Asbestos Magazine, 1949

Johns-Manville's notes

1. Jan. 1949, pp. 18-24 summary p. 175

   Excerpt of article "Asbestos Resources of Japan" issued by Natural Resources Section, Supreme Cmdr. of the Allied Powers - Mining and Milling Methods in Japan (Second in a series) - All open pit. All large chrysotile producers employ a dry milling process patterned after the important Canadian mills. The most effective wet milling process is used at Seimi. The staff originated the process which obviates dustiness.

2. Jan. 1949, pp. 32-34 summary p. 175

   Market Conditions. Raw fiber - demand heavy for all grades.

3. Jan. 1949, p. 44 summary p. 175

   J-M's new 16-page brochure "Sound Control" and its 24-page brochure "Transite Movable Asbestos Walls" are now available.

4. Jan. 1949, p. 50 summary p. 175

   ASTM Philadelphia District to hold meeting on "Industrial and Materials Quality Control." A film on quality control will be shown by Simon Collier of J-M.

5. Feb. 1949, p. 3 summary p. 175

   Quinterra is the newest asbestos product on the market, being developed, manufactured and marketed by J-M.

6. Feb. 1949, p. 18 summary p. 175

   At a California desert Naval test station, 300,000 ft. of J-M asbestos cement pipe was installed several years ago. The Simplex coupling, or flexible joints, were fully demonstrated during a recent earthquake. The pipeline, furnishing water to about 12,000 people, remained completely intact. An additional 100,000 feet of pipe has been used in the system's subsequent enlargement. (Article from the winter issue of the J-M Power Specialist. "The data was released only recently by the Navy.")

7. Feb. 1949, pp. 20-24 summary p. 175

   Excerpt of article "Asbestos Resources of Japan" issued by Natural Resources Section, Supreme Cmdr. of the Allied Powers - Geology (Third in a series)

8. Feb. 1949, pp. 30-32 summary p. 175

   Market Conditions. Textiles - "Should the Government continue its present idea of having a large stockpile of Asbestos Textiles for future emergencies, prices will hold up and the plants will be kept busy for some time to come."

9. Feb. 1949, p. 32 summary p. 176

   Wage Rate Changes for Pipe Coverers.

10. Feb. 1949, p. 34 summary p. 176

    Cunard White Star's 34,000-ton Caronia, newest and largest post-war passenger ship (which sailed on her maiden voyage on January 4) has a hull insulated internally by a process of asbestos spraying, which is expected to keep out the heat of the sun's rays in the tropics and keep out the cold in winter weather.

11. Feb. 1949, p. 46 summary p. 176

    J-M's 1948 Annual report shows sales and profits hit record levels. Products showing physical volume increases of 10-18%: asbestos fiber, Transite (a-c) pipe, magnesia and Superex industrial insulation, Marinite and marine sheathing, asbestos shingles, asphalt and asbestos roofings. Production of insulation board products increased 40%.

12. Feb. 1949, p. 46 summary p. 176

    Western Asbestos Company of San Francisco has purchased the facilities of Bay Cities Asbestos Co.

13. Feb. 1949, p. 49 summary p. 176

    J-M's new folder "2 New Johns-Manville Refractories for Service to 3000 F" describes 3X Blazecrete and 3X Firecrete.

14. Feb. 1949, p. 50 summary p. 176

    "Asbestos Resources of Japan", excerpts of which appeared Dec. 1948, Jan. 1949 and Feb. 1949, can be purchased in photostat or microfilm from Library of Congress.

15. Feb. 1949, p. 50 summary p. 176

    Products of the following are being utilized in the organization of Philadelphia's Reading Terminal: J-M (a-c board for partitions/electrical work), Keasbey & Mattison, Paraffine, and Smith & Kanzler.

16. Mar. 1949, pp. 4-10 summary p. 176

    Article "Asbestos - An Elusive Material" by Oliver Bowles. U.S. produces only 4-6% of its chrysotile requirements. Lists areas in U.S. where asbestos has been located but details its inferiority. "At this critical period much attention is directed to our mineral requirements and our degree of self-sufficiency. Stockpiles of strategic minerals including asbestos are being accumulated in readiness for any emergency. In view of our extreme dependence upon foreign supplies of asbestos, is not this an opportune time to make a more complete inventory of our domestic reserves. A systematic study of all known chrysotile deposits and all serpentine areas is urgently needed. The problem offers a challenge to State and Federal geologic and mining agencies."

