540 

particularly since Italy joined the Allied countries. 
In 1913 it is estimated that Germany’s consump- 
tion was 265,000, and Austria-Hungary’s 50,000 
tons; their united production was 29,400 tons. 
There is no means of estimating the War demand 
for this metal in these countries, to which, of 
course, Turkey must be added. It is quite cer- 
tain, however, that its use is being rigorously 
restricted to purposes for which there is no sub- 
stitute, and it is extremely probable that large 
stores were accumulated before the war. The very 
high price that Germany has recently been willing 
to pay for copper shows nevertheless that her re- 
serves have been considerably depleted. Two 
things may be stated with confidence. The first is 
that all her copper mines, mills, and smelters are 
being worked to their utmost co-ordinated 
capacity, the second that her technical metal- 
lurgists will have endeavoured to find a substitute 
for copper shell bands. 
Aerial warfare has enthroned aluminium as par 
excellence the munition metal for this purpose, 
but its war usefulness is by no means confined to 
the construction of aircraft. One of the greatest 
metallurgical achievements of the last century was 
the adding of aluminium to the metals of every- 
day life. Thirty years ago the world’s annual 
production was 5500 lb. ; in 1913 it was estimated 
to be 173,175,000 lb. In this time it has risen 
from a rare metal to a yearly tonnase exceeded 
only by iron, lead, copper, zinc, and tin. To 
quote Prof. J. W. Richards (“Mineral Industry,” 
1913, p- 14):—“It can confidently be antici- 
pated that by the middle of this century it will rank 
next to, or even ahead of, copper. It is already 
cheaper than tin, pound for pound, and cheaper 
than copper per unit of bulk or per unit of elec- 
trical conducting power, while the range of its 
applications and usefulness is extending more 
rapidly than that of lead or zinc.” 
One of the less well known uses of aluminium 
is as a constituent of the bursting charge for 
shells. “Ammonal” is an explosive the con- 
stituents of which are ammonium nitrate and finely 
divided aluminium. It is not a propellent explo- 
sive, such as cordite or other of the smokeless 
powders; its disruptive effect is too great, and its 
explosion too sudden. But this very fact renders 
it suitable as a bursting charge for shells, and 
Austria-Hungary is using it for filling the shells 
for the howitzer batteries. The United States and 
Canada produced nearly half the world’s output 
of aluminium in 1913, the remainder being fur- 
nished in almost equal amounts by France, Great 
Britain, and Switzerland, leaving out of account 
a tonnage of 800 produced in Italy. So far as the 
Allies are concerned, therefore, they are in a much 
better position than the enemy countries with 
regard to the supply of this metal. Moreover, 
France contains the most suitable European de- 
posits of the raw material of manufacture, viz., 
bauxite. The Swiss production is available for 
the enemy countries, and it is known that Germany 
has since the war become a producer of the metal. 
Next there is zinc, the metal of which the selling 
price has appreciated to five times its pre-war 
NO. 2385, VOL. 95| 
NATURE 


[JULY 15, 1915 
figure. Originally only two-fifths the price of 
copper, it is now decidedly above it, in spite 
of a marked appreciation in the price of copper 
itself. The most important munition uses of 
zine are as a constituent of cartridge brass and 
shell fuses, and as a covering for iron barbed-wire 
fencing. In 1913 the principal producers of the 
metal were the United States, Germany and Bel- 
gium; whereas, however, the first-named smelted 
domestic ores, the two latter relied mainly on zine 
concentrates imported from the Broken Hill mines 
in New South Wales, where, owing mainly to the 
high price of labour, it does not pay to smelt the 
ore locally, or even in the country. France, Spain 
and Great Britain also produce substantial 
amounts, though not enough for their own needs. 
Although the importation of Australian ore into 
the enemy countries is now stopped, they have 
considerable supplies of local ore both in Silesia, 
Hungary, Carinthia, and Tyrol. Unfortunately 
for Great Britain her zinc-smelting furnaces are 
not well adapted for dealing with Broken Hill 
concentrates, and there are upwards of 80,000 
tons seized in enemy shipping which are lying idle 
in our yards in this country. She is in the unsatis- 
factory position of having to draw upon the United 
States for the bulk of her supplies. The shortage 
of domestic zinc is bound to continue unless works 
are built and operated which are capable of dealing 
with the zinc concentrates from Broken Hill. It 
is therefore of national importance so long as the ° 
war lasts that the use of zinc, whether as such or 
for alloys, should be restricted to purposes for 
which this metal is absolutely necessary. 
Lead calls for only brief mention. Germany is 
a very large producer, and her output with that 
of Austria is sufficient for the requirements of the 
enemy countries. Australia is the largest pro- 
ducer among the Allies, who, however, do not 
furnish enough for their needs, and draw upon 
the United States, Spain, and Mexico. The 
shrapnel bullet is a lead-antimony alloy, the anti- 
mony producing the requisite hardening and 
embrittling effect. In spite of the fact that the 
shrapnel shell is much less suitable than the high- 
explosive shell for the offensive land operations of 
the present war, the price of antimony has appre- 
ciated almost as much as that of zinc. The normal 
annual world’s production is less than 20,000 tons, 
of which China furnishes two-thirds and France 
the bulk of the remainder. Before the war Hun- 
gary was producing about 800 tons per annum, 
but doubtless this amount could be substantially 
increased. 
Tin as a constituent of tin-plate, the various 
anti-friction metals, solders, and Admiralty gun- 
metals, is a munition metal of no small import- 
ance, the world’s normal annual output being 
about 120,000 tons. Of this the Federated Malay 
States produce about half from native ore, in addi- 
tion to exporting ore which is smelted in various 
European countries; England comes next as a 
producer of the metal, although 75 per cent. of her 
output is derived from imported ores; then follow 
Banca, Germany, Australia, Billiton, and China in 
the order mentioned. The enemy countries have 


