New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-27
THE FIGHT OVER LEAD.
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY INVOLVED.
EFTEcTs OF TREASURY RULING-ENoRMoUs
MENTs OF WESTERN oRE.PRoDUcERs.

MENrS OF WESTERN oRE.PRoDUCERS.
tBr TELEGRAPH TO THE THIBusEI
Washington, May o6.-One Of tho most important
matters now before the Treasury Department is the
application Of me silver and lead producers Of
the Western States and Territories for the reversal
Of decision under color Of which enormous and
rapidly Increasing quantities OF lead are now being
Imported from Mexico and Canada free OF duty, to
tho great injury Of mining industries. The magnitude
and importance OF these industries were fully set
FORTH and the serious injury already done was graph
cally described in the recent hearing before the
Secretary and Assistant Secretary Of the Treasury.
II was shown that IN Utah aope S3ooOoO0o OF
capital is invested In silver and lead mining, which
employs 1000 men average daily wage Of -
each that the annual output OF these mines Is eight
TO ten million dollars, Of which about onc-half is
lead that the trade Of the mines furnishes directly
81 por cent OF the tonnage carried by the mountain
railway systems and that the addition Of the freight
age Indirectly due 20 mining raises the proportion to
about 90 per cent OF the total tonnage, that the
etsncnt and development Of all the mountain states
and Territories have been and arc dependent upon
the prosperity OF mining industries, which produce
annually about s4OooO,OOO in gold and silver, and
the very existence of which is mperted by the
Importation Of foreign lead ore FREQ OF duty.
The lead-mining industry Of the mountain States
dates from 1870, in which year only 1880 OF
the 1880 tons OF lead consumed IN the United
states were OF home production. Tho average price
Dor that year was s143 90 per ton. In 1887, the
consumption was 1884, 40 tons, Of which $4,000 tons
were OF homo production, and tho average price per
ton was $40 40 II Is generally known that the lead
produced In the mountain States and Territories is
extracted from ores which carry silver also, but not
In sufficient quantity 10 pay the expenses OF mining
and Smeltng neither will tho lead Alone pay those
expenses: tho two depend upon each other, and
blow at the lead-niuns industry Is therefore. equally
a blow at silver mining and smelling
In 1884 began the importation OF Mexican orc.
claSsed as silver ore but bearing proportion Of
lead That year the importatious were Insignificant,
averaging only Ave tons per day, and the avorag'
value per ton was sl45 Since that time tho importa
tons have increased at enormous rate. and the
average value per ton Of tho orc has steadily de-
creased as tho following statement Of entries at
FL PRso TcI., Will show: 1855. average % tons
PER day: value So4: 1890, average go tons per daV
value, sS4: 1887, average 100 tons Icr day; value
s85: 1853 average e2j tons pcr day; value. $40.
These figures arc suggestive. In five years tho
import at,ons Of so-caIled silver orc IRE" Of duty
at a single port Of entry tho Mexican border
inc reased more than $500 per cent wo tho average
' alue per ton declined about 81 pcr cent.
Late in 1857 the Western nToprducerS took The
alarm. Many mines wrrr compelled to shut down,
causing great loss to the and throwing hun.
drcds OF men out Of employment other mines reduced
their force and curalcd operations. and some OF the
smelters put out their fires 10 await better times
An investigation Of the cause Of the trouble was ~
once srt on foot by the Utah Orc Producers Assoca-
ton, which had Just been organized II was soon
discovered that lead orc which should pay duty "i
lie cents per pound, being admitted fro oi
duty A. silver orr on tho ground that the silver
therein contained was the component Of chief
vaIuep The Western orc.pmduccrs commended that
tho Application Of this mi" 70 lead an act
OF manifest injustice. Their appeals 10 the Treasury
Department for relief wrro unhooicd. and on May 20,
49, they addressed long letter TO President Ccvr
land on the subject In this letier. which was ~
n'orood By the verbal statements Of Senators stewart
and Hearst, who presented It, the writer's urged
/. That oil lead contained leN silver and
that this fact known and h. presumed have
bo"n known to the legislator who pAs-d the law fixing
duty lead
. That such construction should BE- given 10 the |
statute 10 make Il operative possible while The
contrary ruling complained Of practically nulaos tho
law and eject gives ab~ouy trade or,,.
putting mnoS which average n ~ per dsy n
their workep. IN direct competition With Mexican
paying only from 30 cents N 81.
3. That the determine whether
or lead the method Of its reduction. Silver
crushed and milled saving the precious metals and
iosnS tho base metals Lead seltcd
the lead which becomes an important factor in tho value
Of tho bullion |
Tho relative value o. the gold and silver contents |
compared with the lead value. should b. considered
srueon hold that IoAh bullion weighing 100 pounds
worth " containing onefourth Of Of gold worth
eS should DO oIsssed gold and admitted duty free.
maintain that containing from % N 80 per cont
OF annst per silver should
be admitted silver
The ores brought IN from Mexico average from 25
50 per cent lead. They sneltInR have been
and snelting be reoueed. and
large sInasrs building aid In their reduction. II
IA the Iced they contain which makes them s"nght for by
smesrs. though their silver value exceed their
cad value
No attention whatever was paid by tho Free-Trads
Administration 10 this letter 10 subsequent com
municstlons and Arguments submitted by the United
District Attorney for Utah, and Senators stewart
Vest and German. But the work Of private nvesti.
CATION was continued. An agent sont N Texas and |
Mexico reported undcr date Of December o. 1883. that
the Collector OF Customs at III PaEo ctiry refused Ia
give him any information whatever; that hc had Ob
aimed average samples Of ore from several cam In
Mexico on their way ~ Paso which contained from
IS N 81 per cent OF lead, and nom ten to twenty
ounces Of silver por ton that the shelters st III Paso
extract lead daily sufficient to Ill from 40 10 $50
mouds Of eighty pounds each Of pig lead containing
some silver bullion; very often ihoy ship as much rs
twenty and twenty two tons day Of lead.
Tho report continued:
They employ mostly Mexican lhborsrs and their plea
the American laborcr will b. the sufferer n they
obliged close thar works k the Of faIschooi ThGv
lave times hy United author.
tics importing llbor.rs from Mexico under contract
act they have paid already times 81 900 fines
ret they still import Mexican lsborcrs.
In Saint RosalIa. Just 100 miles further south In Chi.
iuhhus have been shown contract mado between the
Isn,ss Smelling Works OF Fl Paso. Texas and Mexican
ontrsc - furnish them with Mexican laborers rs
cnts per day To avoid the penalty imposed by the
they fake these Mexican
q Psso Texas FL Pss0 Del Norte, Mexico and tell
hem that when they contracted with them In Mexico they
sere not swsrc Of law in the United States which pro
blta the importation Of contract labor and that they
,ret having brought them here They at the time In
Innate To leader OF tho that II his will
FL Taso Texas and mako oath that they do by
wn will. they Will be given work for time not
ess than ono yoSr 10 per day or course they
ave 10 return starve for hoY 32i miles from
ANITA Rosa.