17. Mar. 1949, pp. 18-20 summary p. 177

    J-M has developed a new Thermoflex Insulation Blanket for jets and guided missiles, an asbestos pad fully sealed within metal foil. Its light weight is made possible by a new J-M method of processing the amosite into felt.

18. Mar. 1949, pp. 28-30 summary p. 177

    Market Conditions. Textiles - regardless of the Government's future stockpiling, a definite slackening of asbestos textile business is reported.

19. Mar. 1949, p. 40 summary p. 177

    Negotiations toward renewal of Collective Work Agreement between the National Federation of Employees of the Mining Industry and four of the asbestos mining companies in Province of Quebec were unsuccessful, and a conciliation officer was appointed by the Quebec Department of Labor to help solve the problems arising from negotiations. The four companies involved are: Asbestos Corporation Limited, Johnson's Company, Flintkote Mines Limited, all Thetford Mines, and Canadian Johns-Manville Company, Limited at Asbestos. Conciliation proceedings failed and all parties agreed to arbitration. Immediately thereafter, the employees of all four companies went on strike on February 14th. These strikes have been declared illegal by the Provincial Minister of Labor and the Certificate of Recognition of the Federation as been withdrawn by the Department of Labor.

20. Mar. 1949, p. 42 summary p. 177

    January's issue of The Plumbing and Heating Journal contains an article "85% Magnesia Insulation - Its Properties and Uses" written by Utley Smith (Manager of MIMA).

21. Mar. 1949, p. 45 summary p. 177

    Operations at CJM at Asbestos, Quebec, have been shut down since midnight Feb. 13, when union representatives for 2100 employees called a strike without warning. On Feb. 18, the management was denied access to the offices. On the 19th, police were sent by the government to maintain law and order after CJM received an injunction against this illegal picketing. Under Quebec law, the strike was illegal, but on Feb. 21, the union insisted on continuing, at which point the Quebec Labor Relations Board withdrew their certification and cancelled their right to represent the CJM employees. Principal union demands were: 15¢ per hr. raise, 3% company contribution as a social security fund, 5¢ night bonus, nine paid holidays plus added vacations without pay, seniority demands, "Rand Formula" and rights of management. Canadian Johns-Manville officials said that the real issue in the strike is the aim of the union's leaders to tie up the entire asbestos industry in Canada with industry-wide bargaining. The Federation had attempted to get the Quebec Provincial Department of Labor to establish an industry-wide court of arbitration. The big asbestos mine in Canada services nearly all of the 20 J-M plants throughout the United States and Canada. Company officials in New York state that a good supply of asbestos fibre is on hand at each J-M fabricating plant, and that no curtailment of production in the immediate future of any of the plants affected was anticipated.

22. Mar. 1949, p. 46 summary p. 178

    Union Asbestos & Rubber Co. has purchased a part of the former Bluebonnet Ordance Plant at McGregor, TX from the War Assets Administration to make high temperature insulations.

23. Mar. 1949, p. 50 summary p. 178

    J-M's Annual Report to Stockholders states that continued research has produced methods which obtain a higher recovery of asbestos from ore-bearing rock (up to 5% since 1928).

24. Apr. 1949, pp. 28-31 summary p. 178

    Market Conditions.

25. Apr. 1949, p. 45 summary p. 178

    Production of asbestos fibre in what is considered the largest asbestos field in the world is still virtually halted by an illegal strike. From the section of Quebec in which these mines are located comes about 65% of the world's asbestos supply. About 90% of that has been cut off by the strike. Violence has marked the strike in several instances. A Thetford company official was kidnapped and beaten by a gang, and a private rail line belonging to one of the companies was dynamited earlier in the strike.

26. May 1949, p. 15 summary p. 178

    Wage Rate Changes for Pipe Coverers (by city).

27. May 1949, pp. 18-22 summary p. 179

    Article "Johns-Manville's Position and Policy in Asbestos Mines Strike". Lewis Brown states that issues involve property ownership and management - not wages and working conditions. "We feel that it is our moral and legal obligation to stand for the principles that protect the property rights of our stockholders and the human rights of our employees." On May 5, a state of siege was established at Asbestos, Quebec by 4,000 strikers armed with clubs, pipes, guns and dynamite.

28. May 1949, p. 24 summary p. 179

    Excerpt from Bureau of Census 1947 Preliminary Industry Report on Gaskets and Asbestos Insulations. More detailed figures will appear in "Abrasives, Asbestos, and Misc. Nonmetallic Mineral Products". Total value of pipe/block insulation was $24,448,000.

