Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-04-15
Transactions in Copper.
.ncInesrlnr and MIninr JournaI.

Engineering and Mining Journal.
 If the TumOrs are true that the ias-
 producers have made contracts Tor ad
 dltonal shipments abroad, carrying the
 total, including the 2,7j0,GOO pounds noted in our last to l0.OO0.1O0 pounds.
 the metal Is destined to take a irmer | position As yet tLs statement that such | heavy transactions have taken place IS not confirmed, but we are ln a posi- lon | to state that negotiations have certainly been going on. RumOr places the prices at l6 cents; but It IS a httle doubtful whether some concessions would aOi be exRcted by buyers of such large lots. ! So far as We are able to learn, no west ern producers have this time entered l into the pool, though ultimately lrOba- bly some of the largest VIII ind It eJ- pedisnt to coOpera.e with the lake pro- ducers in some way. As we pointed out
 In our last issue, heavy export sales put
 quite different face On the status of
 the metal. They efiectualiy put a
 quietus 0B all such talk as We have been
 hearing of Late, that the great lake 'cOmpanIes would kill of the small ones,
 or that they would pat prices to sucA a
 figure that the new western enterprises
 would be crowded tO the wall. They
 have adopted the conservative pOhcy
 which tbeiT relations with consumers
 seem to dictate. By clearing away thsIr
 surplus, the lake companies will be Tn a
 position to make price for thelr next
 home contracts, which Will not be much,
 If any, lower than those made at the
 beginning of the year. The coming
 months will show to what extent other
 brands have succeeded in gaining a fCot-
 hold among consumers, and this will be
 reflected by lesser requirements of the
 standard brand. The inducement as
 held out during the past months of a difference in price between lake and oth- CT brands, ranging from one to two cents per pound, IS alone responsible for the steady appearance on the market of small lots of Lake copper, which have been selling down from Is cents, until thIs week We hear of transactions based on l7$s s@l7ls cents, 1t being difficult to place copper at the latter figure. In the aggregate, this movement must have been quite important, and the early fu- ture will show whether or not 1t has in- iured the quality of manufactured goods to any apprecIable extent. Our mauu- lecturers haze been spoiled by the good
 
 become accustomed to subjecting the metal to the severest treatment without any fear of disastrous results. They cannot do this with other copper, and We have reason tO believe that 1t will take sUme time before our rule-of-thumb fOremen know how to handle other grades. With such difference in prices, we are convinced that 1t must be prof. table to use phosphorus, manganese, and other compounds whose action ID promoting density of casting and lm- proving the mechanical qualities of the metal Is well established. The exception al quality of our raw material has added our manufacturers wonderfully. They must now learn how to use for many purposes copper which anywhere ! else would be rated very high, but which does not quite ! c me up to Lake. Upon our refners de- | wolves a very important duty-thBt of l watching ceaselessly over the uniform | ity of tn IT product, so as to gain the | confidence of consumers. They have I made strong and we'll directed efforts | in this direction, and some of them are I SO anxious to avoid all possibility of | danger to their product that they de- cline to allow raw material containing certain impurities, notably arsenic; to enter their works. Shelters in the west should thoroughly understand this. It s larg ly their fault when, by undue anxiety to reach higher grade shipping product, they render its quality almost rremediably bad.
 Nothing but earnest cooperation on he part of smelters. refiners and manu- lecturers can place the new brands of copper on a footing which they deserve .o occupy, and prevent depreciation in he quality of manufactured goods. the consumers of which are accustomed to 70 high standard.