Vol. VIII. No. 88. 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
[April, 1902.] 97 
Copper . — The heavy fall in the price of copper which occurred during the year, owing to 
the collapse of the American syndicate, had the effect of diminishing the output, and, in 
consequence, the amount of the metal electrolytically refined will show a slight decrease 
from that of the previous year, when 210,000 tons, or 44 per cent, of the total, were thus 
treated. There were 37 refineries in operation during the year as against 42 in 1900. The 
works at Papenburg, in Germany, and in New Jersey, U.S.A., where copper is being 
extracted electrolytically direct from the ores, are still in operation, but the success of the 
processes is not yet fully established. 
Nickel . — Considerable development has taken place during the year in connection with 
the nickel industry in the Sudbury district of Canada, where three mining companies are 
now at work. Of these the Canadian Copper Company and the Mond Nickel Company 
ship the concentrated matte to New Jersey and Swansea respectively, and in the latter case 
works have been erected at Clydach for the extraction of the metal by the Mond process. 
The Lake Superior Power Company are, however, treating the ore on the spot, and large 
works have been erected at Sault Sainte Marie, where the Clergue process of manufacturing 
ferrQ- nickel alloys direct from the ores by means of an electric furnace will be tried. In 
connection with this a nickel steel rail and plate mill is also being built for an output of 
1,000 tons per day. In 1900 the Sudbury district produced ores containing-3,212 tons of 
nickel, but during last year the output of 3 per cent, ore was 700 tons per day, equal to a 
total of 6,000 tons of nickel. The Frasch nickel process is still undergoing trial at 
Hamilton, Ontario, but no information has been published concerning the progress made 
during the year. The only new development in connection with the working of the nickel 
ore of New Caledonia has been the erection of smelting and refining works at Newcastle, 
New South Wales, and in the latter colony itself extensive beds of ore are said to have been 
discovered. 
Zinc . — There is very little to be recorded concerning the electrolytic zinc industry during 
1901, as the fall in price of all the metals usually associated with zinc in its ores has checked 
development. The Hoepfner process is still in successful operation at Winnington, in 
Cheshire, and the method of Swinhurne and Ashcroft is now to be tried upon a manufacturing 
scale at Weston Point. A new method of treating zinc ores is reported from Italy, by which 
the metal is volatilised by smelting in an electric furnace, the yield being given as 1 kilogram 
of zinc per 2 E.H.P. hours. 
Calcium Carbide . — During 1900 there were over 100 carbide works in existence, but, 
as already slated, the large over-production has resulted in many of these being closed or 
devoted to other purposes. On the Continent, however, the price of carbide has continued 
low — at a little above £10 per ton, so that the accumulated stocks have not yet been disposed 
of — but the Acetylene Illuminating Company, who control the English market, still quote 
£19 per ton for delivery in the United Kingdom. The low price of carbide has given a 
considerable impetus to the acetylene gas industry and the number of lighting stations for 
small towns and villages is steadily increasing, both here and on the Continent. Another 
application to which calcium carbide has been put is as a germicide in the vineyards of Italy 
and France, where tests extending over three years are said to have proved its value for 
combating phylloxera. Carbide dust, which is sold at 10 f. per too kg., is used for the 
purpose, and that prepared from lime containing a high percentage of phosphates is found 
to be most effective, since it gives off a greater quantity of phosphorctted hydrogen on 
exposure, and the latter appears to be the real germicide. 
Chemical Products . — The works engaged in the production of alkalies and bleach were 
increased by one during the year, now numbering 31, and in several cases extensions were 
made. The Castner-Kellner mercury process and the secret process of the “Electron” 
Company appear to be the most successful methods in operation on a large scale and, together, 
produce two-thirds of the total output of electrolytic soda. A new method known as the 
“gravity ” or “ bell 55 process is, however, being tried in Germany and Austria and, up to the 
present, has given very promising results. It is said to be a simple process in which 
diaphragms are entirely done away with and a current efficiency of 86 per cent, is obtained 
in the cells. The production of chlorates by electrical processes has not showed much 
development, as the low prices which now obtain QJd. per lb. for potassium chlorate and 
3|-d. per lb. for sodium chlorate) have made the manufacture much less remunerative than 
formerly. The number of works remained stationary at eleven, and the output is estimated 
at 9,000 tons. There is little to be recorded concerning the production of hypochlorites 
and bleaching solutions by electrolysis. Such processes are almost entirely confined to 
Germany and Austria, and the trials which were being made at Bradford, with a view to the 
introduction of the method here, have been abandoned. 
Miscellaneous Products . — Some of the other products obtained electrolytically are of 
growing importance, and are worthy of mention. Carborundum and artificial graphite are 
being produced in increasing quantities ; the manufacture of compressed oxygen and hydrogen 
for industrial purposes by the electrolysis of water is also being taken up, and at present ten 
such installations are successfully at work. The Groth system of electrolytic tanning is in 
operation at Wem, in Shropshire, and at Wenersborg, in Sweden, while other large 
tanneries are about to give it a trial. The electrolytic methods of refining silver and 
parting gold are now being used in many bullion refineries. The new methods of manufac- 
turing sodium and sodium peroxide have almost completely superseded the older processes, 
and magnesium is now being produced in a similar way ; and, finally, the electric furnace is 
constantly receiving further practical applications. 
