Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-11-03
The New Mining Law of Mexico.
(Lower CaIfornian.J

A new impulse will be given to mining
 and development Of the mineral bOsrlng
 territory of Mexico under the new mr.
 ing law which went into effect July Ist.
 Under the old law foreigners found II
 very difficult to develop and york vslus-
 ble properties, the provisions of the lsw,
 when rigidly enforced, being little lees
 than virtual coDtiscation of very near
 all the profits flowing from a valuable mine, th5 more valuable the mine. the | greater the exactiOn ID the way of taxes | the provisions of the law beiug Ya.y elas
 tic in the direction of robbing thu mine
 owner. It is true there were instance where foreigners. a lew Americans
 among them, were granted special fran
 chises by the Mexican Federal Goverr- ment; but these instances were rare. The developments under ttese special
 franchises, however, were of such Q fiat
 teriug nature, SO beneficial to the dis
 tricts in which the mines operated u1-
 der them were located. ss to attract ReB-
 ersl attention not only to the ersatyalus
 of MeXlcan mines wrought under nm
 proved methods snd with modern ms
 chinery, but also to the absolute necCs- slty of a mobilization of the lass gov erning mining. or the passage 0t entire ly new laws which would invlta, encour- age and protect foreign cspitnl instead of practically I; Eoh;biting iIsveslras ns
 by excessive taxation.
 The new law law evidences o growth in wisdom in Mexican legislators; dls- plays in broad sense the advances that are being made by our southern neigh bors towards higher eOumsF FcIsl ciyIli- zstion. If will mark an epoch m Mexi- can history. the real developments of that country's wonderfully rich fields of valuable minerals dating from the pro mulgstlon of liberal mining law. Under the provisions of the law there will bs heneeforth freedom from all federal. local and municipal taxes. with the ex- oeplion of tbe stamp tax, granted to Eil coal mines, petroleum springs, iEon and quicksilver mines ss well as their pro ducts: to native mhlleabie iron and cast iron in bars, rods, pigs, plates frd rails, and to native quicksilver. the liquid pro duct of the minerals from winch 70 Is tx trscted" Interior state duties portage tex, etc, however dCnoninaied. ore bGi- lion or coin, CT on the clrcuIatioz Cfthe other metal and mineral product Be yond coinage, tax mines and their prO- ducts will be subjected 10 but Cze tax, WHICH WILL DE k4ECFu Ul AA-t tAH haA tue of the metal or mineral prcdccts with out allowance for expenses fo1 IEodgo- tion for. but which, noweyes, shall Hev- CT exceed Pes cent Cf thss value, the tsx to be fixed an1Ually. Section < ot the law roads "Any other law. except the stamp tax, however denom mated, Ou the extraes. product, or profit Of uine or reduction, on jne product or profit If mineral establishments, on the capital invested in mines or mills, shares Of stock srd bonds, or ID any nd of met sllurgicsl offices, or transfer deecs to mines and mills, and on all stock repre- sentinR the same, is positively forbidden by this law" Tbe law also provides that "frsschise and special concessions shall in no case exceed ten years" that the minimum of capital to be invested in prospecting and operating shall be S200,0O0 within five years this capital shall ba exempt during ten years ffOm all federal tax except the stamp fax, ''ihe maximum number of properties which may be granted ID ordinary erses shall bs twenty. together CT sepersieG, the number being deteruIred by the rules and regulations of the respective ,of the ministry of public works ID proportion to the capital, Gnal- ;tJ; and -r-autisv ns mineral and condi- on one or all of the properties vltn not less than twenty operatives.