256 BAOWN A HERON: GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OE TAVOY. 



of tungsten minerals as much as possible : all wolfram or seheelite 

 produced in the Empire was earmarked for despatch to the United 

 Kingdom, and all shipments reaching British ports were taken over 

 by the Government at a fixed rate of 55 shillings per unit of W0 3 

 on a basis of 65 per cent, ore, and were distributed to manufacturers 

 through brokers appointed for the purpose. The price was raised 

 at a later date to GO shillings per unit. 



It should be explained that the tungsten minerals are sold on 

 the basis of their tungstic acid or WO a content, the best concen- 

 trates containing from 65 — 70 per cent. The price of the ore per 

 ton thus depends on the number of units of W0 3 present. Over 

 the years 1897 to 191 1 the price fluctuated between a minimum of 

 9 shillings per unit and a maximum of 51 shillings. 



In September 1915 it was intimated in Tavoy that a largo increase 

 in the output of wolfram was necessary for munitions purposes. 

 Mr. W. B. Brander, C.B.E., was placed in charge of the district 

 with special powers to help on this end. He was assisted by a 

 number of other officers of the administrative and technical services. 

 At a later date an Advisory Board was formed. Coolies were 

 imported in large numbers from China, India and the F. M. S. 

 A Protector of Chinese labour was deputed to the district. An 

 elaborate programme of road construction to help transportation 

 was undertaken. A bank was opened to facilitate exchange and 

 monetary transactions. Geological and mining officers toured the 

 mines and gave free advice to anyone in need of it. A Government 

 assay office was installed and a systematic geological survey of the 

 district commenced and in due course concluded. Numbers of 

 firms with capital and skilled engineers at their disposal took up 

 concessions and the general result was the largely increased output 

 registered from Burma. This rose from 1,688 tons in 1913, to 

 4,480 tons in 1917, and from the beginning of the war year to the 

 end of 1918, no less than 17,642 tons of a total value of £2,323,000 

 were exported. Of this tonnage of wolfram concentrates over 

 14.000 came from the Tavoy field. 



The American output, under the stimulation of an uncontrolled 

 price, which reached a maximum of 93 dollars a unit, or six times 

 the price offered in the Empire, in 1916 rose to over 5,900 metric 

 ton? of 60 per cent, concentrates, and there was a corresponding 

 incr 886 in all other producing countries, so that the world's produc- 

 tion of about 8,000 tons in 1914, rose to 12,000 in 1915, 23,000 in 



