The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1888-03-31

I
posed reduction of the import tariff
on lead. The placing ot this met
al on the free list would at once
close down a majority of the mines
and furnaces in Utah, and reduce
the value OF the production
of the territory So, 100000, as
many mines producing both silver
and lead would have to suspend
and decrease would result not
only in the lead yield, but IN the
output Of precious metals. Still
the loss resulting from a reduction
in the price OF lead would be con
siderable, as lead is now worth $50
per ton in Salt Lake City, while
with a tariff OF only one cent its
value would be but $50 per ton,
and if on the free list only $40 per
ton. Regarding the effect on
smelling business, it is stated that
six stacks have been running re-
ducing IS, 900 tons of silver ores,
9,513 tons of Tintic IRON ores, "a,
920 tons of limestone and sixty
tons of scrap iron. In dong this
they have used Is, 72S tons of
coke, 1868 tons'of coal, 1850 tons
of charcoal, 1874 tons of coal slack
and 500 cords of wood. They have
extracted u, ,921 tons of lead bull
lion, worth in Salt Lake, 50, 289-
938. With free lead all of this
business, and all business incident
to this business, must cease.
Mines which now produce in the
aggregate SO, 500, 600 year, Z per
cent, on $4,000, 1000 must be
abandoned. The freight earnings
of 500 miles Of Utah railroads
must fall off so per cent. The
Stockton, the TintIc, the Bingham,
the Alta and the Frisco extension
Of the Utah Central, aggregating
270 miles, and built at a cost OF
$50, 600, 900, cannot earn their op-
Grating expenses without the busi-
ness which lead-sllver ore mining
and smelling furnishes them. The
money invested in smelling, in
mining and ore-dressing plants
will be lost. Our mining towns
will be deserted, the buildings lett
to decay and ruin. Free lead will
knock off from work indefinitely a
multitude of coal miners, coke
makers. charcoali burners, wood
choppers, timbermen and lumber
men teams and teamsters, quarry
men, brick makers, powder max
ers, machine and tool makers, sill
yer miners and smelters and labor
ers of all sorts. Exchange.
The above lforciblys.illustrates
what would be one of the results
of Democratic legislation and the
Mills tinkeriug with the tariff.
Here in New Mexico we have lead
and silver mines of lncalculable
value, and which only await devel
opment to add millions to the
wealth OF the country. Lincoln
county alone can show valuable
prospects for exceeding in quantity
and richness of ore the Tintic, Park,
Bingham or Friscomining districts
, of Utah, which awaits the building
, of the White Oaks railroad to de
velop into an industry that viii
support thousands of miners anC
millions of capital. Want of trans
portation has been the only draw
: back, but now that the building O
, the road is assured many of ou
miners have again turned their at
tention 10 this class OF mineral.
, However Lincoln Co. is not tn,
l only section of our territory affect
ed by the proposed reduction of th'
l tariff on lead, and we are at los
! to understand why the press o
q New Mexico exhibits so much q
$ pathy upon a subject OF such vita
j Importance. AS soon as it was as
y certained that wool was affecte
by the Mills, bill howl went u
y that could be heard all over tn
territory, but when it comes to lea
and the mining interest, our demo
. cratic brethren are as dumb as a
oyster.