San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-30
THE ORE ISSUE.

cy Abusing its Own Bantltng.
No issue of late years has made
such a stir, as the so called ore ques-
ton. We propose to lay bare the
whole question that the democracy
may call off its hounds from its own
poor hunted hare. And We give first
WINDOWS much abused letter of in
structions to our Rio Grande collec-
tors of July Il, 1889, remarking only
that it was the sixth paragraph
which raised the storm.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, ID. c., July l., 1889.
Collector of Customs. Eagle Pass, Texas:
Sir 1.-THE department has had I'M
der consideration the joint report SUBJ
mitted submitted by special agents,
w. H. Williams and w. p. Hudgins,
upon the question of the importation
of mineral ores from Mexico, with
spacial reference to the accuracy and
propriety of the existing methods of
entering, sampllng, and examination
of such ores, for the purpose of deter
mining their legal classification by
an accurate ascertainment of the
characters and properties of the..miner-
ais con tanned in the various importa-
lions:
1t appears from the report that a
practice has grown up of permitting
in the same entry as the product of
one mine the mingled products of sew
eral mines possessing different char
acteristics, and that sampling is con-
Quoted in a very irregular manner by
what is known as the grab process"
1t is evident that neither of those
methods is adapted to proper exc
cution of the general law respecting
importations of merchandise and that
a modification is essential to bring it's
administration into harmony with the
of the law. Pending
further consideration, and the deter
mination of the proper classification
of those Mexican ores that contain
both silver and lead, the following in
struc lions will be observed:
!. The sworn entry shall embrace
in addition to what is now required,
statement of the estimated quantities
and values of silver and lead con-
tanned in the impOrtatio according to
the best knowledge and belief of the
importer or consignee.
,. The entry shall further contain a
declaration that the importation con-
ta;ns no mixture of ores or concen-
trates from different mines.
5. The entry shall also disclose the
name and locality of the mine from
which the ore has been taken.
4. Upon the arrival at the frontier
of cars or other vehicles laden with
ores containing an appreciable guam
tity of lead, they shall be locked or
otherwise secured until entry be made
and permit granted to unload.
). Upon the unlading, and at the
time OF unlading, the officer of GUS
toms assigned to the duty shall su-
pervise the work and shall obtain
proper and adequate samples from
those made for commercial purposes
by the importer or cOnsignee; that is
to say that they shall be taken in the
manner approved and practiced by
miners IN the handling and reduction
of ores, by thoroughly mixing and
quartering every tenth shovel or
more, repeating the operation until
the usual commercial sample be OBJ
tanned.
6. To avoid the detention and ex-
pense incidental to unladlng and sam
plelng at the frontier, in cases where
the cars or other vehicles are destined
to an interior port or place without so
unlading, they shall be- adequately
inspected and if IN the Judgment of
the collector; the ore is deemed to con-
tain lead in quantity sufficient to
make it dutiable, or if the legal class
ification be held doubtful, appraise-
ment may be waived and entry made
on an estimate of duties, and the
goods permitted to proceed to desti-
natien under a warehouse and trans
portation bond, the entry to be ulti-
mately liquidated under an apppraise-
ment BASED upon samples selected
in the manner above prescribed in
paragraph >.
1t is suggested that III the execution
of these instructions, care should be
taken not to unnecessarily detain
ores wherein silver so clearly pre-
dominates as to fix their character,
commercially, as silver ores: nor to
admit without assessment of duty
those ores wherin the value of their
component of lead appear to exceed
that of the silver, contained in such
ore.
IT is FURTHER ADVISED THAT IN
DETERMINING THE RELATIVE VALUE
OF SILVER AND LEAD CONTAINED IN
THE SANE ORE, THE VALUE OF THE
SILVER COMPONENT IN THE ABSENCE
OF MORE ACCURATE DATA IN THE IN
VOICE, OR OTHERWISE, BE RATED
AT 20 PER CENT OF THE LATEST
KNOWN VALUE OF SILVER BULLION IN
THE NEW YORK MARKET, AND THAT
THE VALUE OF THE LEAD COMPONENT
AT THE LATEST KNOWN PRICE OF RAR