IRON MINES AT BOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R013200010003-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 2, 2002
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: April 1, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 20 /(D R )P83 A0415R013200010003-0
YUGOSLAVIA
SUBJECT: Iron mines at BOR
SOURCES:
DATE:
LANGUA
The enterprise bears the official name. of "Rudnici i topionica bakra
u Boru (Mines and Copper Smelter at BOR). Its location is sufficiently
known.
ROAD AND RAILROAD CONNECTIONS
RAILRAOD LINES :
BELGRADE-PARACIN-NIS-Z.AJECAR (Standard-gauge)
ZAJECAR-METOVNICA-BOR (narrow-gauge), since 1945 it has been
prolonged 21 kilometers toward CRNI VRH.
At BARACIN, a narrow-gauge line to METOVNICA-BOR connects with
the BELGRADE-NIS line.
On the eastern side of the HOMOLJA Mountains, where there are
mines with ores of copper content, a narrow-gauge line runs from $XXXX
POZAREVAC (a station on a standard-gauge line) to PETROVAC; since 1945 this
line has been prolonged 16 kilometers to LADNA VODA.
The so-called strategic, narrow-gauge line from SNEDEREVO to
STALAC is very important for BOR. This narrow-gauge line is side-by-side
with the standard-gauge line. The former was built upon recommendation of
General Staff during the period when Yugoslavia was a kingdom. The narrow-
gauge line connects BOR via PARACIN and permits use# of the STALAC-CACAK-
SARAJEVO-KARDELJEVO line for direct transportation from BOR to the sea.
Until 1948, most of the production was taken to PRAHOVO on the DANUBE River
via ZAJECAR. From this terminal, it was shipped to USSR and RUMANIA.
SMEDEREVO was the loading point for shipments to HUNGARY, CZECHOSLOVAKIA,
and POLAND.
There is an industrial railroad within the mine (60-cm gauge) served
by 12 electric locomotives, most of which are almost worn out.
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In addition to the old BOR-ZAJECAR and , BOR-NEGOTIN-PRAHOVO
roads there is also the new BOR-ZAGUBICA-PETROVAC-POZAREVAC-BELGRADE road.
POWER
Power is furnished by the thermal power plants of MALI KOSTOLAC and,
since 1952, VELIKI KOSTOLAC which are northwest of BOR near the KOSTOLAC
lignite deposits.
ORGANIZATION
Director: Milorad RADULIC
Assistant Director: ZZSZZZB93Z Milan PAJIC
Chief Engineer: Mladan GAJIC
Administrator: M. RAKOCEVIC
Personnel Administrator: ZUNIC
SECTIONS:
Administration
Personnel
Planning
Statistics
labor force (chief: Janko SURBUBOVIC)
Machinery and electricity:(chief engineer:= ANDJELKOVIC)
Railroad traffic
Mines
Surface mining (Coka DULCAN, Tilva MICA)
.mss
E .SvE : (chie ' engineer:XNEZKXL BIZJAK)
Foundry (chief engineer: KALKEC)
Electrolytic section
Building
Economy
Loading and unloading
Ore storage
Workers' aid
Guard
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GENERAL REMARKS:
The total labor force is about 13,000, of which 1,700 are women who
work in the loading and unloading section. Technical equipment for the
workers is very poor; there are few gas masks and protective clothing.
Up to the present time, it has been impossible to neutralize the poisonous
sulfur fumes. A quarter of the workers comes from the prison at
criminals
POZAREVAC where wary and op litical prisoners are detained. The permanent
employees come from the nearby localities and most of the men and women
,-,priosners 1
are Rumanians. The political--an d`war criminals are assigned to heavy
work and are almost always used inside the mines. There are about 600
employees in the offices and technical sections; some of these are Germans.
The White Russians who used to work at the mines have either been fired
or have fled to BULGARIA.
EXPLOITATION OF SURFACE DEPOSITS.
About 5,000 persons work at the two sites - COKA DULKAN and TILVA
MIKA. In 1949, the brigadeX system was introduced in reality, prior to
that time it had been only on paper. German DEMAG shovels, types 12 - 22
and 25, are used. Some of these shovels had been left by the Germans and
some have been furnished as reparations.
MINES
About 2,200 persons work underground, mosey prisoners who are
closely guarded. During the past year their situation has improved
somewhat; they now have medical service and better food in contrast
to the unbearable conditions in 1950. There are no longer any German
W's although Germans are hired. The maximum depth of the mine is 300 meters.