29. May 1949, pp. 26-27 summary p. 179

    Market Conditions.

30. May 1949, p. 50 summary p. 179

    A 32-minute, color film "Underground Arteries - The Story of Transite Pipe" has been released by J-M.

31. June 1949, pp. 4-16 summary p. 179

    Article "Recent Trends in Asbestos Mining and Milling Practice" describes those processes. "DUST COLLECTING. In asbestos milling, which is a dry process, considerable dust is created in the various operations, together with a large amount contained in the air from the fan exhausts, as the fibre collector is really only a partially efficient separator. Some shorter fibers escape into the fan, and these, if recovered, have commercial value. In the past, this air has usually been sent through ducts in a large settling chamber, where the heavier material is dropped because of reduced velocity and returned in a special circuit or department in the mill flow. At the end of the dust building, there is a chimney for the exhaust dust. In one instance where this dust has been objectionable one company has installed a Cotrell system. However, a recent successful development has been the application of bag type collectors with automatic shaking devices, which usually can be made to fit very nicely into the top of the conventional mill building. These units not only recover the valuable fibre, but also the dust, so there is a very small amount of exhaust dust in the atmosphere. Some companies are experimenting with the possibilities of recirculating this air. About 98% efficiency by weight is claimed for these units, and at present, there are many installations under way. The cost is approximately 20 cents per cubic foot of air, and about 1 sq. ft. of filter cloth is necessary for filtering 3 cu. ft. of air."

32. June 1949, p. 18 summary p. 180

    Preliminary Industry Report on Asbestos Products has been issued by the Bureau of Census (1947) covering a-c products, textiles, friction materials, millboard and asphalt floor tiles.

33. June 1949, pp. 26-28 summary p. 180

    Market Conditions.

34. June 1949, p. 38 summary p. 180

    Article "Real Piping Service" from J-M's Spring issue of The Power Specialist describing a-c pipe line in coal mine.

35. June 1949, p. 42 summary p. 180

    Announcement is made of an agreement between J-M and H.K. Metal Craft Mfg. Co. for the fabrication of Flexboard. Flexboard is an asbestos-cement product approved by the Underwriters' Laboratories and is suitable to a wide range of uses and products, for both indoor and outdoor purposes, from switchboard panels and table tops to exposed instrument enclosures and signs.

36. June 1949, p. 42 summary p. 180

    A 96-page manual on 85% Magnesia insulation is being published by the Magnesia Insulation Manufacturers Association and will be available in July to those having interest in industrial heat insulation. Among the subjects covered are: properties of 85% Magnesia, determination of correct thicknesses, application and finishing procedures, and insulation maintenance.

37. June 1949, p. 44 summary p. 180

    The new J-M Research Center was dedicated on May 24 by Governor of New Jersey, Alfred E. Driscoll. Several hundred distinguished scientists, engineers, builders and diplomats took part in the dedication and tours of the research facilities and saw research scientists at work on more than 400 lines of J-M building and industrial products. J-M research activities are devoted to the improvement of existing J-M products, and the development of new products to meet new needs and demands of industry, home owners and builders.

38. June 1949, p. 45 summary p. 181

    J-M "News Pictorial" was awarded a first prize by the International Council of Industrial Editors held in Toronto, Ont., on May 10. Chosen from among 600 entries, it is now in its twelfth year of publication and is distributed to 20,000 company employees throughout the US and Canada. This is the third consecutive award of this type received by the magazine under the editorship of Kenneth G. Ellsworth.

39. June 1949, p. 46 summary p. 181

    Lewis Brown states that instead of expanding their mining activities at Asbestos, Quebec, a second mine will be developed in Northern Ontario.

40. June 1949, p. 46 summary p. 181

    J-M stockholders approve stock purchase plan for key employees.

41. June 1949, p. 54 summary p. 181

    Nicolet has signed an agreement with the union, and the employees are back at work in Quebec.

42. July 1949, p. 2 summary p. 181

    Canadian strike ends. CJM workers report to work July 4.

43. July 1949, pp. 10-16 summary p. 181

    Article "Basic Research at J-M Research Center".

44. July 1949, pp. 26-28 summary p. 181

    Market Conditions.

45. July 1949, p. 44 summary p. 181

    ACPA holds annual meeting. W. R. Wilkerson was elected V.P. (He is V.P. and General Merchandise Mgr. for JMSC in NY.) L. M. Cassidy was chosen as a Director.

