The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-24
Our Gold and Silver ResOurces-Why is
Mining UnprOfitableE

From the Times.
There are some curious anomalies in the
business of mining for the precious metals,
and they are admirably illustrated in Mr.. j.
Ross Brownies report to the Secretary of the
Treasury on the mineral resources of the
States and Territories west of the Rocky
Mountains. An approximate estimate shows
the annual product of the Pacific slope to be
in excess of $1OO,OOO,0OO. Californias share
of contribution to this aggregate has been, for
the last four years, about one-third of the
whole amount, although in 1851, when the
vast influx of prospectOrs and pannerS had
brought the productiveness of her shallow
''diggings" to its elimination, her yield was
S65 900, 900. Since that time the placers, the
| source of two-thirds of the gold product, have
/ steadily decreased in profitable working, and
although the quartz interest has proportion
ably increased and is rapidly bringing itself
into a condition of regularity and trustworthi-
ness yet the gold product of the State has
grown less every year. We had a vivid ex-
emplifcaton of the Importance of our annual
! cold crop during the commercial and financial
crisis in Europe last fall, when, within sixty
days, San Francisco exported $4,000 600 in
hard gold and silver to sustain American credit
and its English holders, Not only So but
there is a striking fact which it is hard to
realize, that the product of precious metals
for last year on our Western coast exceeds all
the gold and silver in the National Treasury
and in all the banks of all the States, although
it was less than for many years before.
But notwithstanding the impression of
wealth we get from coming over these state
ments, the production Of all this bullion has
not been source of much profit to the men
whose capital and labor brought it forth.
Indeed, the proportion of California miners
who have acquired fortunes is much less than
that of Illinois farmers. This may to some
; extent, perhaps, be accounted for by the rise
/ of real estate in the States east OF the Missouri
t but the same principle holds good in California
: itself. The internal revenue returns show
that outside of the cities, the majority of larg,
70 incomes are rather in the agricultural than tn,
q mining districts and this when the mining
n interests are far less pressed upon by taxation
O. than the farming.
u There have been various reasons for thi
strange state of affairs. The most obvlou
& was the unsettled and shifting character G
5, the mining population; and, in its turn, tina
Il was produced not only by the abnormal eX
rs cltemeht OF gold hunting and the .mercuria
'l- disposition OF the adventurers to rush in an
IN direction after the merest rumop of a trace
pc gold, but also by the uncertain tenure b
r. which they held their claims No man coul
or own his mine except by the imperfect an
no shaky title of custom and miners regulations
sal Hence there was no desire to cultivate or in
7 7 prove the land, except just so far as was al
tn solutely necessary to sustain life and to max
ig- mining appliances effective. That difficult
OF, has been now removed, and the law passe
IN by Congress last summer will do more Il
Ao- California and the mineral West by providin