LEAD, MANGANESE 221 



Pirie, on the north-east side of Spencer Gulf, increasing 

 quantities of this lead are smelted. 



Next in importance comes Tasmania, with her mines at Zee- 

 ham, in the rainy, mountainous county of Montagu hi the west. 



Queensland and Western Australia also have important 

 mines, those of Queensland are in the Burketown district of 

 the west as well as in the mineral belt of the east, while those 

 of Western Australia are in the Northampton Field, to the 

 north of Geraldton. 



British Columbia produces most of the Canadian lead, the 

 mines being at Kootenay, in the south of the state ; but 

 smaller amounts occur in the Yukon Territory, and in Ontario. 



Newfoundland and South Africa also have deposits of lead, 

 but their output at present is not great. 



One of the newest and most promising sources of supply 

 for the future is Burma. The silver-lead mines are at Bawdwin, 

 in the Northern Shan States, and the produce can be brought 

 down by rail to Mandalay and thence to Rangoon. 



It is estimated that the output of these mines, in addition 

 to the other empire supplies, will enable us to be entirely self- 

 supporting. 



MANGANESE is a greyish metal slightly tinged with red. 

 It is extremely hard, and brittle, and difficult to melt. It 

 is not found alone, but generally in combination with oxygen 

 (MnO 2 ) ; iron, too, is often present in the manganese ores. 



Manganese is used in colouring pottery and in removing 

 the yellowish tinge from glass ; it is used in electricity, in 

 making disinfectants, and for many other purposes, but its 

 most important use is in hardening steel. 



Manganese steel, besides being very hard, is also tough, and 

 it has no magnetic power, so that when used in shipbuilding 

 it has no influence on the ship's compass. 



SOURCES OF SUPPLY. British India 1 produces more manganese 



1 The most important mines are at Gosalpur, in the Jabalpur District 

 of the Central Provinces, but there are also mines in the Nilgiris, in Mysore, 

 in Hyderabad, and in many other places. 