THE MINERAL PRODUCTION OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 
The concluding section of the Report on Mines and Quarries (Part iv. — Colonial and 
Foreign Statistics) for the year 1900, which has just been issued from the Home Office, gives 
a general survey of the mining industries of the world and permits us to compare the mineral 
production of the British Empire with that of foreign countries. The similar report of the 
previous year was also summarised in this Journal (Vol. vu., p. 68), and the account there 
given may be referred to for purposes of comparison. 
In the Uxrited Kingdom itself there were 4,148 mines in operation during 1900, finding 
employment for 814,517 persons, an increase of 13S mines and 50,351 persons employed, 
over the figures of the previous year ; the number of quarries under official inspection, i.e., 
those more than 20 feet deep, was 6,959, employing a total of 93,895 persons, a 
decrease of 35 quarries and 4,100 persons employed from the figures of 1899. The death 
rate through accidents at all the mines was 1*29 per 1,000 compared with 1*27 per 1,000 for 
each of the two previous years, while that in the quarries was 1*39 per 1,000 against 1*19 and 
i *00 for the two preceding years. The total value of all the minerals obtained from the 
workings is estimated at £135,957,676, while the value of the metals obtainable by smelting 
from the ores raised is given as £21,030,719, compared with ^97.470,296 and ,£18,314,75° 
in 1S99, or ^77,415,063 and £‘13,717,512 in 1898. The large increase in the value of the 
minerals raised during 1900 over that of the previous year was principally due to the higher 
price of coal, for while the output of this was increased by a little over five million tons the 
value rose no less than £38,171,469. The exports were, however, in no way checked by the 
rise in price and amounted to 44,089,197 tons, exclusive of two million tons of coke and 
patent fuel, being an increase of nearly three million tons over the previous year. Compared 
with coal, which now represents 89 per cent, of the total value of all the minerals raised, the 
other mining industries are of little importance. It may be noted, however, that the production 
of iron ore in 1900 shows a slight decrease in quantity, but an increase in value, while the out- 
put of gold from Wales has risen from 3,327 oz., valued at £12,086, in 1899 to 14,004 oz,, 
valued at £52,147, in 1900. 
The contributions of the various parts of the British Empire to the world’s production of 
coal and the most important metals during 1900 are shown in the following table, the 
quantities being given in kilograms and metric tons for comparison with the world’s output, 
but it must be borne in mind that the figures do not represent the amount of the different 
metals actually produced in each country, but the amount represented by the ore mined in 
that country. 
— 
Fine 
Gold. 
Fine 
Silver. 
Coal. 
Iron. 
Copper. 
Lead. 
Tin. 
Zinc. 
Kilos. 
Kilos. 
Metric 
Tons. 
Metric 
Tons. 
Metric 
Tons. 
Metric 
Tons. 
Metric 
Tons. 
Metric 
Tons. 
Great Britain & Ireland 
U 5 
5>936 
228,794,919 
4 , 741,835 
777 
24,755 
4.336 
9,211 
British Borneo 
684 
• — 
5 B 257 
■ — 
— 
— 
— 
British Guiana 
3,002 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
British New Guinea 
238 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
Canada .... 
41,700 
138,302 
4,837,291 
32,103 
8,582 
28,654 
— 
97 
Cape Colony 
4 
— 
201,636 
— 
6,700 
— 
— 
- — 
Federated Malay States 
478 
— 
— 
— 
— - 
■ — 
43,123 
■ — 
Gold Coast . 
374 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
India .... 
Natal (including Zulu- 
13-852 

6,216,882 
25,50° 
O 
— 
45 
— 
land) 
• — 
— 
245,203 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
Newfoundland 
75 
— 
— 
180,434 
2,928 
— 
— 
■ — 
New South Wales . 
8,746 
315,261 
5 . 595.879 
— 
6,310 
4,888 
925 
4,ioo 
New Zealand 
10,541 
10,154 
1,111,546 
— 
1 
— 
— 
— 
Queensland . 
21,027 
3 - 5 1 4 
505 . 110 
— 
340 
208 
742 
— 
Rhodesia 
2, 860 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
South Australia 
603 
3 ii 
— 
— 
5.400 
1,300 
8 
9 
Tasmania 
2,244 
108,560 
43,700 
1,549 
9,766 
13,347 
1,832 
— 
Transvaal 
14,704 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
Victoria 
23-647 
— 
214,992 
— 
— 
— 
45 
- — 
Western Australia 
43. 2 97 
894 
120,310 
6,220 
630 
51 
568 
- 
Total for British Empire 
188,491 
5 8 2,932 
247 , 938,725 
4,987,641 
41,456 
73.203 
51,624 
13.417 
Total for the World 
393 - 19 6 
5,874,284 
767,636,204 
40 , 427,435 
534,735 
787,841 
80,643 
446,373 
Total for British Empire, 
170,287* 
620,975 
5,230,063 
50,964 
47 T 48 
1899 
239 , 995 T 48 
34 , 5°7 
25,120 
Total for the World, 
1899 
476,714 
5 , 445.594 
723,239,177 
39 , 135,752 
507,047 
676,116 
74,281 
510,701 
* Exclusive of the Transvaal. 
