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By John Hillman

The reconstruction of the British mining industry which began shortly after nationalisation in 1947 continued until well into the 1950s with the support of the Government. This support diminished as plentiful supplies of cheap oil from the middle East made many coalmines un¬economic. The planned rundown which followed was foreshadowed in the 1965 White Paper which outlined the financial measures to speed the closure of uneconomic collieries. The decline appeared likely to continue into the 21st century as the role of coal in UK energy requirements became less and less significant. This policy was well on course in 1973 when the oil crisis led to a complete reappraisal of the position. A Government examination in 1974 of the coal industry then supported the National Coal Board's general strategy of major capital investment as set out in its 'Plan for Coal' (1). Plan for Coal aimed at halting the intended decline in the industry's capacity and restoring it to 120 million tons of deep mined output in 1985. The Plan proposed action along the following lines (a) increase output by major Investment in construction at existing collieries with sufficient reserves to give 13 million tons per annum extra output (b) invest in extending the life of existing collieries by gaining access to additional reserves, to give 12 million tons per annum extra output © by sinking new mines, produce an extra 20 million tons per annum. Figure 1 shows the contribution (2) expected from each of the three sources up to 1990/1. The measures taken were expected to offset the inevitable exhaustion of existing pits and provide the additional 40-42 million tons capacity needed to restore annual output in 1985 to 120 million tons. Parallel to this programme for expansion of deep mined output, opencast mining was to produce 10-15 million tons per annum. A recent review however, indicates that new mines are likely to yield only 10 million tons per annum by 1985, mainly owing to the need for public inquiries into proposals for new mining and the resultant fact that planning approval takes 'much longer than originally expected. Nevertheless the objective of 120 million tons deep mined output by 1985 is still considered achievable of means of a greater contribution from existing mines. This programme was originally estimated to cost 2,-56 million dollars at March 1974 prices, out revised estimates of the cost of Plan for Coal indicate that it may now exceed 6,960 million dollars at mid-1977 prices. Plan for Coal includes a substantial investment in new and reconstructed coal preparation plaints. At mid-1977 prices more than 322 million dollars Ls so be invested in coal preparation projects in the UK, at the rate of, about 70 million dollars a year. This rate 3f capital expenditure has been maintained over the past three years and covers investment in a wide range of coal preparation coals for the power station, coking and domestic markets.

Jan 1, 1978

By CHARLES COURT

I must tell you at the outset that I come to this conference deeply disturbed at the 'role of Government in international dealings in mineral and energy resources'. I am disturbed by- the confusion that now passes for policy. I am disturbed by the short- range view of critical problems taken by a majority of Governments. I am equally disturbed by the even shorter range of view taken by a growing army of industries. Many of them clamour for Governments to solve their problems in a specific way, with little regard for any other sector but their own-and with even less regard for the fact that every time a Government takes over some of their responsibilities they surrender some of their freedom. I would not say that longer range views don't exist. But I would say that they don't prevail at the present time. Instead, we are seeing the constant development of many policies for individual problems which don't tackle the fundamental causes. We must get back to basics without delay.

Jan 1, 1978

By W. H. C. SIMMONDS

The mining, metallurgical, and petroleum industries can be viewed as financial or as social institutions or both. The differences between these two conceptions of their businesses will influence their environmental 'and social actions. During the next 10-20 years western industry will be subject to a drop in the growth of a more highly educated labour force and to the emergence of holistic economics, new national goals, and a new ecological perspective. The profitability of the mining industry may therefore be influenced by the human side of its business to a greater degree. The increasing human, social, and environmental responsibilities can be discharged by improving the miner's equipment; by learning to look at situations through the eyes of all those involved; by developing common 'languages' which governments and the public can understand; and by mediating where feasible on the international scene.

Jan 1, 1978

By Ian MacGregor

As I drove in from the airport on Sunday somebody said 'On the right you will see Duntroon, which is the military training school of Australia.' So I asked the driver, where did they get that name? 'Oh,' he said, 'from some people who built a house there. That was it's name- Duntroon.' It strikes a note with me because, that's the name of a 12th century castle on the west coast of Scotland where I spend what leisure hours I have and, therefore, it establishes the long connection between Australia and my native land. There is also a story I should tell you about the oil industry and its upsurge in Scotland recently which has resulted in great prosperity. And in Edinburgh, the walls of the banks are bulging-because of the incursion of foreign exchange and other resources. Charlotte Square, as some of you know, is the centre of the Scottish financial world and at one of the corners of Charlotte Square, where ho streets intersect, there are three stores-three emporia on the ground floor. Two of them at opposite corners are banks: The Royal Bank of Scotland, and not to be beaten by that, The Bank of Scotland. But the third building is occupied, or was occupied, by a furniture store over many years-very high-grade, high quality furniture that the elite of the Edinburgh society always supported. And suddenly, the store was cleared out and in came a bunch of carpenters and other people busily engaged in rebuilding the store, and finally the new tenants arrived on the scene.

