, 1890-05-15
THE. LEAD QUESTION.
A Mining Expert Who APP
proves Mr.. Potter's Views.
THE BRITISH COLUMBIA ORES
They Ought to Pay Tribute to
American Miners and to spo-
kano Falls.
SPOKANE FAILS. May is.


orHH EDfroR oF rHK REVIEW
10 Is with pleasure that / read In
to-day's REVIEW the concise aud
plain statements made by George
ID. Potter of Wardner, concerning
the lead question, and l cheerfuily
indoisc what he has to say In the
closing paragraph.
In addition TO what MFR. Potter
has stated regarding this Important
subject 1t should be remembered
that at meeting Of the smelling men
of 1eadvIlle, Colo, recently, they
voted In favor Of admitting Mexico
and British Columbia lead free Of
duty. j am also informed that tho
lead producers Of Missouri, at
meeting, took the same action And
among those that are posted, and
study the question, ] find that their
Ideas conform with the opinion of
those cited.
The last quotation on lead that 1
have seer was S4.05. This, in the
opinion OF many, Is about as high ~
that metal should reach under cx-
lsting tariff laws. Should II reach
si.lo or higher, Spain could easily
pay the duty and flood the AnerI-
can market, thus forcing the price
down ON account Of an excessive
quantity, until the injury would be
greater TO United States producers
than II the limited amounts were al
lowed TO come In free of duty from
Mexico and British Columbia.
Mr.. Potter tells us that the sup
ply from Mexico IL ON the decrease
This Is cheering news from the fact
that II II produced In that country
by pauper labor, that does not de
serve competition with the living
wages Of the United States or
British Columbia.
He manftIlly states that he is not
familiar with British Columbia, hut
presuInes from what information he
can gather that the lead product of
that section IL also limited.
10 set ut rest any doubt on the
question OF British Columbia lead,
j will give few facts concerning
the production of this metal beyond
the border In that direction, and
show that from present develop
men IL there will not be sufficient
quantity mined and shipped to cut
any figure
OF course / allude to the Kootenai
country, ns that section Ii the only
one, | believe, sending ores into the
United States.
The ores Of this locality are prin-
cipaily OF the ''dry" variety, high
grade In silver, carrying but little,
II any, lead, and Just tho material
needed In ~ smelter at Spokane
Falls to mix with the ''wetn or Iced
ores than can be drawn from nearly
every direction.
1t should DO also remembered
that one of the districts i'm the
kootenal county Nelson and vicin-
ityl produces only coppcr-siiver
and gold ores.
There are some notable exceptions
to the dry ore mines of the Warm
Springs district, however, that
woul III be affected seriously were tho
duty on lead imposed. The Pacific
Bullion Mining Company, whose
mines contain large bodies OF lead
ore containing high percentage Of
silver, IL one.
A number OF others In the vicinity,
whose owners, like the Pacific
Bullion Company, are citizens OF
the United States, would suffer NC
cordingly.
The Blue Bell mine, situated ON
the east side of Lake Kootenai,
which carries the largest body Of
galena probably in fhe world, and Is
owned by IA United States company,
Is low grade both In silver and lead
III Is not yet known, but highly
probable, that the ores OF this mine
will be smelted on the ground. Vet,
| was Informed last year by n Welt
known ore buyer that IL he could
lease this mine he could afford to pay
the duty pay the owners a royalty,
freight the ore to Helena and make
profit. III there was not n
scarcity Of lead ore in the United
States this could not be done. Be-
sides the fact Of all British Columbia
lead mines being owned by Ameri-
cans IL should be borne In mind that
miners In thai region pet $50 per
day, which Is quite a contrast with
the wages paid In Mexico.
The production of lead will be on
the increase In the kootcnai coun-
try instead Of diminishing. Tho
product will come to the spokane
Fails smelters despite the efforts Of
the slow British Columbians 10 force
them to Revelstoke, and II should
be the duty OF those who have the
smelling OF ores In this city at heart
/ to aid the miner In that country in
preserving his rights.
An the supplies used in Kootenni
are purchased In Spokane Falls; the
boundary line cuts no figure except
tho payment OF duties. With tho
exception OF that tariff and the local
licenses and taxes this country Sc
cures and will continue to secure all
the benefits of Americans mining
in Bntish Columbia.
X. III. KE,rp.