Gold . — The gold production of the British Empire is now very much larger than that of 
any other country, amounting to nearly one-half of the total, and it will probably increase. 
Excluding the Transvaal, which appears in the table for the first time, and the figures for 
which give the output from November, 1899 to May, 1900, the production of gold during 
1900 was 3,500 kilos, greater than in the previous year. The most notable increases are 
those of Canada, from 31,670 to 41,700 kilos., and of India, from 12,616 to 13,852 kilos., 
while, on the other hand, the total output from the Australian colonies diminished, the 
largest decrease being in New South Wales, from 12,827 t0 8,746 kilos. 
The large increase in the Canadian production is chiefly due to the working of the 
Klondike goldfields, the output from which rose by 303,580 oz. to a total of 1,077,649 oz., 
or more than four-fifths of the output of the Dominion. British Columbia also shows a 
substantial increase, yielding 231,089 oz., and the production in Nova Scotia is also higher. 
There is also reason to believe that gold-mining will become an important industry in 
Ontario, though at the present time the production is not very large. During 1900 Canada 
occupied the second place among the gold-producing colonies, its output being only 1,529 
kilos, below that of Western Australia, and the importance of the industry is indicated by 
the fact that gold represented 43 8 per cent, of the total value of the entire mineral 
production. In India gold-mining is almost confined to the mines in Mysore, the amount 
obtained elsewhere being insignificant, and the value of the output is nearly double that ot 
the coal. Of the Australian colonies Western Australia is still the largest producer, but the 
remarkable increase which has occurred during the two previous years has been checked, 
and the returns show a decrease of 3 ‘8 per cent, in the output. As some of the newer fields 
are increasing their returns, however, it is hoped that the diminution is only temporary. 
The East Coolgardie field produced 737,971 oz., or nearly half the total ; the Mount 
Margaret field 145,689 oz., and the Murchison, North Coolgardie and Coolgardie fields 
each produced rather more than 160,000 oz. Victoria occupies the second place among the 
Australasian colonies, for although its output of bar gold was less than that of Queensland, 
the latter has a lower degree of fineness and represents a smaller amount of fine gold. The 
most important Queensland field is that of Charters Towers, producing nearly half the 
total output, but the metal obtained here is of poor quality, only averaging 62 per cent, of 
fine gold, whereas the Mount Morgan field, which comes next in importance, yields a far 
purer gold. The returns of the other colonies call for no special notice, but it may be 
mentioned that the method of dredging river-beds for gold, which has been so successfully 
employed in New Zealand, is now to be tried in several other places. In New Zealand at 
the end of March 1901, there were 145 of these dredges at work, and 122 under construction ; 
at the end of 1900 there were 22 dredging plants in operation in New South Wales, and the 
method is being applied in British Guiana, British New Guinea and in Canada. Outside 
the British Empire the chief gold-producing country is the United States, with an output of 
119,913 kilos., leaving 84,792 kilos, as the production of the rest of the world. 
Silver . — The production of silver in British possessions has diminished by 38,000 kilos, 
during the year, and now only forms one-tenth of the world’s total. Canada and Tasmania have 
increased their output, the former to a large extent, but there has been a large decrease in 
the production of New South Wales which has more than counterbalanced the other gains. 
Mexico and the United States are the largest producers of silver, the outputs being 1,923,331 
and 1,862,829 kilos, respectively, or together nearly two-thirds of the world’s total. 
Coal. —The British Empire as a whole still produces more coal than any other single 
country, although the United Kingdom itself now occupies second place to the United 
States. During the year under review the total British output was 247,938,725 metric tons, 
nearly one-third of the whole, but of this the colonies only contributed 19,143,806 tons. 
The total increase over the previous year was 7,943,577 tons, of which however the colonial 
share was 2,775,432 tons, representing an increase in their production of nearly 17 per cent, 
during the year. India, New South Wales, Canada and New Zealand are the largest con- 
tributors, together producing more than 17,700,000 tons. The output of India is increasing 
rapidly and now stands at 6,216,882 metric tons, of which about three-fourths are mined in 
Bengal. The imports of coal, chiefly British, only amount to 333,000 tons annually, so that 
the production is nearly sufficient to supply the wants of the country. The other three 
colonies also show substantial increases in their coal production ; New South Wales possesses 
the most important Australian coalfields, and its output is over five-and-a-half million tons ; 
in Canada the most important fields are situated in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, which 
produce about 64 and 29 per cent, respectively of the Dominion’s output, while in New 
Zealand, where 167 collieries were at work in 1900, the largest mines are near Westport on 
the west coast of Middle Island. The amount of coal obtained in the other colonics is 
