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By George T. Hansen

WHY try to find oil in Utah? Why try to find oil anywhere? Isn't there too much oil already? Answers to these questions involve general oil conditions but are pertinent to my subject. In the first place oil produced in Utah up to the total amount of local consumption would not be subject to nor concerned with the national oil situation. An oil field in this State capable of producing up to 15,000 bbl. per day would have a large value and prompt realization. In the sec¬ond place, there is not too much oil nationally although the markets have been upset temporarily from time to time. Petroleum is so necessary and is in such general demand that an oil field anywhere, anytime, is a valuable and live asset. The oil business in general shows the best condition of any major industry. It has never been hit as hard as most industries and 1932 was a large improvement over its low spot of 1931. It can be and probably will be the one to lead the country back into business stability. Consumption of its products has been reduced less than that of any other important commodity. There are good and valid reasons why it should have been making a normal profit continuously. It has the oil and the processes and the facilities and the policies and the consumption of its products. There is only one reason why it has not been profitable recently and that is the lack of intelligence of from five to ten per cent of the producers. An op¬erator lacks intelligence when he cannot see that it is better for him to sell one barrel of oil at $1 than two or three barrels at 25 or 35c. per bbl.

Jan 1, 1933

By C. K. Leith

THE purpose of these conferences has been to find some basic principles to guide us in the chaos which confronts us, to arrive at elements of a national policy. None such exists, nor, as a matter of fact, have there been any concerted efforts by the public or the mineral industry to evolve one. In the absence of such a policy the administrative agencies of the government can hardly be expected to be consistent or really effective in their handling of mineral problems, domestic or foreign. Basic Facts MINERAL reserves are unequally distributed among the nations. The principal world supplies are grouped around the north Atlantic, and nearly three-fourths of the world's total is controlled politically and commercially by English-speaking people. No one nation has a complete supply of the minerals necessary for modern industry; specialization, reciprocity, and large-scale movements between the nations are inherent in nature's unequal distribution of them. The principal sources of supply are relatively few compared with the nations to be served-a fact which determines broadly certain natural outlines of the world flow. National isolation with regard to minerals can be accomplished only through backward steps in industry and lower standards of living even in the nations possessing the most of the mineral supplies. A certain measure of unified commercial control, international in scope, is a natural consequence of the limited number of the large sources of supply. Mineral supplies for the world as a whole are so large that there is little need for concern about early exhaustion, but every nation has important problems of early exhaustion of particular minerals, which must affect their policies.

Jan 1, 1933

By C. A. Heiland

NOT only has the demonstration of progress in all fields of science been characteristic of the Chicago "Century of Progress," but the manner in which the fundamentals of these sciences have been displayed captivated the visitor's eye and ear at the same time. The average individual is interested most in progress which concerns his every-day life. He is fairly well educated in medicine, biology and certain aspects of physics. But how raw materials and chiefly minerals occur, how they are located, taken out of the ground and refined, is something which appears to be more remote from the every-day line of interest, and about which, therefore, the public knows comparatively little. This is particularly true of the oil industry, although it ranks in size second only to agriculture in the United States. In appreciation of the tremendous educational value which a complete exhibit on all phases of the mineral industries would have, both mining and metallurgical as well as oil inter¬ests took steps early to make these exhibits at Chicago a reality. The board of directors of the A. I. M. E. authorized an advisory committee to the Museum of Science and Industry early in 1932. It is divided into four subcommittees - for geology and petroleum, for metal mining, for coal mining, and for metallurgy respectively. The entire committee held its first meeting in Chicago on April 11 and 12, 1932, to advise with the Museum's officials and experts about the most advantageous arrangement of the minerals industries' and geology exhibits.

