Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 235, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1913 — RECOVERED FROM JUNK HEAP [ARTICLE]

RECOVERED FROM JUNK HEAP

Enormous Bum Is the Aggregate That Is Baved, Ascribed to "Secondary Metals.” The value of “secondary exclusive of gold, silver, platinum, iron and aluminum—recovered In the United States in 1912, reached the enormous total of $77,395,843, compared with $52,585,390 in 1911, according to J. P. Dunlop of the United State geo logical survey, an increase of nearly $25,000,000, or almost 50 per cent “Secondary metals” are those recovered from scrap metal, sweepings, skimmings, dross, etc., and are so called to distinguish them from metals ■derived from ore, which are termed “primary metals.” The values given for the secondary metals are arbitrary and are based upon the approximate average value of the primary metals for the year. While junk dealers and collectors frequently pay low prices for small quantities of scrap metals, competition results in good prices for carefully assorted products in large quantities. After remelting or refining the metals are sold at only slightly lower prices than new metal. These secondary metals displace an equivalent quantity of primary metals and must be considered in any estimate of stocks available for consumption in any year.