A letter was recently received from a company in Detroit, Michigan, which is putting a new automobile accessory on the market. Each instrument will require about one-half pound of quicksilver. This use for the metal is entirely new. As they expect, when in production, to average two thousand instruments per day, their control of a mine or primary source of supply is imperative. It is to such requests that the State Mining Bureau alone can supply unprejudiced and authoritative information.

The Bureau is kept in close touch with industrial demands through these inquiries. Arsenical ores, long penalized by smelters and the bane of cyanide plants, are now wanted, due to the present demand for arsenic as an insecticide in fighting the boll-weevil and other pests. The records and reports of the Bureau, since its inception, are proving invaluable in locating many such rarely wanted minerals when a demand develops.

It is hoped that the service offered producers and consumers will be even more valuable to the mining industry during 1923 than it was during its initial year, 1922.

LOS ANGELES FIELD DIVISION.

M. A. NEWMAN, Mining Engineer.
REVIEW OF MINING FOR 1922.

Scope of Industry:

This division consists of the following eleven counties in the southern part of the state: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, Inyo and Kern counties. In area, these counties cover 66,543 square miles.

Among the minerals found in this region are: Antimony, asbestos, barytes, bituminous rock, borax, clay, cement, chromite, diatomaceous earth, dolomite, feldspar, Fullers earth, gems, gold, graphite, granite, gypsum, magnesite, manganese, marble, mineral paint, mineral water, molybdenum, natural gas, petroleum, potash, pumice, quicksilver, salts, silver, soda, stone, strontium, tale, tungsten and zinc.

Reference will only be made to the most important minerals mined during the year, and then only to such salient features as may prove of interest and value to the public.

Production for the Year 1922:

The actual figures for 1922 will probably not be available, as regards the mineral production in this district, until about the middle of this year. However, if we glance at the figures for 1921, we can make a fair estimate of whether there should be an increase or decrease in any particular mineral, if conversant with the general business conditions affecting it. In the April to October number, inclusive, of 'Mining in California' can be found the actual production of any mineral, for 1921.

In 1921, the value of the mineral production of this district was $213,014,760. Of this amount, approximately $188,850,696 should be

credited to petroleum and natural gas leaving $24,164,064 to be apportioned among the other minerals, as follows:

Let us now briefly discuss the outstanding features of 1922 production.

Metallic Group. There was practically no production of antimony, chromite, molybdenum, or tungsten during the year.

There was considerable scouting for gold mines, and quite a number of prospects are being reopened. This is especially true in the Randsburg district. In this district the Yellow Aster, King Solomon, Baltic, and Black Hawk operated during the year, and a number of mines in the so-called Stringer zone are being reopened. In the Mojave district, the Yellow Dog Mine is being developed. This property, as a prospect, has a remarkable showing of high-grade gold ore. It lies but a short distance from the old Exposed Treasure Mine, which, in times past, had a large gold production. In the Big Bear region, San Bernardino County, the Gold Mountain property operated both mine and mill during 1922. It was reported the property has recently been sold to an Arizona syndicate. In the Black Hawk district, San Bernardino County, Voorheis and Del Mar are developing the Arlington group of claims. They claim to have a very large tonnage of $4 ore, which they believe can be profitably worked. It is expected that a milling plant will be erected on this property sometime during 1923. The Zenda Mining Company, in the Amalie district, Kern County, resumed operations during the year, and is now running its 100-ton plant. The Tropico Mine, near Rosamond, also operated steadily during the year.

The rise in the price of lead from around 4 to 7e during the year was reflected in increased operations in the Cerro Gordo, Darwin and Tecopa lead mining districts. The Cerro Gordo Mines Company operated its 50-ton lead concentrating plant at Keeler to full capacity during the year. The Darwin Mining Company was leased to the Darwin Leasing Company. This company put in operation its 80-ton mineral separation flotation plant, at Darwin. At Tecopa, the Tecopa Consolidated Mines Company operated its 100-ton flotation plant to full capacity. The Carbonate Mine, near Zabriske, resumed shipments to the smelters, as well as a number of other small properties mining high-grade silver-lead ore.