Jan 1, 1933

By Howard N. Eavenson

TWO months ago, just after the coal code hearing in Washington, one of our leading liberal weeklies printed a study of the coal industry made by an economist in the Administration, and on the outside cover bad it featured as "Coal-A Dying Industry." There are, of course, different opinions as to the accuracy of this characterization and I want to present some of the facts about the outlook for the bituminous industry for a short time ahead. In view of what has happened in the industry within the recent past it would be futile to attempt to make any prophecy about what is likely to occur in the future. We all know that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, but it is likely that anyone undertaking this role about this industry would soon find himself in no man's land. One can, with some slight degree of safety perhaps, outline present conditions and tendencies and draw some inferences as to what the future may hold.

Jan 1, 1933

By Donald M. Liddell

ALTHOUGH the midday lunches of business associations have been re-echoing the phrases that re- search would lead us out of the depression and that the last place to economize is on research, nevertheless most executives apparently concluded that it was their neighbor who ought not to economize in research, and that in their own plants what had been discovered in 1929-30 was sufficient to lead them out of the wilderness. At any rate, I have discovered much less that seems worth noting, and compared with 1931, the report volume of the committee members is off about 40 per cent, and compared with 1929, about 80 per cent. Evidently there is some hookup with the +tee1 industry as to output, and the Report Reading Committee should investigate this and the relative use of commas and periods.

Jan 1, 1933

By AIME AIME

ASIDE from the annual dinner-dance, the two outstanding social events of the Annual Meeting were the dinner- smoker on Monday night and the informal dance on Tuesday night, both of which were held at the Commodore Hotel. Approximately 400 attended the former event, compared with 570 a year ago, and about 250, people were attracted to the dance.

Jan 1, 1933

By W. H. Bassett

BERYLLIUM was discovered in 1798 by Vauquelin and the metal was first produced by Wohler in 1828 about a year later than his production of metallic aluminum. Beryllium remained dormant until about 1920 when the production of the metal by the electrolysis of a molten bath was carried out by Stock in Germany, closely followed by Dickinson in the United States and by Vivian in England. This may not have been the first time the electrolytic method was thus used but was the beginning of present-day methods. I believe the first commercial attempts in this country started with the Kemet Laboratories about 1924. Siemens & Halske in Germany were working on the same problem at about the same time. The work of the Kemet Laboratories was transferred to the Beryllium Company of America and later to the Beryllium Development Corporation. In 1926 1 made a considerable study of the beryllium¬copper alloys, using beryllium purchased from the Beryllium Company of America, and read a paper on this subject at the February, 1927, meeting of the A.I.M.E. However, I failed at that time to discover the properties of precipitation hardening which such alloys have in a very marked degree. After this publication the work on beryllium-copper alloys rested awhile. One cause for this was the difficulty of securing a supply of beryllium-at least at what might be considered a reasonable price. In 1926 the price was $200 per lb., a figure which held about the same both in this country and in Germany until the beginning of 1932, when it was offered here at $50 per lb. if taken in the form of a copper alloy which carried about 121/2 per cent beryllium. Somewhat later the 121/2 per cent alloy dropped to $25 per lb. of beryllium contained, which is the present price. Promise is made that with a greater consumption, production on a larger scale warrants a reduction in price to $10 per pound or less.

Jan 1, 1933

By Franklin G. Pardee

IN 1920 the Minnesota Tax Commission estimated a reserve of 1,341,674,538 long tons of iron ore in Minnesota, the Michigan State Tax Commission report showed 199,092,855 long tons in reserve in that state, and the Wisconsin Geological Survey set the Wisconsin reserves at 21,500,000 long tons. The total reserve that year for the Lake Superior District amounted to 1,562,267,393 long tons. Ten years later the reserves of iron ore in these same districts were Minnesota 1,235,227,510, Michigan 168,349,823, and Wisconsin 23,000,000, or a total of 1,426,577,333 long tons. The decrease in ore reserves in this ten-year period was 135,690,060 long tons, but the shipments were 520,746,975 long tons. In other words, the ten-year depletion in reserves was only 8.68 per cent. If similar conditions carry into the future this calculation would indicate a life for the ore reserves of the Lake Superior region of over 100 years.

