The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-26
Lead and Silver.

Lead has remained stationary during the
entire week, opening at 1910. Matthews
& Co. thus summarize the recent silver
lead ore hearing in Washington, in which
several Utah men participated The advo-
Gates of the ruling were confined to two or
three parties, who represented that under
this ruling they had expended about one
million dollars in plants in Mexico and on
the border. They claimed that the ruling
had now been in existence eight years, and
that it had been confirmed by the action of
the judiciary committee of the Senate by
their declaration that, in mixed ore, the
dominant value should classify the ore.
They stood purely on this technical legal
point, and were represented for the most
part by counsel.
The advocates for revoking the ruling
were entirely mining men, being repre-
sentatives from Montana Idaho, Utah Ore
Producers association, Colorado, Missouri
and New Mexico. They claim the enforce
menJ OF the statute, which had existed for
forty years. and under whose protection
more than fifty thousand dollars of capital
was invested in plants. They claimed that
the nine years of the existence of this rul-
ing had not passed with the acquiescence
of the people, that during the first four
years nothing in ore importation was done,
and that during the past four years free
trade administration had permitted its eX-
istence III the face OF much protest. They
showed that in 1856, some 5000 ton of free
lead was thus brought in, that in 1887,
1900 tons of free lead came in, that in
1883 $4,000 tons of free lead came in, and
that in 1889 the influx was being carried on
in even larger figures. They showed that
by previous rulings Silver-copper ore was
IL
what the silver value was, but that every
ounce of copper in the ore must pay duty,
so that, in that case, weight is the basis of
classification, and not value. They showed
that in the matter of silver-lead bullion,
although silver bullion is free, vet, by
special ruling, revOking a previous ruling,
AL lead in bullion is made dutiable, even
though the silver value exceeds by ten or
twenty times the value of the lead, so that,
in this case. the weight is the basis of
classification, and not value. They showed,
therefore, that the department, in its pres
ent ruling, stands in absolute contradiction
TO itself, making weight the basis in copper
ore, copper bullion and silver bullion con-
tanning lead, but squarely denying this
basis by making values dominant in silver
lead ore They further showed that the
strictly lead producing industry, and the
lead with low silver contents, would be
crushed out of existence by the continued
influx of free ore and free lead. They
showed that of the $4,000 tons brought in
last year, 10000 were a clear surplus which
carried prices from 81. 70 to $3.50.
1t was admitted that some Of the lead
Mexican ores were of value in aiding to
smelt certain dry ores in this country, but
it was claimed that the quantity of lead so
introduced dragged down the price of ten
times the amount in American production,
and il was shown that with a reasonable
rise in the price of domestic lead enough
could easily be produced to smelt all the
dry ores in the country. The next bone of
contention was the definition Of lead ore,
which Secretary TichenOr said was the
chief object of the hearing. The evidence
on this point was rather one-sided, and it
seemed fairly clear that the definition of
the judiciary committee was not in accord
ance with trade usage, for practical miners,
experts, business men and all the text
books united in dividing ores into three
classes. Silver ores containing no lead,
lead ores containing no silver and silver
lead ores, with the broader general nOmen-
clature of dry ores and lead ores.
The former being ores with no silver and
the latter being any ore which contains .
per cent. of lead. Its further claimed that
any silver-iead ore which was treated by
fire should be classed as a lead ore and it
was shown that all Mexican ores are so
treated.
Silver, yesterday, was 923z.