The silver bearing area of the Randsburg district surrounding the California Rand Silver, Inc., locally known as the Kelly Mine was the scene of much prospecting and shaft sinking, with the hope of finding other ore bodies of the richness and extent that the Kelly possesses. Fully thirty companies are actively mining in this region, some of which have found ore that may develop into bodies of commercial

value. Next to the Kelly, the Coyote, owned by the Randsburg Silver Mining Company, has developed a considerable tonnage of both shipping and milling ore.

The finding of ore in the Silver King shaft at a depth of 580 feet has given much encouragement to many of the companies. Ore of a milling grade is also reported to have been cut in the Grady shaft, at a depth of 975 feet. If this ore be cut again at an additional depth of 100 feet, the statement of some that it is only a one-mine camp will be subject to considerable modification.

Litigation over apex and extralateral rights between the Kelly and Coyote property is having a detrimental effect upon the conservative mining element who would like to enter the camp. While the camp does not possess the feverish activity that was seen at Goldfield, Tonopah or Divide, the general public is getting a much better run for its money, as it is practically all going into real development of the mines, for which the camp is to be congratulated. The dividend distribution of the California Rand Silver, Inc., during 1922, amounted to $1,100,600, and the total dividends paid in the three and a half years of its existence have amounted to $2,169,600.

The silver region of the Randsburg district will be treated in detail in a special bulletin to be shortly issued.

The amount of zine mined during the year was negligible.

Non-Metallics: The most important minerals of this group mined during the year were borax, clay, diatomaceous earth, gypsum, limestone, potash. Cement, though an artificial product, is in this class.

The Sterling Borax Co., at Lang, did not operate during the year. So, practically all the borax produced, can be credited to the Pacific Coast Borax Company, with a small amount made as a by-product for the American Trona Company, at Searles Lake. An item of importance is the construction at present of a refinery at Wilmington, near Los Angeles, by the Pacific Coast Borax Company. This will enable the company to make a considerable saving in freight charges, as at present its borax is being sent to the Stauffeur Chemical Works at San Franeiseo and to Bayonne, New Jersey, for refining.

The Celite Products Company at Lompoc was the largest producer of diatomaceous earth. The Featherstone Company, at Covina, opened up its deposit during the year and placed its plant in operation and is now in the market with diatomaceous earth products.

The completion of a 25-mile narrow gauge railroad from Maria, a station on the San Diego and Eastern railroad, to the gypsum deposit of the Imperial Gypsum Company, in Imperial County, near the San Diego line, was the outstanding feature of the gypsum industry. At present the Imperial Gypsum Company is shipping 150 to 200 tons a day to the Blue Diamond Materials Company, at Los Angeles. The I. S. Gypsum Company, as usual, supplied the bulk of gypsum used as land plaster and by the cement plants as a retarder, from its deposit at Amboy.

The California Graphite Company, at San Francisquito Canyon, leased its property to the Flake Graphite Company. This company, the latter part of the year, operated the plant and sold graphite in the local market.

The American Magnesium Company is building a 30-mile mono-rail line from its magnesium sulphate deposit to a point 6 miles south of

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Trona. It also proposes to build a refining plant at either Los Angeles or San Pedro to manufacture magnesium carbonate and Epsom salts.

The American Trona Company on Searles Lake, resumed the manufacture of potash during the year. The West End Chemical Company, at Searles Lake, also manufactured a small quantity of potash and borax.

Around Owens Lake, the Natural Soda Products Company was the largest producer of soda.

Due to the great activity in building, the cement and sand crushing plants, as well as those engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile, experienced an extremely profitable year.

In the clay industry, an important deposit has recently been opened by the Pacific Clay Products Company, six miles south from Oceanside, San Diego County. This clay deposit, found on the Kelly Ranch, is said to be the equal, both in quantity and quality, of anything thus far discovered in southern California.

Considerable attention was paid to the oil or tar sands in San Luis Obispo County during the year. The California Oil Corporation has erected a 200-ton pilot plant to treat sands from its deposit, 4 miles south of San Luis Obispo.

