Since we became great exporters of copper, the price of this metal in the United States has been nearly at a parity with the price in Europe. 'With increased production the cost of mining has been greatly reduced, while im provements in metallurgy and methods of elec trolytic extraction have brought into the market great quantities of copper suitable for the finest work from sources which formerly furnished only coarse and ordinary grades of material. In former years the tariff upon copper affected the price of the raw matenal in this country, often enabling the tnining companies to obtain from the consumer at home a higher rate than that which ruled abroad. The pnce of copper in this country was sometimes sustained by arrangement between the mining companies, who would market the copper here at a fixed price and ship their surplus product abroad at a considerably lower rate. The American brass manufacturer was, therefore, usually con fined to a home market for his product, and the statement that, in certain cases, he succeeded in taking large foreism contracts for brass, with the disadvantage of having to pay a higher price 1.634,204.488 Compared with 1914 I .333,781,3% • The consumption of new copper in the United States in 1915 is estimated to have been 1,043,461,982 pounds, to which may be added old copper from sundry sources such as old copper and brass, scrap, etc., estimated to be 392,274,000 pounds, making about 1,435,000,000 pounds of new and old copper available for use during the year. This estimate includes at least 150,000,000 pounds of copper produced by re melting clean scrap accumulated in the process of manufacturing copper and brass articles. The apparent domestic consumption of new copper in 1914 was 640,445,000 pounds.
A fair estimate of the average price of coo per in the United States from 1845 to 1859 is 20 than his competitor abroad, not only for his raw material but for his labor and supplies, is the best possible tribute to the excellent quality of his work. Ingot copper was admitted to this country, duty free, until the act of 30 July 1846, when a duty of 5 per cent was imposed. The act of 3 March 1857 restored copper to the free list. Subsequently duties were imposed upon copper: in 1861 of two cents per pound, and after that of from two and a half to five cents per pound. The McKinley Bill made the duty one and a quarter cents per pound, and at present ingot copper is on the free list.
The first refined spelter produced in this country was made in the year 1856, at Beth lehem, Pa., from ores mined there, and it was sent to the government arsenal at Washington. Up to 1865 or 1866 the spelter used by brass manufacturers was imported from Germany and Belgium. In 1867 the Missouri Zinc Company, at Carondelet, Mo., began to make spelter from Wisconsin ores. The first year they made about 1,800 tons; the next year about 2,500 tons. This was used in the United States. In 1869 the first zinc ores were discovered in southwestern Mis souri, and since then the development of the zinc industry has been constantly increasing. The output of the year 1903 was 157,900 short tons of metallic zinc or spelter. The production and consumption of spelter in the United States in 1914 and 1915 is estimated by the United States Geological Survey to be as follows: • • Short Tons . Value 1914 353,449 S36,414,000 1915 489,519 121,401.000
The apparent consumption of spelter was 299,125 short tons in 1914 and 354,382 short tons in 1915. The abnormal demand for high grade spelter in 1915, for use in the manufacture of brass for ammunition exported to Europe, caused an unprecedented advance in the price of the metal which ranged from 6 to 25 cents per pound. The average selling price for prime western spelter was about 12.4 cents per pound but sales of some of the higher grades were made at more than double that price. The number of retorts at zinc smelters increased from 115,114 at the close of 1914 to 156,658 at the close of 1915. And it is estimated that at the end of 1916 the spelter producing capacity of the country was about 900,000 tons. Ameri can brass manufacturers have used domestic spelter almost exclusively for the past 30 years, the quality of the American product being superior to that of the foreign article. One of the finest grades of spelter is produced in New Jersey and is sold at a high price. At no time within the past 30 years has spelter been admit ted to the United States free of duty. The duty under the McKinley Bill was one and a half cents per pound. Subsequently it was made one cent per pound and the duty at present is 15 per cent ad valorem.
On 13 Jan. 1801, Paul Revere, of Revolu tionary fame, wrote to a friend in London, re questing him to go down to Maidenhead, where rolling machinery was manufactured, and as certain the price of a pair of rolls 9 inches in diameter and 20 inches long, for making sheet copper. Colonel Revere was a silversmith, and hadpreviously corresponded with Benjamin Stoddard, Secretary of the Navy, upon the sub ject of copper rolling. It is not known whether or not these rolls were procured at that time, but in January 1801, Colonel Revere purchased an old powder-mill at Canton, Mass., where he began the production of sheet copper. The business has been carried on continuously since that time, and is now incorporated under the name of the Revere Copper Company. Among the names of those originally connected with this enterprise are Joseph A. Revere, James Davis, John Revere and S. T. Snow. This company was finally consolidated with the Taunton-New Bedford Copper Company.
In 1812 the Soho Copper Company was established in Belleville, N. J., where there is a good water power and water transportation by canal and the Passaic River. The originator of this enterprise was Harmon Hendricks, the son of Uriah Hendricks, who was an importer of copper and metals. Some of the buildings were of brick, roofed with tiles imported from Europe. The rolling-mill was of wood and contained one pair of breaking-down rolls, one pair of sheet rolls and one pair of bolt rolls, all of which were imported from England. The plant and machinery cost $50,000, and were in tended for the purpose of furnishing the United States government with heavy copper sheets for boilers and bolts for shipbuilding, during the War of 1812. This business has descended from father to son in a direct- line, until it is now in the hands of the fourth and fifth generation; and is known as the eBelleville Copper Rolling Mills,o operated by Hendricks Brothers. In the year 1815 ingot copper sold for 18% cents per pound and the price of copper sheets was 39 cents per pound.