Jan 1, 1978

By JAMES SCULLY

For the last 4 years political leaders have found a new subject on which they can safely generalize wihout creating opposition. That subject is commodity prices. Since the four-fold increase in OPEC crude oil prices, public attention has focussed as never before on the subject of commodity prices. To advocate stabilizing commodity prices is akin to supporting motherhood or peace or better schooling. Everyone gives lip service to the concept that stable commodity prices are desirable. It is easier to state the principle than to achieve it. Prices that are stable in terms of one currency may be clearly unstable in terms of a different currency. This has become a troublesome matter since 1971, when the world's leading trading currencies were set free to float in relation to each other. To illustrate: consider copper prices in the interval between the end of 1974 and the end of 1977. During those 3 years, the copper price in pounds sterling on the London Metal Exchange rose by 25 per cent. During that period, however, in terms of the USA dollar equivalent, the price was unchanged. And during that period, in terms of the German mark equivalent the price shrank by 13 per cent while the Japanese yen equivalent fell by 20 per cent. Thus a price that appears stable in dollars, rose in terms of pounds sterling and fell in terms of marks and yen. Had this result been achieved as a consequence of an international effort to stabilize prices, an American would have said the effort was successful. An Englishman would have said it had failed to prevent a price rise. And a German or a Japanese consumer would have been happy to have covered his copper needs at a lower cost in terms of his own currency.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. K. A. McLEOD

Address by the President of the Institute (Mr J K A McLeod) in presenting the Institute Medal to Howard Knox Warner, C.B.E. Address by Howard Knox Warner after accepting the award.

Jan 1, 1978

By Ingvar Bergqvist

El objetivo de la voladura de bancos es crear de forma económico un espacio ahuecado, donde los explosivos sean cargados para que el resultado óptimo de la voladura sea obtenido. Por ello, es necesario que toda la información pueda ser utilizada -en tanto determine los trazos de perforación y las cantidades adaptadas de explosivos. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala los diferentes métodos de cálculo de carga para voladura de bancos como el de trazo de perforación y cargas, donde estos últimos son los más idóneos de acuerdo a las fórmulas del texto.

Nov 1, 1977

By Hans Svensson

El presente texto señala la explotación mecanizada en labores angostas a través de las aplicaciones de la empresa Linden Alimak AB. En 1957. Dicha empresa introdujo el método Alimak para excavación de las chimeneas con su plataforma trepadora, la cual comprende la perforación circular desde la plataforma Alimak para el ensanche de chimeneas, la explotación en vetas Angostas - Vein Mining y preparación de galerías ( jumbos con martillos neumáticos e hidráulicos. Posteriormente se compra una variedad de equipos para jumbos, winches, soldadoras neumáticas, etc., para la minería.

Sep 1, 1977

By Luis Vargas

A diferencia de lo que ocurre con los precios de la mayoría de los productos, los precios de las materias primas en general no se corresponden a corto plazo con sus costos de producción. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala la influencia de los costos de producción sobre el nivel de los precios a largo plazo a través de dos formas: en el caso de las minas de producción, cuando los precios son muy bajos y no guardan relación con los costos, las menos competitivas se ven obligadas a cerrar y en las de costo medio a postergar sus proyectos de exploración y desarrollo, ocasionándose muchas veces una disminución en la vida de las minas.

Sep 1, 1977

By César Jaime Fernández

El presente texto describe los aspectos económicos, financieros y sociales de la actividad minera, cuyo objetivo es producir metales para su utilización en la supervivencia y desarrollo de la humanidad. En cuanto al primer aspecto, es generadora de ingresos suficientes para cubrir los costos y permitir que un excedente satisfaga a los factores humanos. Respecto al aspecto financiero comprende el costo de inversión y capital de trabajo. Finalmente, en el aspecto social se busca el incremento de la cultura y nivel de vida de los trabajadores y las comunidades afectadas.

Sep 1, 1977

By Howard E. Parkinson, John N. Murphy

Abstract-Underground mines are typically extensive labyrinths that employ many people working over an area of many square miles; exten¬sive analysis of mine-communications systems has identified specific problem areas, in particular the excessive times required to locate key personnel underground, the inadequacy of existing phone systems in terms of capacity and privacy, and the inability to communicate with men on the move with wireless communications, as is taken for granted on the surface. A review is presented of the existing systems, the prob¬lem definition, and the various approaches that have been or are being investigated to solve these problems. Manuscript received June 8, 1977; revised August 28, 1977. The authors are with the Industrial Hazards and Communications group, Pittsburgh Mining and Safety Research Center, Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Aug 28, 1977

By Jorge Vargas Fernández

El presente texto describe los distintos tipos de yacimientos mineros en el Perú, los métodos de explotación, productividad y mecanización, las empresas mineras, su importancia económica, esquema de financiación y los proyectos mineros.