SORTING MATERIAL
About 500 men and women are employed in this section. It had been
planned to expand and modernize the equipment with Soviet help but bhe
plans fell through with the Tito-Stalin break. Actually, there is only
old equipment including two crushers.
FOUNDRY
This section employs about 2,000 workmen. There are six old-type
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furnaces but only three or flour are in operation at one time;
the others are under repair.
In 1949, a cableway was built from XK TILVA MIKA and COKA DULKEN
to the sorting and smelting installations to speed up the delivery of
the ore. In 1951, another cableway from the limestone quarry at BUCE
to the smelter was also put into operation. Until the end of 1948,
the foundry used the coke that had been left by the Germans. The Germans
had left large quantities but after 1948 the supply of coke dwi4led and
the failure of POLAND and CZECHOSLOVAKIA to make deliveries caused the
production of the foundry section to diminish. At present, coke from
GERMANY or USA is beigg used. The production of coke in YUGOSLAVIA has
not yet started.
ELECTROLYTIC SECTION
The machinery used here is of German origin and dates from 1938.
The Five-Year Plan provided for converting half of the crude copper into
electrolytic copper but this, like many other objectives, was not done.
The section employs 400 workmen.
GOLD PRODUCTION
Gold comes from the electrolytic section and is carefully guarded by
the plant police and the UDB. the gold-contnet 25X1X
of the crude copper is --- (see original) per ton. The extracted gold
is consigned to tie National Bank. The monthly gold production at BOR
averages 160 kilograms.
BUILDING SECTION
This section employs about 1,590 workmen who are used to enlarge the
sorting and electrolytic installations, to build cableways, and to service
and repair the other installations.
ECONOMY
The mine has its own farm at COKA near SENTA, formerly the property of
a Jew named LEDERER (fnu). Five hundred men and women usually work here.
WORKERS' AID
There are nine workers messes and two buffets for the white collar
workers. This section has its own laundry, tailor shop, shoemaker, and
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barbershops. As far as possible, the food is obtained from the
economic Section.
PLANT GUARDS
There a re 400 men in the guard force which is under the UDB. The
guards wear blue uniforms and are armed pistols and machine pistols.
The UDB itself is stationed in houses which formerly belonged to the
engineers in Titova ulica. The commandant of the 40-man unit is Major
Aco Z -probably AKO, a pseudonym and the real name not known
J Copper production has dropped off greatly because of scarcity of
labor, especially skilled labor, coke, and machinery. the poor work
discipline is also reflected in the low production.
The highest post-war production was in the years of 1947 and 1948
when there were almost 8,000 PWs and coke was plentiful. The present
monthly production of crude copper probably amounts to about 4,000 tons.
About one-third of this is converted to electrolytic copper with the
attendant extraction of gold. Most of the production is exported.
The most important users of electrolytic copper in YUG f VIA are
"Novkab]e" of NOVISAD, "Impol" of SLOVENSKA BISTRICA, and other plants
producing war materiel.
WORK DISCIPLINE
There are three shifts. Workers who do not live nearby are housed
in either the North or the South Camp where they must pay 100 dinars
a month. Food in the messes costs 1,200 dinars a month IN and is poor.
Only 30 percent of the workers belong to unions and this fact is
considered by the Party as a mistake. Important Communist Party members
and union leaders are:
Mile CRNCEVIC
Glisa PEJAK, president of the workers' committee
Mile TOMASEVIC
Ljuba JOVANOVIC.
The main duty of the Party at the minse is to combat Cominformism.
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MINING SCHOOL.
The mining school at BOR was opened in 1946 and now has 240 students
who live at the school. The course lasts 4 years and is NKXZM comparable
to a middle technical school. Each year, 100 are graduated (including
10 girls). The school has its own chemical laboratory.
MILITARY SECURITY MEASURES
There are at least two infantry and two artillery regiments stationed
near BOR. There are new barracks south of BOR. Since 1951, bunkers,
trenches,and other defensive installations have been build at the mines
and in the vicinity. TIC X ftMXKKZ The ZAJECAR-BOR highway is heavily
guarded; mine fields have been laid along the side. In BOIL, and the
surrounding territory, there are at least 30 heavy-caliber pieces with
long tubes and 30 antitank or anti adcraft guns of smaller K caliber.
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