SULPHUR MINES IN MEXICO. Consul lvilbert L. Ronney reports that the great bulk of Mexican sulphur is obtained from the mines near Cerritos, in th: State of San Luis Potosi, about 50 miles east of the capital. The deposit is one of the largest and richest in the world. The production of the mines is about 800 metric tons of refined sulphur per month. Th sulphur is encountered at a depth of 20 feet below the surface, and the lowest present \\-orkings arc 190 feet deep. The mines arc a t an elevation of about 5,800 feet above sea level. The indications are t h a t the sulphur extends- don-nward indefinitely in chimney form. The ore runs to 37-90 per cent. pure and is smelted by the steaming process. Of the product about one-third finds a market in Mexico, the present price being around $32 per metric ton. The mines employ some 700 men. The property is om-ned by the VirginiaCarolina Chemical Co., but is under lease to Germ n interests. The excess over home-market demands is shipped to Germany. There are traces of sulphur in other parts of the State, and sulphur compounds are common among ores. At S’enado, about j o miles north of San Luis Potosi, a sulphur deposit has been uncovered, b u t its output would be small compared with the Cerritos mines. The Venado deposit lies in a blanket some I O feet wide practically on the surface, and the product shows about 30 per cent. pure sulphur. The operating company had its ovens installed by a n Italian expert after the manner of the Italian smelting practice, b u t the capacity of the xvorks xi11 not exceed 3 t o 4 tons per day under favorable circumstances.
barrels in 1909. Of this amount the United States alone produced 209,s 56,048 barrels, passing the ~OO‘,OOO,OOO mark for the first time. In 1909 its production was 183,170,874 barrcls. The Canadian production has been decreasing steadily since 1907, vhile the imports into that country have been on the increase. Production of oil did not increase greatly in Mexico during 1910,but the results of explorations in that year made large supplies certain and gave to Mexico the competitive position toward the United States that has long been imminent. Mexico’s production of crude petroleum rose from I ,ooo,ooo barrels in 1907 to over 3,000,000in 1910,while the hlexican imports of crude and refined petroleum from the United States gallons in 1908 to 43,38(1,27’ gallons increased from 19,207,159 in 1910. The production of the leading countries for 1909 anti 1910 is given in the following table, in barrels of 4’ gallons: Countries. United S t a t e s . . . . . . , . . , . . Russia. . . , . . . , . . . . . , . . . . Gnlicia.. . . , , , . , , . . . , . . . . , . D u t c h East Indies.. . . . . . . . .
.. . .
. . .. . .
.....,
Mexico. . . . , . . . , . , . . . .
... . .
Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other countries.
.... . . . .. . . . ..,
AMALGAMATION O F BRITISH CEMENT COMPANIES. Consul-General John L. Griffiths reports that a project has been formed t o amalgamate a number of British cement works as the British Portland Cement Manufacturers (Ltd.). It will have a n issued capital of $I j,032,000, and there will be “no public issue of stocks or shares, and no prospectuses will be circulated.” I t is statcd that the nc\v company, the iormation of which is practically assured, will control a n annual output of about I ,jo0,oOo long tons of cement. The company, in addition to purchasing thz stock of certain local companies, will have a \\-orking agreement n-ith the Associated Ccment Co., and the combined capital of this company and of the British Portland Cement Manufacturers (Ltd.) will be about S58,398,000. It is claimed that the t\\-o companies will control five-sixths of the cement produetion in Great Britain.
ARGENTINA’S WINE INDUSTRY. Vice-consul General R. J. Hazeltinc, Buenos *%ires,advises t h a t the importance of the wine-making industry in -1rgentina is steadily increasing, oming to the efforts of interested capitalists, although this industry may be said to be still in its infancy. The latest statistics obtainable show that the annual production of Argentine wine amounts to 92,459,662gallons, the value of which in the warchouses is S2 j,263,700United States gold. The 142,500acres devoted to the vine represent a \ - a h of $72,606,600, and the warehouses are worth, in addition, S21,230,000. Thus the industry as a whole represents a value of Sr19,100,3ooUnited States gold. Estimating the total population of Xrgentina a t 7,000,000 persons, the production of wine is 1 3 . 2 gallons per capita annually. The exports of wine from Argentina are inconsiderable.
1909.
1910
Barrels.
Barrels.
183, 170,874 65 , 9 7 0 , 3 5 0 1 4 , 9 3 2 709 11 , 0 4 1 , 8 5 2 9 327 , 278 6,676,517 2 ,488 , 7 4 2 1 ,889,563
30,000
209,556,048 70,336,574 12,673,686 11 ,030 , 6 2 0 9,722,958 6 137,990 3,332,807 1,930,661 1 , 3 3 0 , 10.5 1 ,032,522 , 3 1 5 , 89.5 42,388 30,000
298,326,073
327 , 4 7 2 256
I
420,755
____
I
I
OIL FROM SUNFLOWER SEED. Consul TValter C. Hamm, Hull, England, reports that experiments are now being made a t some of the crushing mills in Hull as to the feasibility of extracting oil irom sunA:ln-er seed and using the residue as a n ingredient in the manufacture of feed cake. Large consignmcnts of seed have recently arrived in Hull from Odessa, the sunflower being extensively cultix-ated in southern Russia. TVhcn crushed the sunfloircr seed yields on the avcragc 30 per cent. of oil, 11-hile the yield of soya-bean oil is 18 per cent. The oil is limpid and pale yellow in color, and it is believed i t will prove valuable in soap-making, the manufacture of varnishes, and for culinary purposes. The residue from the crushed sunflower seeds has been manufactured into cakes, and expcrimcnts are bcing made to ascertain whether the cake thus mark is suitable for feeding purposes. Experiments have not gon- far enough to girc any csact data as to the value of the oil or the incal. N o market prices can be statcd as there has been no demand, and n o trust!:orthy comparison Jrith other oil and cake producing seeds can be given as yet.
GAS PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION I N ENGLAND. The annual Board of Trade returns show that there arc non’ 298 municipal gas undertakings as compared with 293 i? year ago. The private companies have increased in number irom j o I t i ~ I I . These 809 gas undertakings in 1910 manufacturcd 198,733,353 thousand cubic ieet as against 93,jiJ,s>+thousand in the previous >-car. The revenue form this was SIj2,205.622, 76. The municipalitiei irere the expenditure bcing $ 1 12,958,~ responsible for the supply to 2,666,146consumers t compared 11-ith2 , j90.2 70 in the preceding year), and the prix-ate companies PETROLEUM OUTPUT OF T H E WORLD. 3,751,703(in contrast to 3,573,796in 1909). The companies made a gross profit on vorking (not alloiving ior dividends or The total output of crude petroleum in 13x0, for the n-orld, the municipaliticq Sr+.?4,