Jan 1, 1933

By W. E. Wrather

SERIOUS consideration was given by the Petroleum Division to a wide variety of subjects, during six busy sessions at the Annual Meeting. Beginning with a joint session on engineering research and production engineering, Tuesday afternoon, conducted by E. A. Stephenson and H. C. Fowler, problems of petroleum technology, domestic and foreign production, proved oil re- serves, economics, and stabilization were mooied almost without interruption until nearly everyone was "talked out,' and the meeting was adjourned at the end of the annual Petroleum Division dinner, late Thursday night.

Jan 1, 1933

By A. C. Fieldner

THE total annual energy production from coal, petroleum, natural gas and water power has been increasing at a fairly constant rate during the thirty years ending in 1930. But since 1913 the demand for the competitors of coal has increased at a rate faster than that for coal. During the last twenty years, the curve of coal production has had a generally horizontal trend; in fact, the 1930 production of coal was six per cent less than that of 1913. Economists attribute this loss of demand to greater efficiency in coal utilization and to displacement of coal by oil and natural gas. These two factors are about equally responsible, and it is evident that research has been intimately concerned with both. About sixty per cent of the bituminous coal mined in the United States in 1929 was used for generating steam, either in stationary or locomotive boilers. A decade ago seventy per cent or more was used for this purpose. This change is due largely to tremendous advances in fuel economy.

Jan 1, 1933

By AIME AIME

WITHOUT frills, but with an admirable program of technical papers and discussion, many opportunities for social contact, and all New York for a playground, the 142d Meeting of the Institute will make the Engineering Societies Building a lively place from Feb. 20 to 23. Prices are down, even in New York. Come and forget the depression listening to the stories of old friends. Hear at first hand what is going on in your professional world. The fare is varied, of wide appeal. The program on the opposite page has been arranged carefully to minimize conflicts between the subjects in which you are interested. If it is not possible to come for all four days, check over the sessions that are most important to you. No changes in the scheduling are likely.

Jan 1, 1933

By Roy G. Mead

BECAUSE of its magnitude, and the type of occurrence, the deposit of boron minerals in the Kramer district, Kern County, California, is unlike any other in the world. Discovery of this vast deposit has brought about many changes in the borax industry, so a discussion of the geology, and the occurrence, would not be complete without a brief history of the development of the borax industry. Until the discovery of boron minerals in the desert regions of California and Nevada some seventy years ago, borax was imported from Tibet and India, principally for medicinal purposes, at almost prohibitive prices. Following the discovery of commercial deposits of boron minerals in California and Nevada, and the subsequent development of new uses for borax and boric acid, the consumption has steadily increased until today borax is used in some form or other in every household.

Jan 1, 1933

By AIME AIME

SILVER reached a new high, with the ceiling the limit, at the annual Institute dinner at the Commodore on Washington's Birthday night. Carrying along as ballast other commodities, such as rolls, roses and ferns, souvenir boxes and table number placards, hundreds of silvery balloons, cut loose from their moorings at the tables, bounced idly against the plaster decorations high overhead. At the head table, Scott Turner, retiring President, pre- sided as toastmaster, with the new President, Frederick M. Becket, on his right, and the Chairman of the New York Section, Sydney H. Ball, on his left. Many other distinguished Institute members, medalists, and representatives of organizations and committees, ranged to the east and west. Each had the opportunity at least to rise and bow.

