Document 2R583VJYxrvk5JGKQN5neoQL5

LIA22552 Qi i LEAD INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION 0 CAST 4tNO STRCKT NEW YORK 17. H.V. March Ik, i960 SUBJECT: REPRINT OH LEAP To Members of the Lead Industries Association: Enclosed Is a reprint of the article 00 lead from the annual reviev Issue of ENGINEERING AND WHINO JOURNAL, Febru ary, I960. Extra copies are available as long as our supply lasts. Very truly yours. toe. j+ //-_/ Secretary // O ww ^ lA namsMii "gjiupi1* --llll'f*'" LIA22553 Jfifa irtkllSlS i ^Uil iHul'Milil II J o Th e j ie w a s ft decided improvement in the statistical position of lead in 1 959. Consumption increased substan tially. VS. imports were curbed by the first full >ear of quota operation, and agreement was reached oo volun tary production controls throughout the worM. As a result, the top-heavy inventories earned at the beginning of the >ear, particularly by domestic smehert. under* ent a major reduc tion. This improvement took place despite the fact that the effect of production cut-backs mbroaJ mas not felt until the sear mas well under way and that there were sizable in creases in imports of manufactured lead products which were not cov ered by the quotas A prolonged trik* at plants of the Largest domestic smelt ing company and several other lead operations, however, did contribute to kmitalion of domestic supplies. Even though (he market weakened on set tlement of the major strike in De cember, the outlook, for I960 appears to be much more encouraging than at the beginning of 1959. SoppBes. Final figures for 1959 will probably show that lead supplies avail able to industry in the U.S. were re duced substantially as compared with 1959. Although secondary production increased about 12** to around 450,* 000 tons, mine prodoctioo. largely be cause of strikes, was off from the 60>ear low of 1958 to about 250.000 tom. Imports under the quotas were about 350.000 tons, with an additional estimated 60.000 tons entering mainly through barter for stockpile. Adding ft reduction of about 80.000 tom ia stocks at primary refineries and de ducting exports of 3.000 tom. the to tal supply of iead ia the US. was about 1.115.000 tona. On the other side of the ledger, In dustrial consumption in 1959 In creased more than 10% over 1959, rising to approximately 1,100.000 tom. Consumers and secondary smellers added about 5.000 tom of lead to their inventories during the year and, with stockpile shipments estimated at 50.000 tons, some 30.000 tons n left unaccounted for. Since 1947 indus trial consumption has ranged be tween a low of 958.000 tons ia 1949 and a high of 1,238.000 tom the fol lowing sear. 1950. and has averaged about 1.135.GOO tons Thus in 1959 consumption was only slightly below the average. The increase to 1959 consumption compared with 1958 was well dis tributed over lead's major uses with only cable sheathing showing a sub stantial decline. Batten* cormrmpooo increased nearly 60.000 tons and re mained the leading consumer by a wide margin The number of replace ment batteries solJ hi! as all time high of ahxrt 27-million, and total batteries so J were second only to 1955 when new cif and truck sales were at a record ot over 9-mifUoo. With new* car production in 1960 ex pected to be substantially higher than U.S. lead Um* (Sburl toM) 1959 eatioiatod 19S9 While trad .. 12,799 Red lead and litharge .. 12.949 Stnrag* batimra . . . . 174.999 Cat4r....................... .. 45,999 Building 51,949 Trir*elS>! trad .. 142.949 Aramunitioa .. 45.999 Foil .. ., 8,999 Rearing metal . . . 22.799 SoWre... .. 79.99# T) pr mriit . 24.599 Calking Wad ............ .. 99.999 Other u m _______ _ .I9M99 12.400 44.40Q 312.700 73.000 49.100 154.400 40.200 4.400 19.000 59.700 26.700 70.900 91.700 ______ 1,199,999 994.400 `Baaed o* 1*. S. Bureau of Mim autistic*. ia 1959, and with all new cars using 12-volt batteries as well as a higher U.S. lead Supply and Damand (Short tom) SupUr; 1959 Mtlmataf Mine pmductioo . 254.449 Srcnndary production 459,999 Quota trapreia.4 Ore. reewer- able .126,000 Pigs and Un 222.000 549.449 1458 J4U77 401.900 202.0a 368,45} Other :mporta (mainly for tockpilr): Ore. re cover* able . 10,000 Pigs and ban . 50.000 49,999 T-Xal 1.10,999 Changes in itnrki at primary amrhsn and refineries 99.999 (drer.) UJV.ru 149,138 (ioer.J Total 1,185,999 1.090.559 Etpurti.................... 8,999 UM Total iv.il- able Demand k 1,185,999 Industrial cumump- tKM 1,199,999 bu atickpilr shipmmli ................... 59,949 Cooaumers and sec* ondary smrhcc forks.................... 1,999 liner) CwarrouMed for 59,999 1.094.20V 499487 15,000 Ml* (<Wv t .) 24,221 _____ Total ...........1.182.999 1,0*9.200 * America* Bureau of Metal Sutwfio, II. S. Bureau of Mim, sad Lead 1 wJuw tries Atooriatiow. * Import quota* established Oct. 1,1951 lapHntad from INOINKftINC AND MINING JOUtNAl fabrvwy IN0 g C*yrVSt Sf f.Uu*!** c*. Im, IM Wm UU k, TmS M. M.T. N 1965.01 wsviinigii.i < * LIA2255A percentage of replacements being ihe^c heavier batteries. Wad consump tion by this industry should be iubstantiaily larger in I960, perhaps reaching 385,000 tons. lead Price Changes (Cents prr lb S. Y.) evt 14. mu .. ................ 13 no Jan. 22. 1959............................... 12 00 research project, conducted jointly by the lead Industries Association and cat.W prc's manufacturer, su con cluded in 1959 and resulted in a press of such design that it can continuously Frh. It................................................ 11 50 extrude cable sheathing of any of thf The qootat on imports which were established by the President in the Ml of 195* at gO'r of the average for the years 1953 through *957 were in operation for the entire year aod were largely responsible for the re duction of some 150.000 tons in im ports. At this time official statement* Fell 20................................................ It 00 Mar. 6..................................................II 50 Apr. I.................................................. II 00 Apr. 20................................................ II 50 May I..................................................