The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-23
From the Daily Of Thursdsy.
REPLY
OF Superintendent w. e. Hall TO
s1n1er Mountain" Innu-
endoes.

+ Inter Mountain on the Alice Mimi,
q Company and its management seem
e to demand a denial or refutation o
its charges at the hand of some on,
8 identified with that company, and il
g the absence of the President of tn,
? Company and all its Directors,
: will ask your indulgence briefly t.
+ reply to some of the insinuations al
2 most daily Illuminated by that paper.
The difficulty is not IN answering
any =; its charges, for these are &c
vague as scarcely to have conference,
and amount to suspicious and innu.
endoes rather than to direct allega.
tioDs Of mismanagement. The effect,
however, on the public at large, (and
since that paper talks so feeiiDgy
about the welfare OF the camp.) the
effect on the camp itself is the same
as if the charges were Of a definite
kind. The effect of these assaults on
the Alice Company may possibly be
to imp ir the confidence Of few
shareholders who are unacquainted
with the Directors or the affairs of
the Company. With all others, 1t is
believed the attacks of the Inter
Mountain will be entirely harmless.
The Inter Mountain began its cru
sade against the Alice Company
some time before the publication Of
the report Of the affairs Of the Com
pany recently published. It was
clamorous for that report before 1t
came out. and threw out repeated
doubts and suspicious as to the cause
of its not being made earlier, not
withstanding the fact that the Salt
Lake 7rjbnaae published statement
of its own and one from J, r. Walk
er, President Of the Company, show
ing plainly why the publication Of
that report was delayed. But moth
ing was salts factory, and the public
were at last threatened with state
ment of the affairs of the Company
by the Inter Nount0in if they were
not furnished within a given time by
the Company itself. Fortunately
the report came out within the time
limited for its appearance, and the
public were saved the threatened ex
position by the Inter Mountain.
Now that the report is public. the |
insinuations of this guardian Of the !
rights Of share holders and Of the |
reputation Of the entire camp has ap-
parently settled down to one single
accusation against the managers Of
the company. They have made a
contract for wood at seven collars
per cord, whereas other companies
buy wood for less. This charge is
harped upon and repeated in every
form and on all opportunities. The
good management Of the Monitor
mine cannot be referred to without
dragging the Alice company in, and
1t unfavorably. The
Alice company have been heavy
purchasers and consumers Of wood
ever since being established in this
camp. They are familiar with the
supply and demand, the price, and
the causes which tend to lower and
increase the price to the miners and
mill owners. Being large consumers,
if they enter the market as open
purchasers of great and small lots,
they have found by experience that
wood has cost more than when they
have given contracts % g. single per-
son or firm to supply them given
amount Of wood during given time,
aud by doing this the company avoids
he trouble and expense Of attending
% and looking after wood farther
han seeing to its delivery at the ::
;ard. Tue cost Of wood to the COM r
,any i'll the year 1882 by purchasing
rom such as had wood to sell, av f
,raged fully seven dollars per cord,
md when in the spring of 1883 the q
company desired to make arrange
nents for wood, they tried to enter
nto contract with responsible parties
o furnish them at elk dollars and
laif per cord but were unable to do
o. Thereupon they made con-
ract with Mes>rs. Caplice, McCune & l
co., responsible parties, to furnish !.
hem during the year 1888 and 1854.
) 200 cords of wood at seven dollars
YER cord, which was the best price
hey could obtain from responsible .
'arties and for the quality and p,
of the wool wanted. 1t I.
5 true that small lots of wood
an sometimes be purchased at =
less price than this, but it would {
lot do for any mining company to y
ely on this uncertain md chance "
upply that could be obtained in this
way, and confidently believe that Z
the full cost Of all wood consumed Z
y other companies in Walkervilie y y
nd vicinity is made, it will amount y
D fully as much as the Alice Compa- b
" pay under their contract. have
alked with different owners and Su-
of other mining prop L
r:ies and fiud this is the case.
This statement is give1: for rubli- 81
alton. not with any expectation - :,
hat it will satisfy the Inter Noun s.
1iM or silence its clamor and vapor-
lgs-nothing would do this. Nor is Ii
t given because the Alice Minin II
ompany is under any obligation to u =,
lake it. That company is pr vate t.
orporation and owes nothing what