The American Canadian Corporation also intends to work the sands from its deposit in the Tyber field, using the so-called McClave Process for the recovery of the oil.

Outlook for 1923:

It is reasonably safe to prophesy that both metal and non-metallic mines will be more active during this year than last, with the possible exception of those of silver. As is well known, there now remains but 60 million ounces of silver of the 207 million sold during the war, to be bought under the Pittman Act, and this purchase will probably be concluded sometime during the year. Unless some action be taken by Congress to stabilize silver, there will be nothing to prevent silver in the United States from conforming to the world market price, which now ranges between 60 and 70 cents per ounce.

The MeCumber-Fordney Tariff will aid some producers materially, as nearly all the minerals have received additional protection. An example of this is the $4 tariff placed on silica, which was on the free list before. Quicksilver also receives a protection of 25 cents per pound, or $18.75 per flask, while under the old tariff it had a 10 per cent ad valorem duty on it.

Another most important factor, which should contribute toward better conditions in mining during this year has been the reduction and stabilization of railroad rates, together with a fairly settled wage scale, thus enabling one to estimate costs of production with more certainty. This will allow many operators to embark in mining enterprises, with much more confidence as to ultimate outcome than in these last few years following the war. In other words, normaley will more nearly

have arrived in 1923.

Labor Situation:

There will probably be no reduction in wages in 1923, the present scale being stabilized, with the possible exception of Randsburg. At Randsburg, today, machine runners receive $6 to $6.50 per day, and

as long as the Pittman Act remains in force, this rate will stand. It is quite evident, however, that this wage scale will drop to the general wage level as soon as silver drops to the world market price. Due to the activity in the building trades and manufacturing industry, and also aided by the present immigration act, it does not appear as though there will be much surplus labor seeking employment at the mines. While, before the war, mine labor was among the best paid in the United States, today it can not compete against the building trades and many industries, and, as a result does not attract as good a class of men, as formerly.

Generally Recognized Needs of the Industry:

Cheaper power and better transportation facilities will do more to develop our mineral resources than anything else. Inasmuch as most of the mines are so widely scattered, especially in the desert regions, the cost of constructing power lines and building roads to districts containing but one or two small mines, would be prohibitive. With the general development and populating of the country, power lines and roads would be built and the small mine or camp will then be able to take advantage of such to its own economic benefit. The potential wealth of the desert regions is immense, but its exploitation must necessarily be gradual and subject to the economic laws of production.

OIL FIELD DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS.

R. E. COLLOM, State Oil and Gas Supervisor.

FEATURES OF 1922 PRODUCTION.

California broke all previous records in the production of 139,000,000 barrels of petroleum during 1922. This is an increase of 24 million barrels over the production of 1921. It represents one-fourth of the crude oil produced in the entire United States. The State Oil and Gas Supervisor estimates that the quantity of refinable crude produced alone, crude above 20 degrees Baumé, almost equalled the entire 1920 production of all grades of crude, which was 105,700,000 barrels.

The great increase in the production of refinable crudes is due to the flush production taken from the three intensively drilled new oil fields of Los Angeles and Orange counties. The total production of these fields was 41,000,000 barrels, distributed as follows: Huntington Beach, 11,500,000 barrels, Long Beach, 18,300,000 barrels, and Santa Fe Springs, 11,200,000 barrels. Santa Fe Springs, with 75 producing wells, and Long Beach, with 135 producing wells, are each producing more oil than the entire Midway-Sunset district which covers an area of 46,000 proved acres and has 2600 producing wells.

The rapid drilling in southern California caused a reduction in the price of crude in July, 1922, to 60 cents per barrel, for oil under 20 degrees Baumé. From that time the price remained firm until January, 1923. On January 5, 1923, prices of the lighter grades of crude, above 20 degrees Baumé, were reduced. This reduction, being placed upon the lighter grades only, caused that portion of the state's petroleum coming from the flush production of the new fields to bear its just burden of the general situation of overproduction. The price reduction ranged from 1 cent a barrel on oil of 20 to 20.9 degrees Baumé to 50 cents on oil of 35 degrees Baumé, and above.