.

Magnesite is produced in considerable quantities in the United States,
in California and Washington. Some material is imported from Canada, and
a small amount comes from Scotland as return cargo for ballast purposes.

Before the war only about 5 per cent of the United States requirements
of magnesite were met by domestic production. The country was
practically dependent on imports from various European countries;
chiefly from Austria-Hungary and Greece The Austrian magnesite
(controlled in large part by American capital) was considered especially
desirable for lining open-hearth steel furnaces, because of the presence
of a small percentage of iron which made the material slightly more
fusible than the pure mineral. When the shipments from this source were
discontinued during the war and prices rose to a high figure,
experiments were made with American magnesite, and the deposits on the
Pacific Coast were developed on a large scale. A process of treatment
was perfected by which the Washington magnesite was made as desirable
for lining furnaces as the Austrian material. At the same time large
amounts were imported from Canada and Venezuela and lesser amounts from
Lower California.

Under the high prices which prevailed during the war, dolomite was to
some extent substituted for magnesite. Dolomite, which may be thought of
as a magnesite rock high in lime, occurs in large quantities close to
many points of consumption. It is cheaper but less satisfactory than
magnesite, and is not likely to be used on any large scale.

While the United States has undoubtedly sufficient reserves of magnesite
to supply the domestic demands for many years, the mines are far from
the centers of consumption and it is expensive to transport the
material. Since the war, magnesite shipped from Canada and overseas has
again replaced the American product in the eastern market to some
extent. The Canadian magnesite is of lower grade than the domestic and
European magnesite and is consequently less desirable. Deposits in
Venezuela are also expected to furnish some material for the eastern
furnaces, in competition with those of Austria and Greece. Austrian
magnesite, however, will be likely to dominate the market in the future
if delivered at anything like pre-war prices. This situation has led to
agitation for a protective tariff on magnesite.

GEOLOGIC FEATURES

Magnesite, as noted above, is the name of a mineral, the composition of
which