SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION SUBBITUMINOUS COAL AND LIGNITE Par. 1719. Subbituminous coal and lignite are free of duty under this paragraph of the Tariff Act of 1930, as minerals, crude, or not advanced in value or condition by refining or grinding, or by other process of manufacture, n.s.p.f. Section 3423 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes (effective June 21, 1932) an import-excise tax on the foregoing products under certain conditions. The sum mary covering coal, which is to be found in Summaries of Tariff Information, Volume 3, Part 5, also covers subbituminous coal and lignite. SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION BERYLLIUM ORE Tariff Status Par. 1719. Beryllium ores and concentrates, crude, or not advanced in value or condition, which were free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, are free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. Their duty-free status was bound in the Geneva agreement. Trade Statistics United States Table 1.- Beryllium (Beryl) ores and concentrates: 3 Represents mine shipments of ores and concentrates. Includes 74 tons valued at $7,000 from Madagascar and 1 ton valued at $70, fron Portugal. 5/ Includes 400 pounds valued at $48, from Chile; 18 tons valued at $3,581, from Hong Kong; and, 55 tons valued at $5,687, from Mozambique. Source: Production, U.S. Bureau of Mines; imports, official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. Note.- Exports were not separately reported until 1941, but they are known to have been insignificant. Total exports for 1946, 1947, and 1948 amounted to 2,751 pounds, valued at $2,894; 396 pounds, valued at $780; and 185 pounds, valued at $587, respectively. UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION BERYLLIUM ORE Comment This summary covers beryllium ores and concentrates. Although there are many beryllium minerals, the present source of commercial beryllium ore is the mineral beryl, which has a beryllium oxide content of from about 10 to 12 percent. Beryllium metal is recovered from the oxide content, and the metallurgical losses in present reduction processes are large. At present there are no deposits in the world which are worked solely for the extraction of beryllium ore and most of the beryl produced is obtained as a byproduct of mining feldspar, mica, and lithium minerals. At these operations the crude beryl is mined selectively, cobbed and sorted by hand, and then sold without further beneficiation. Deposits which contain disseminated beryl crystals are not regarded as commercial sources of ore at present because no known method is available for concentrating these crystals. The world reserves of beryllium ore which is regarded as commercial by present standards are relatively small. The beryllium content of beryllium ores and concentrates is extracted and used for the production of beryllium metal, 1/ beryllium alloys, 1/ and beryllium oxide. 2/ The largest use is in the production of beryllium copper alloys, which have low surface tension, non-sparking and non-magnetic qualities, are light in weight, and are resistant to fatigue, corrosion, heat and wear. These alloys are used largely for springs, diaphragms, bearings, bushings, and small parts in instruments, airplanes, automobiles, business machines, household appliances, and other mechanical equipment; the alloys are also used for nonsparking safety tools and welding electrodes. Beryllium metal is used in small amounts in X-ray equipment and in laboratory experiments. Beryllium oxide is used in fluorescent lamps and in the manufacture of refractory materials. Beryl is one of the strategic and critical materials for which stock piling is deemed the only satisfactory means of insuring an adequate supply. During World War II, the supply of beryl was so critical that a substantial part of the United States requirements was transported to this country by air. United States production of beryllium ore is small and statistics on output are not available for years prior to 1937. During 1937-39 production averaged about 65 tons a year, but it increased during the war period and reached a peak of 380 tons in 1944. Output declined sharply in subsequent years and ranged from 100 to 150 tons annually in the years 1946-48 (see table 1). South Dakota has been the principal producing State, but small quantities have been produced sporadically in Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Wyoming, North Carolina, Virginia, and Connecticut. The United States depends upon imports for nearly all of its requirements of beryllium ores and concentrates. Before the war imports increased from 162 tons in 1936, the first year for which separate statistics on imports are available, to 459 tons in 1939. Imports expanded rapidly during the war and reached a peak of 4,840 tons in 1943. They declined in the following years and ranged from 767 tons to 1,720 tons annually in the period 1946-48. Brazil and Argentina have been the chief sources of supply. Brazil is the principal foreign producer of beryllium ore; significant quantities are also produced in Argentina, Australia, India, Madagascar, and South West Africa. At present the output of Madagascar is reserved for France and shipments from India are subject to an embargo. The only active beryllium refinery outside the United States is in France. 1 See separate summary on metallic potassium, lithium, beryllium, and caesium, par. 79. 2/ See separate summary on chemical elements, compounds, mixtures, and salts not containing alcohol, n.s.p.f,, par. 5. SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION TANTALUM AND COLUMBIUM ORE Tariff Status Par. 1719. Tantalum and columbium ores and concentrates, crude, or not advanced in value or condition, were free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, and are free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. The duty-free status of columbium ore was bound in the trade agreement with the United Kingdom effective January 1939. The duty-free status of both these ores was bound in the Geneva agreement. Trade Statistics Table 1.- Tantalum (tantalite) and columbium (columbite) ores and Negligible; probably included with tantalum. 3 Preliminary, except for production in 1946 and 1947. Not available. Source: Production from official statistics of the U. S. Bureau of Mines; imports from official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. Note.- Exports were not separately reported until 1941, but they are known to have been insignificant. No tantalite has been exported except for 60 pounds valued at $1,278 in 1948. No exports of columbite were recorded in 1943; for the other years shown exports of columbite amounted to 7,924 pounds valued at $3,566 in 1946; 10,511 pounds valued at $4,720 in 1947; and 660 pounds valued at $1,980 in 1948. |