., New York, N. Y.

East Helena plant. American Smelting & Refining Co., New York, N. Y.

336, 000

200,000

144, 000

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Midvale 4 Toole

Midvale plant. United States Smelting, Refining & Mining Co., 75 Federal St., Boston 6, Mass. Toole plant. International Smelting & Refining Co., 25 Broadway, New York 4, N. Y.

250,000

300,000

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Primary zinc smelting companies in the United States in 1947

[Plants that treat primary crude materials exclusively or chiefly]

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