Jul 1, 1977

By Ingvar Bergqvist

El presente texto describe el uso de los explosivos desde el siglo XVII hasta la actualidad, así como los factores a considerar dentro de la minería. Entre estos tenemos la velocidad de detonación, potencia, seguridad en el manejo, estabilidad de detonación, calidades de manejo, densidad, resistencia al agua, congelación y los aspectos médicos. Asimismo, los tipos de explosivos se dividen en los basados en nitroglicerina y los libres de ello, ANFO y slurry.

Jul 1, 1977

By George Haag

El shotcrete tiene una función importante en el sostenimiento y protección de una excavación subterránea. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala los tipos de shotcrete (mezcla seca y mojada) ventajas, clases de equipo, provisión de aire, agua, mangueras, inyectores, la clase de aditivos, los tipos de segregados, los análisis de costos, seguridad, tiempo y otros factores.

Jul 1, 1977

By J. Ventura

El presente texto señala algunos aspectos en el diseño de proyectos de explotación de minas metálicas a cielo abierto respecto a los subterránes. Para ello, es necesario evaluar la importancia de la tasa de recuperación del metal, la cual es producto de las tasas elementales de recuperación en la explotación y la planta. Asimismo, los métodos de extracción selectiva tieneN mayor influencia sobre la tasa de recuperación global que los resultados de la planta de concentración por los cuales se suele tradicionalmente desarrollar esfuerzos considerables para lograr tan sólo como uno o dos puntos más de rendirniento. También la extracción selectiva tiene mayor influencia sobre los resultados financieros.

Jul 1, 1977

By Hugo Medina

El texto describe la importancia de la prospección, exploración y explotación de los minerales del manganeso en el norte del país. El manganeso se utiliza en la fabricación de acero por sus efectos desoxidantes de sulfurantes que impide la formación de sopladuras en la masa del acero y da el tenor necesario de manganeso forjándolo más duro, maleable y dúctil. Su utilización como ferromanganeso es porque así es más controlable la acción del manganeso en los procesos de fabricación del acero.

May 1, 1977

By Ingvar Bergqvist

Para activar la carga de explosivos de una manera controlada, se requiere una clase de dispositivos de detonación. En ese sentido, el texto señala la aplicación de estos dispositivos con las medidas de seguridad necesarias para ser aceptados dentro de la actividad minera. Los dispositivos se dividen: sistemas eléctricos y no eléctricos. Entre los criterios de seguridad tenemos: confiabilidad, menor riesgo de detonación prematura, conexión simple y racional, calidad pareja y la adaptación a explosivos disponibles, máquinas de voladura, como de los requisitos del mercado con referencia al tipo de trabajos, profundidades de taladro, etc.

May 1, 1977

By Renán Jauregui

El problema de separación de minerales de cobre con los de plomo ha generado particularidades debido especialmente a las diversas variedades de los minerales de cobre, cuya composición química, distribución especial de sus átomos, solubilidad, tipo de cristalización, diseminación, dureza, densidad, etc. varía de un mineral a otro. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala los métodos adecuados para los sulfuros de plomo y cobre tales como el de SO2 ácido sulfuroso y almidón hervido, método combinado del anhídrido sulfuruso, método del cianuro de zinc amoniacal y el método de cianuro de zinc.

Mar 1, 1977

By Russel Santillana

El presente texto revisa el proceso de concesión y el concepto de distrito minero como una zona geográfica que reúne las condiciones de formación tectónica para considerarse una zona metalogenética. En este sentido, el Estado es quien debe reformar el sistema de concesiones mineras para poder así conocer y disponer de sus recursos minerales en el menor tiempo posible. De otro lado, las concesiones de exploración son siempre mayores que las de explotación -en tanto se conocen los límites determinados por la Ley General de Minería. Asimismo, el nuevo sistema de concesiones deberá involucrar al desarrolllo de programas de exploraciones para que estos conduzcan a una explotación racional de las concesiones mineras del país.

Mar 1, 1977

By Eugene J. Schreiber, F. Newton Parks

Booz-Allen & Hamilton management consultants has recently completed a comprehensive study of Brazil's minerals and metals sectors for 40 leading international and Brazilian companies. The 220-page study describes the activities and Investments under way in 25 key commodities and assesses the current state of Brazil's economy, the impact on domestic minerals and metals industries, and government minerals policies.

Jan 12, 1977