, 1889-06-06
THE OTHER SIDE.
The Lead Importation Problem
Intelligen,ly Discussed.
May Not the Depression in
Price be Due to Producers
Ii IL the Law and treasury RniinEs OF
the InfrAotion Of Bo,h That Csuses
the Trouble7


dian relations etc.
GnNrLEMEN:-l am a citizen Of the
United States, but at present am engaged
In working some silver mines in British
Columbia, about fifty miles north Of the
boundary line. These mines are situated
upon Kooteuai lake, 150 miles north.
easterly OF Spokane Falls, from whence
they draw the greater portion Of their sup.
plies. The natural outlet of their ore
product 10 the Northern Pacific railway,
which road they tap at Sand Point, upon
the Pend d. O'Reille lake. One hundred
mies of lake and river transportation, and
thirty-t~o miles Of wagon road bring our
oree to the railway, by which they are
shipped at present to Omaha, or Helena.
or Great Falls, in Montana. We have
reason to hope that the wagon road
will soon be superseded by u railway.
Tnere are two classes OF ore in this dis.
trict, one consisting of rich silver ORES.
which carry copper. iron. manganese and
q small percentage Of lead. with silver
varying from 100 ounces to 400 ounces per
ton. Shipments made by myself to Great
Falls last winter yielded l20 ounces silver
to the ton, rs per cent of iron, aud per
cent lead. Other consigninents to Ana
conda gave from 300 IN 400 ounces silver.
and Is PER cent to 80 yer cent copper.
with b per cent OF lead. Of course in
such ore the lead has
NO COMMERCIAL VALUE,
when the percentage Is so low. and nc
a.. IL NG ,.,S L.. la.
turns. Under the present tariff repnla-
ton. foreign lead ore Is subject to a duty
of $50 per ton uuon it's importation into
the United States. IL has h thrrto been
ruled 10y successive secretaries Of
the treasury that the ore should be-
classified nv either lead ore or silver or
gold ore. according to the FREEDOM mating
value OF either metal contained in 1t. ]
hear now that the lead owners OF some OF
the Idaho and Washington mines ssk that
ore containing apv lead. however spIall a
percentage. rhall be deemed lead ore. and
subj-cird TO this almost prohibitory duty.
In other words, the accident OF rich sill
Yer or gold quartz having a trace of lead
in IL. should suffice to exclude it from
crossing our bord-rs. Some Of our veins
have hrlnatite iron in large proportions,
with that unfortunate taint of lead.
Graphite exists In others; manRan Sc
largely In many CT them. Gold in paying
Quantities In many; yet these worshiptrs
OF the lead interests ask that all should be
subjected to the same tax from their be-
ing found 10 bad company, lead, though
only a trace. This seems to me to be u
veritabe ''reductio ad absurdum."
Another class Of our ores are rich Ia
both gold and silver. Shipments to the
Helena SmeltinR works have shown the
existrnce Of ll3 ounces OF silver and 60
per cent OF lead, the silver being valued at
about 500 per ton and the lead about 1926.
No ordinary duty which may be imposed
upon lead Can
INCLUDE THESE ORES
from being shipped across the line, be
cause a large profit can be obtained from
them after paying any duty. Therefore.
they will euter our country in spite of leg
islation and add TO the plethora of lead
which 1t is claimed now eXists. Where
would b. the benefit Of suhjecting this
clasr to the $50 duty. except to increase
our already oyerhowing treasury surplusp
1t 10 evident therefore that this vigorous
cru SADIE can only be urged against the third
class Of ore, in which the values OF the
base and precious metals more nearly Rp-
proxi mate each other. Under the present
Yuliogs predominance of the silver value
admits the ores tree. In this class the
labor in extracting these ores generally
amounts to IS or $40 per ton. This is per-
formed in British Columbia. A small adj
dition may be added for transportation to
the boundary line. The cost OF transport
ing then, thence to the various smelters.
of reducing them to base bullion, and of
separating the oase and precious metals
vari ~ from $25 to $40 per ton, and Is all
performed in the United States. This is
labor or manufacturer profit. am
member OF the republican party and nave
always considered that their principles
were protection for the manufacturing and
laborinR classes and not placing prohibi-
tory tax upon raw materials. To do this
seems practically TO be crusade against
labor.
AZ the law now exists, and under the
present rulings, that il 1t is properly car
ried out do not believe that sufficient low
grade lead or will be admitted to inHu-
ence materially the piice Of lead.
TuB RIGID RULES
which have been adopted in estimating
the values of our British Columbia lead
ores, il carried nut on the Mexican Dor der.
would greatly diminish the quantities
which would be introduced. ] think |
have been connected with all the ship
mer ts which have been made from British
Columbia. and can safely aver that the ag-
Rregate amount for three or more years
does not exceed 500 tons. This amount
has been greatly exaggerated IN news
paper and other statements. ! think that
it IL not the law or treasury rulings, but
the infraction of both, which causes the
trouble with Mexican ores.
A word about the owners of the mines
in the Kootena lake district. They are
almost Invariably American N citizeus Our