*2 00 Aug. 24................................................15.00 Dec. 14.. ..................12 50 Dec. 21................................................ 12 00 lead alloys commonly used. Thia should place lead in a better com petitive position because of lower costs, better quality, and ability to use a variety of insulating material*. A generally higher level of Indus trial activity should result la greater ue of such lead products a* solder indicate little likelihood of any change and bearing meials. New lead com ' in quotas on lead ores or pig Wad. However, since manufactured Wad products, like Wad oxide. pipe and sheet, arc not controlled by quotas, there appears to have been a marked increase in imports of these products estimated at some 20,000 tons. Both domestic Wad producers and manu facturers hase made strong appals to Washington to clov this loophoW. claiming damage to both segments of the industry*. McanwhiW, at Senate instigation, the Tariff Commission initialed a fur ther stuJs of the Wad-rinc situation on which rt will report earls in I<>o0 It also rejected a request of sis Wad and zinc smelting companies for widening upward and reached 13c in August immediately after the largest domestic smelter went on strike. Upon settWment of the strike in December, the price again suffered two 15c breaks and cloned the year at ]2c. Late De cember buying at this price was im proved. however. because of the insulation provided by quotav the U.S price and I-ondon price showed a greater spread throughout most of the year than the normal tariff and shipping costs. At the year end moderate strength in the London market ar>d the reduction in the New York price brought the two closer together. pounds or materials containing theta show promise. Synthetic pearlescent finishes made of lead compounds arc finding new applications daily. Among the latest is their use iq plastic floor coverings and wallpaper, and they are also being considered for finishes on automobiles, where they' have already been used on custom models, and on household appliances. A new steel chalk hoard is on the nnrket laving a lead porcelain enamel surface in several colors. Lead glared brick and Wad porcelain enameled aluminum are both gaining favor as building materials. The fields of vibration and sound attenuation are receiving much atten the scope of the hearings to include a report to the Administration on the grounds that the foregoing studs was already being made. late in |95k two international meetings of Wad and zinc producing countries, spon*>rcJ bs tlc I'N. were held to appniw the delation and de termine what, if any. mtcrnatioru! ac tion might be taken toward rectifsing the world over-*upply. These culmi nated in a third such meeting in New York in April 1959. at which tolutrlary production curtailment was agreed upon. Another meeting i* to be held in Genes a in late January I960 for reappraisal of the situation at that time. Since the zinc market has been very strong recently, the question arises whether increased pro duction of zinc might occur with a consequent potuhW increase in Wad production. Sammary of 1959. Although the Wad price at the year end was some what lower than a year earlier, there are a number of cnciHiraging factors. Manufacturers* inventories are com paratively low. anJ producers* storks >n the U S were reduced drastically. S'tvks in the hands of producers abroad increased, hul not nearly ns much as domestic stocks were re duced. and production cutbacks abroad began to he felt Lie in the year. Actual industrial consumption hat been good throughout the Free WorIJ. And during 1959 the intensive industry-wide research and market de velopment programs, initiated in I9?g, went into high gear The industry, working together throughout the Free World, it showing a magnificent de termination to put and keep its house in order. tion by engineers and architects. Lead has long been used in a limited way to rcJuce the transmission of sound and vibration, hut its great potentiali ties are just now becoming more recognized. For example, dur ing the pas* year it was used for the first tu.*e in connection with air con ditioning equipment. Research and market development program* now under way are expected to exploit Wads possibilities to the fullest Another potential new field of ap plication is as nomacrificia) anode* ko impressed current sy stem* for the pro tection of ships, bridges, pier* aod other structures from destructive cor rosion. A number of such installa tions employing Wad-silver alloy an odes were made in 1959, and several technical publication* thtt subject appeared. Use of Wad ax atomic shielding It Prirr*. An accompanying tabW shows the changes in (he New York price for Wad throughout 1959. After the impositH*n of qixtas in the last quarter of 1958. the Wad price had risen lri*m lie in September to I 3c. where it opened |9X9. Starting m Jan uary the price worked steadily lower, again reaching lie. reflecting contin ued oserprodiMii'n and not loo heavy demand, along with immense inven tories in the hands of refiners result ing in hand-to mouth buying After the last inter national conference in the tale spring, the price again started Outlook. A further increase In Wad consumption to perhaps 1.150000 tons in I960 is opected Assuming continuation of qim'as. that should re sult in a further reduction of produc ers* stocks since manufacturers are not m a portion to draw much further from their own. As already mentioned, storage bat teries can loi* forward to another g*od sear. The second largest use. !etf;rths! Wad. shoo IJ increase mod erately as it dJ in i959, It it not ex pected (hit cable shcathmf wdl de cline further As a matter of fad a hound to show significant growth, fa 1959 the first atomic powered com mercial ship, (he Savannah, wai launched, and with it over 500 tool of Wad shielding went to sea. It is impossible In this space to gh* more than a hare suggestion of bow modern technology is affecting the u*a of Wad. Some development! are mora or Wsx far in the future, but soma, like those mentioned, are cloae at hand. While the year 1960 looks en couraging to the Wad Industry and should he a relatively prosperous one, the more distant fufure looks mt more enticing, e n d I* I'I | 0