138 MANUFACTURES OF RUSSIA. 



xIrticles of zinc, tin, lead and their allots. 



The wares of this category are far from having the same importance in the 

 industry of metals as those of brass; a secondary place is allotted to them, however, 

 not only in Eussia but abroad. Moreover, it should be mentioned that as tin and lead 

 are worked in insignificant quantities in Eussia, foreign materials are exclusively used 

 for the manufacture of such goods. Zinc too, although its casting was long ago be- 

 gun in the Vistula governments, rich in zinc ores, is imported in rather considerable 

 quantities, which in 1889 began to exceed even the amount of internal product; the 

 latter fluctuated between 220,000 and 280,000 pouds for the last decade and was unable 

 to satisfy the home demand. 



The need of zinc, as an integral part of latten and green copper, has evidently 

 increased of late years, as the import of copper in bars has also constantly increased, 

 notwithstanding the growth of copper wares in Eussia and the high duty paid 

 thereon. Moreover, the rapidly increasing manufacture of cast zinc articles should be 

 considered. Due to the universal use of kerosene lighting of late years, even in the 

 villages, a large demand for lamps followed, the standards and fixtui'es of which are 

 mostly cast from zinc. 



Furthermore, zine is now often substituted for green copper in the manufacture 

 of different small household articles. The fashion for zinc figures and various orna- 

 ments now in vogue called forth the organization of several establishments in St. Pe- 

 tersburg, Moscow and Eiga for the making of such articles. 



The use of sheet zinc also increases constantly ; it is more and more employed 

 in house building, for example, for cornices, eave troughs, gutters, columns for the 

 balconies, and the like. Lately a new branch of the industry was introduced into 

 Eussia, namely, the plating of zinc sheets with nickel; such sheets are used for 

 sponging woollen stuffs, and were formerly always imported. The value of the zinc 

 manufactures amounts approximately to 2,500,000 roubles. 



As to the articles made of lead, they are not very diverse; tubes, lead pipe, 

 shot and bullets are the principal; bottle capsules and lead foil come next. Lead in 

 alloy with antimony is used for type; in alloy with tin, for kitchen ware. The an- 

 nual import of lead for the last few years exceeded 1,000,000 pouds, and in 1892 it 

 was 1,600,000 pouds, the internal le id works in Siberia, in the Caucasus and on the 

 Kirghiz steppes amounting only to 50,000 pouds. Thus, Eussia yearly consumes lead 

 to the amount of nearly 4 million loubles, reckoning the metal at 2.50 roubles per poud. 



Type is the most costly article produced from lead; its average price is 20 

 roubles per poud; the price of the other articles, as lead pipe, shot, bullets, bottle 

 capsules and lead foil, does not exceed, on the average, even double the price of the 

 raw metal. Thus, the yearly value of lead manufactures can be fixed at about 6 mil- 

 lion roubles. 



Tin is rarely used alone. A sufficiently large quantity of it goes to the 

 manufacture of tin plate; moreover it is used as an integral part of bronze, and for 

 tinning, soldering and the like; therefore, the value of tin must be considered as en- 

 tering into the price of different bronze goods. Articles of britannia, that is, an alloy 

 of tin and antimony, are not made in Eussia, and their use is very limited. They 