46. July 1949, p. 46 summary p. 181

    J-M is developing a rich, new asbestos ore deposit in Munro Township, construction to begin promptly so that the mill can be enclosed by winter. The mill capacity will be 50 tons of rock per hour, the design allowing for doubling capacity in the future. The mine should be in production by May, 1950 and will employ 100-125 persons. Quality of the Ontario fibre is reported to be unusually good and is expected to substantially augment the supply being taken from the company's Jeffrey Mine at Asbestos, Quebec where production has been resumed after the strike.

47. Aug. 1949, pp. 6-12 summary p. 181

    Article "Brake Linings of Various Types and Their Manufacture" by R. T. Halstead of J-M.

48. Aug. 1949, pp. 22-23 summary p. 181

    Wage Rates for Pipe Coverers.

49. Aug. 1949, pp. 26-28 summary p. 182

    Market Conditions.

50. Aug. 1949, p. 36 summary p. 182

    In order to encourage export of high-grade asbestos by air, KLM has reduced by almost half its air freight charges to London from South Africa.

51. Aug. 1949, p. 42 summary p. 182

    Map showing location of J-M mine in Munro.

52. Aug. 1949, p. 44 summary p. 182

    J-M Power Specialist to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. Magazine, published quarterly, has circulation of about 30,000 and reports power news ranging from insulations in foundries to use of J-M products in jets.

53. Sept. 1949, pp. 8-13 summary p. 182

    Part 2 - "Brake Linings of Various Types and Their Manufacture" by J-M's R. T. Halstead.

54. Sept. 1949, p. 14 summary p. 182

    ASTM Committee Reports relating to asbestos materials: C-17 on Asbestos Cement Products, D-13 on Textile Materials, and C-20 on Acoustical Materials.

55. Sept. 1949, pp. 16-23 summary p. 182

    "Asbestos and the Asphalt Tile Industry" - product developed during WWI when …ship decks were covered with Mastic, an asbestos-containing product installed in seven layers. Article concentrates on Kentile (not a J-M product).

56. Sept. 1949, pp. 26-27 summary p. 182

    Market Conditions.

57. Sept. 1949, p. 45 summary p. 182

    CJM adds molded brake lining to the products manufactured at Asbestos, Quebec.

58. Oct. 1949, pp. 3-8 summary p. 182

    3rd part "Brake Linings of Various Types and Their Manufacture" by J-M's R. T. Halstead.

59. Oct. 1949, p. 8 summary p. 182

    ASTM issues new specs for a-c sheets.

60. Oct. 1949, p. 14 summary p. 182

    ASTM Committee D-13 on Textiles will meet Oct. 20.

61. Oct. 1949, pp. 26-29 summary p. 182

    Market Conditions.

62. Nov. 1949, p. 12 summary p. 182

    Thermal Insulation Society organized. Secretary is James Collins, JMSC sales engineer.

63. Nov. 1949, p. 18 summary p. 182

    Wage Rate Changes for Pipe Coverers.

64. Nov. 1949, pp. 20-23 summary p. 183

    Market Conditions.

65. Nov. 1949, p. 40 summary p. 183

    MIMA appoints new manager to replace Utley Smith who is going to work for Ehret Magnesia.

66. Nov. 1949, p. 40 summary p. 183

    J-M executives visit African mines for a month to inspect the mines producing special asbestos fibers used by J-M.

67. Nov. 1949, p. 44 summary p. 183

    J-M's C. F. Rassweiler addresses the American Society of Civil Engineers on "Technical Research in the Construction Industry".

68. Dec. 1949, pp. 14-16 summary p. 183

    "General Observation" on a European Trip by Weaver of R-M. "I visited one large factory in the north of England at Rochdale, where I enjoyed a very pleasant visit with Turner Brothers Asbestos Company. The clean operating conditions in all departments were impressive. The removal of dust by preventing its escape from cards, looms and other equipment, to the surrounding air, is highly effective, and the working conditions are excellent. Particularly noticeable was the absence of particles of fibre on the hair and clothing of the men and women employees, many of whom were well advanced in years and appeared to be in good health."

69. Dec. 1949, p. 18 summary p. 183

    Asbestos production figures for various countries. Germany - During the war, when Germany was cut off from supplies of asbestos in Canada and other countries, she depended largely on "synthetic asbestos" (fiber glass in other words) or other substitutes. In fact fibre glass was highly developed and used extensively in place of asbestos.

70. Dec. 1949, pp. 26-28 summary p. 183

    Market Conditions.