Jan 1, 1933

By James R. Finlay

SOMETIMES the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers appears to be a strictly technical society, and if so my paper should deal with the technical operations of finding and producing gold. But I have not been engaged in practical gold mining since 1910. What I have been doing mainly for the last 25 years is to try to figure out what the income of a mine-gold, or any other-would be worth to an investor. So I have been in contact with gold mining, in one way or another, for some 42 years. I say that with a purpose. In that time the industry has been through one of its cycles. The value of gold mines is very dif¬ferent at different points in one of these cycles. For this reason the cycle of gold mining is a highly practical study. The cycle of gold is a more or less rhythmical change in its value or purchasing power measured in the grand average of other commodities, which is the same thing as its price. Taking the price of gold in 1897 as a stand¬ard, a dollar at that time declined to 55c. in 1913, to 26.8c. in 1920, and since then it has risen to 47.4c. in 1930 and to about 64c. in 1932. It is worth about 21/ times as much now as it was in 1920, but less than two¬thirds as much as in 1897. When this change is applied to the value of a gold mine still greater differences are evident. The cost of producing gold is of course measured in labor and other commodities, and as that cost goes down the margin of profit measured in the gold itself increases. Thus a mine which might make only 10 per cent profit in 1920 on its gross output may easily make 25 per cent now. The stockholder gets 2 ½ times more gold that is worth 2 1/2 times as much in purchasing power, therefore the real value of his holding has risen by the one factor multiplied by the other, giving him 61/4 times as much goods or services as he had in 1920.

Jan 1, 1933

By AIME AIME

ARGUMENTS and discussions were not lacking either Wednesday or Thursday mornings, when the geophysicists got together. The first session, under the chairmanship of Paul Weaver, was devoted largely to theoretical papers, except for the first one by F. W. Lee, which was a progress report. This speaker mentioned some of the high lights of geophysical exploration during the last year, such as the recently announced extension of the Rand gold fields through magnetic exploration, and the continued activity in the oil fields of this country. Even this brought forth some disagreements, Paul Weaver feeling that credit was being given geophysics where it was not due for the discovery of certain oil fields. In this criticism Everette DeGolyer concurred, and both agreed that geophysicists must lean over backward when it comes to taking credit for discoveries. The troublesome question of interpreting resistivity curves is always being aired, and Lynn G. Howell's paper, presented briefly by the chairman, served to clear up a moot point raised last year by M. King Hubbert's work. By use of Maxwell's theory of images the author calculated that the effect of a thin, conductive sheet placed perpendicularly across the middle of a four electrode system should bring the resistivity curve up to a figure equivalent to the resistivity of the surrounding medium, but no higher. Variations from this he explained as being due to dirt on the surface of the sheet. The difficult question of interpreting three-layer curves was tackled bravely in Thomas Manhart's paper, presented in abstract by S. F. Kelly. The author seems to be attaining some success through dividing three-layer curves into two approximation curves of the two-layer type.

Jan 1, 1933

By E. A. Holbrook

LOCAL yearly taxes levied on bituminous coal lands in Pennsylvania have become a cost of first importance to the coal industry of the State. In Pennsylvania there is no State tax on real estate, but local taxation of real estate furnishes the greater part of the revenue necessary for the small governmental unit, as counties, townships, boroughs, and local school, road, and poor districts. Coal in place in the ground, whether or not title thereto has been severed from ownership of the surface, is assessed as real estate and on its supposed sale or market value. There are eight classes of counties in Pennsylvania, based on population; in populous counties of the first, second and third class, assessments are made by a county board appointed by the county commissioners and are fairly uniform throughout the county. In counties of the fourth to the eighth classes inclusive, property assessments are made by property assessors elected by and for each township within a county. In these counties the board of county commissioners acts as a board of equalization and review to hear appeals. In most counties, therefore, where there is a large unmined reserve of coal, assessments on that coal vary for each township, irrespective of the fact that the coal bed is continuous under many townships.

Jan 1, 1933

By AIME AIME

AT FOUR O'CLOCK members gathered in the auditorium for the annual business meeting of the Institute which, according to its charter, must be held on the third Tuesday of February each year. President Turner presided and after the usual formal action on minutes announced that he would create a precedent by transferring the President's annual address (which by tradition has always been delivered at the banquet on Wednesday evening) to the business meeting, and, furthermore, would only present a brief abstract of it. Since it appears in full on pages 127-131 of this issue it can be followed with the careful attention its thoughtful analysis of current conditions deserves.

