Arizona silver belt., 1888-08-04
FIFE FREE PRECIPITATION oE HEAD.


 as proposed by ths Mills bill, has been widely discussed, mostly, however from partIzau standpoint, It is a noticeable fact, nevertheless, that pa, psrs in tho West devoted to the min. ing industry, and also the dally press of those States and Territories in which the lead production IS largest, arc almost unanimous Tn opposing any reduction of tho present duty on that metal. Whiie & reduction of one-half cent per pound in the tariff might not materially affect the price of lead, still a point in all tariff reduction schemes that must not be overlooked, where the article under consideration is largely produced in other countries whore labor is cheap, is the tendency toward free trade. If it is found after l trial that tho reductions made in some articles by tho Mills Bill have not af- fscted that industry, then would that fact not be brought forward by the party of tariff reform as 8 strong plca for further reduction?
 But to our mind what is much more damaging to lead producers of this country than tha reduction of tariff contemplated by the Mills Bill, is the admission of silyer-lead ores from Mexico and other foreign countries, duty free, by the present administra- ten. Undar the present policy argeu- tifsrsns ores containing es high as 60 per cent lead aro admitted free.
 The depression in the market value of both sllvsr and lead, for which Presidsnt Cleveland can not escape responsibility, has had a disastrous effect upon the mining of argentifer- ous lead sres, from winch so large g proportion oE our silver and load i, derived, and in consequence of the scarcity of this class of ores, absolute. 1 y necessary to successful SmeIting cur smelters are glad of the opporiu, | nity to import ores of thls character from Mexico, and importations are now so large, and increasing 50 rapid | ly, that If continued there can be nc reasonable hope for an appreciation 1T the price of lead
 I A recen. report, published Tn th, | Globe Democrat, of the importation o crude silver ores free ef duty througl one customs district, Fl Paso, gives ta, amount for one month as 1875, COG pounds, of which 4l3.590 pounds, al over 24 per cent, was lead, which, had duty been collected, would have yield ed a revenue of (8,653, It is showr 5oo that these Hgures ars not ID |, the average weekly iuportatiens, a. during the mnnth of May lead to tat amount oi 3,9J3. 75Q pounds was i'm ported through El Paso. The repor of tho Director of the Mint for th, calendar year 1887 give. the value 0 impsrtatious orsilger, mostly fer Mex ! lcO, as &ts+2123, and undoubteGl, ains-teuths Of tie ores 'represente, were au ssz.Itsrons lead ores. Arizo na is greatly concerned in prohibIhn, this free importation of lead, which i directly Tn csnflct with the law i'm posing daty oS : cents on forelgI 2 lead. Dr. Alex Trippel, in an artioh 2 on Mining in Arizona, published il the Engineering and Mining Journal | says:
 "a new field fer silver mining, fo c WhIch Arizona is not yell prepared, |
 the production of silyer-lead ores |, Within g very recent period many ex
 tsnsive and valuable lodges of sucl melting ores HaYa either been dis | covered, CT more iutellissntly pros ' psgted, especially in Pima county, il Q inc Tucson, Santa Rita, and Patag9
 niaH mountains. where, 1 am con
 VinGad, immense masses Of such or can be extracted. The ere is maasrat s in grade, i, e. from 16 to 10 ounce S silver, and either carriss ample huxiz, Iquehlies, or the necessary fuSing ma tsrisI is preaUrabls in the vicinity
 Dr. Trippcl states that these dePos , it's remain undeye}opad owing to thei
 distance from railroads and the at sence of smelting facilities, but vi. ths prizes now rullng for both silge
 and lead could many of them, eve - if fayoraLly situated, be profitabl, worked? We thizk not, and in sup
 port of our opinion point to camps il
 Colorado having rail connection wit
 Denver, Leadyilie and Pueblo, ali low shipping rates on ore, and yc
 many of their mines producing silver
 lead ores are to-day idle.
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 Sheriff Fryer is in receipt of com z munieation from the commanding oi