Arizona silver belt., 1889-05-25
THE DUTY ON LEAD IN sILvER.LEAD
 OREs.

OREs.
 The inquiry concerning the classifi- catien ot lead ores imported into the United States from Mexico, now being held before the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, at Washington, is i'm portant as bearing upen lead and sil- yer mining in the United Statss and, co-rslatiyely, upon the smelting in- dustry.
 It has been the practice heretofore, under rulings of the Treasury Depart ment since 1880, to admit the lead m siver-lead ores, in which silver pre-. dominated, Tree of the duty imposed by eur customs laws. The arguments favoring ths liberal policy at the time int was inaugurated, were plausible, since the importations of silver.lead ores through El Paso as late as 1884, amounted to only 1,S15 tons for the year, and contained l,042650 pounds of lead, exercising no appreciable ef feet upon the price of lead in this country, while 1t iostered commercial relations between the United States and Mexico, and, apparently was ad- vantageous to both countries. Amer. ican capital found profitable invest ment Tn mining enterprises in our sister republic, demand was created for American mining machinery, and our commercial interests, generally, with Mexico were stimulated.
 In another respect the admission of lead in ores, free of duty, seemed to operate bensticially, inasmuch as it opened lucrative field for establish. ing custom smelling works at points on CT near our Mexican border, there. by aflordiug facilities for the reduc- ton of ores from the mines of New Mexico and Arizona, and other limited sections of the Southwest. Under this stimulus the smelling industry on our southwestern border rapidly grew to large proportions; and m the argu- ments of the opponents to the exactIon of duty, the preservation and fostering of ths big smeltlng works at Fl Paso, Kansas City aud elsewhere, takes prec- edence. They protest against the inn position of duty of $50 per ton cu lead, because it would destroy their business, in which upwards of S750,- 00Q is invested, and some t500 men are employed. In addition, k is ar sued that to exact the duty would divert nearly all the silver new com. ing 10 this country to England, as well as large share of our present trade with Mexico-Americaa capital and influence would be displaced by English. This is the g,st of the argu- ment fayoring the admission of silver. lead ores as has been the practice since 1880.
 Arrayed on the other side are the lead producers of the United States (which of course includes large ma iority of our silver mines whose ores carry lead), and the smeltlng cempa. nies of Colorado and the Northwest who depend upon local mines fer thelr supply of lead ores. The cost of ton of Mexican lead at most Mexican plants, does not exceed one cent per pound f. o b. cars, and previous 10 the opening of the American market 10 silver-lead ores, the lead was accounted of no value whatever How tue inn portation from Mexico of lead in ores has grows 'n four years Is shown by the statement that whereas the lead in ores imported through the Fl Pass custom house in 1854 amounted to but 1,042, ,650 pounds, in 1888 il reached il ,657 .290 lbs. and adding import. through Laredo and Eagle Pass, the total of Mexican lead admitted free of duty last year, was 57,27737 lbs!and this does not include ores admitted through Nogales and other points The result has been to seriously de press the price of lead and do incalcu fable injury to silver and lead mining in the United States. It would seem as though the investigation by the Treasury Department could result in but one course. namely, tho reversal of previous rulings winch admitted lead in ores free of duty.
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 A Buffalo. N. r., special fore shadowed the marriage of Mrs. Folsom,