122 A SOUTH AFRICAN IRON INDUSTRY. 



formation is lacking, and a survey of Transvaal coals with 

 respect to their coking possibilities is badly needed. 



There are, however, two alternative fuels available. 

 Although, as already stated, only a relatively very small amount 

 of iron is produced other than by coke-smelting, nevertheless, 

 there is a very considerable absolute tonnage smelted by charcoal 

 in Sweden, Austria and the United States, and by raw coal in 

 Scotland. 



With respect to the first, a small amount of charcoal, 

 though of somewhat poor quality, is already produced in the 

 Transvaal, and would doubtless be obtainable in larger quantity 

 and lower price if required — it is at present cheaper than coke. 



But in this connection Mr. Sim's paper on " The Natal 

 Wattle Industry "* gives food for thought. He estimated that 

 200,000 tons of wattle timber was burnt to waste per annum, 

 and this should be capable of furnishing 40,000 tons of charcoal 

 besides considerable by-products. 



Under the special circumstances obtaining there — i.e., 

 really utilisation of a waste product — charcoal should be very 

 cheaply produced, and enough would be available to keep a very 

 considerable iron industry in operation, since, roughly, one ton 

 of charcoal can produce one ton of iron. Charcoal iron, too, 

 is of the best quality and commands the highest price. 



But even if charcoal is neglected there is still coal to fall 

 back u]x>n, and since the Transvaal coal is, as a rule, non-coking, 

 and not undul}- given to decrepitation, it should be ]>ossible to 

 use it as a blast-furnace fuel as in Scotland, though it may be 

 somewhat high in suli)hur. 



It would ]>e by far the cheapest fuel, and there are certainly 

 millions of tons available. 



Of course, the possibility of using it in this manner could 

 only be definitely settled by actual experiment, and that would 

 cost several thousand ]x^unds ; nevertheless, being a matter of 

 such great national imjx)rtance, it certainly merits Government 

 consideration. 



It may be noted, too, that when coal is used in this manner in- 

 stead of coking- it first ; by-product plants can also be installed, 

 and tar and ammonium sulphate recovered, both being very much 

 in demand in South Africa. Indeed, in conjunction with basic 

 phosphate slag from the steel furnaces, the industry might be 

 also producing artificial fertilizers for the country's agricul- 

 turists. 



Refractory materials may be dealt with very briefly. All 

 required firebrick, of whatever character, can be produced of 

 (juite satisfactory quality by existing works in the TransvaaU 

 all required material being locally obtainable. 



Very much the same can be said of the structural materials, 

 of which cement and ironwork would constitute a large part. 



*Rept. S.A. /^ssn. for Adv. of Sc, Maritzburg (1916), 279-301. 