Jan 1, 1933

By Scott Turner

MY YEAR OF SERVICE as president of the A.I.M.E. came at a time when the mineral industry had suffered severely because of disturbed economic conditions throughout the world. The Institute, an integral part of this industry, had been similarly affected. Its membership and revenues decreased; it was confronted by problems of retrenchment at a time when its vigorous operation was especially important to its members, of some moment to the mining industry, and of value to the nation. Throughout the last year, the recession of activity in our industry continued with slight abatement. Your Board accordingly exercised such economy within the Institute as was possible without impairment of essential functions. It endeavored to aid in sustaining the morale of members, their sense of professional unity, and their interest in maintaining research and the interchange of scientific and technologic data upon which the progress of our industry depends. Effort was made to assist in the difficult task of finding employment for needy members; our endeavors have met with some success.

Jan 1, 1933

By G. E. Johnson

LEAD SMELTERS AND REFINERS in 1932 were confronted with the problem of adjusting operations and costs to curtailed production and consumption at reduced prices, a problem which has been partially solved at least by improvements in operating technique and increased efficiency. At the Mount Isa properties in Australia, a third blast furnace and additional Dwight-Lloyd sintering machines were installed during the year, designed to increase the production to 6,000 tons of bullion per month. The large proportion of lead carbonate in the ores to be treated has presented metallurgical problems. Of the total lead contained in the concentrates to be smelted, two-thirds is Dresent as carbonates and one-third as sulfides. In the iiitial operations, the resulting Dwight-Lloyd sinter was soft, contained an excessive amount of fines, and was easily fusible. When charged to the blast furnaces it developed accretions in the upper part of the furnace owing to the easily fusible lead carbonates softening and fusing at the top of the charge column. This was remedied by the addition to the sinter feed of diluents of higher melting point, granulated slag and crushed limestone. The sinter feed consists of concentrates, Cottrell dust and wind-box cleanings, totalling 57 per cent of the charge; return sinter fines 15 per cent; granulated slag 23 per cent; and crushed limestone 5 per cent. The sinter produced contains 34 per cent lead and 0.5 per cent sulfur. Experiments indicated that double sintering under these conditions was of no advantage, so the original plan of single sinter treatment was retained.

Jan 1, 1933

By William M. Sheehan

TRANSPORTATION is one of the most important problems of the mine operator and the possibilities of cost reduction in this field should not be overlooked. In the railroad industry, cars and locomotives have been improved greatly, and the progress there made is well worthy of study by the mine operator looking for maximum efficiency in every branch of his activities. One of the outstanding developments in the construction of railroad equipment in recent years has been the wide-spread adoption of large one-piece steel castings for the framework of locomotives, passenger and freight cars. Some of the advantages and applications of this type of construction will be outlined in this paper, with particular thought of the needs of the mining industry. The inherent qualities of cast steel: homogeneity, unrestricted size and shape, high tensile strength, flexibility of metal distribution, resistance to corrosion, and gracefulness of outline, make it the most versatile member of the ferrous group. Not only is it a strength-giving element, but it is corrosion resistant, a combination that makes for large economies in equipment maintenance. Flexibility of metal distribution allows the integral foundation to be in the shape best suited for the purpose. These cast structures are really assembled in the mold in liquid form and the metal can be placed in the right pro¬portion exactly where it is needed, thus securing weight economy and uniformity of fibre stress. Such a process permits the incorporation, with ease, of necessary brackets, utilizing them to provide not only greater strength for the derail part itself, but often to add to the value of the entire unit. Laps, seams, and joints, which are necessary in all fabricated forms, are eliminated.

Jan 1, 1933