The record-union., 1895-12-14
FUTURE OF MINING.
What the Government Should Do for
California.
NIetallureical Works should be Estab.
1ished Here-How Mining Would
Boom Again.
(From the San Francisco Call.)

From the San Francisco Call)
w. H. Mills of the Southern Pacific
Railroad has some decided views as to
what ought to be done by the National
Government in aid Of the mineral de-
yelopment of California
He says it ought to establish great
metallurgical work, either at San Fran
cisco or somewhere on the MARTINEZ
Straits, and also to expend $250,000 for
a scientific survey of the gold deposits
on the west flank of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains.
For the metallurgical works he says
$5,000000 is not too great a sum, con-
sldering what the Government has
made out of California. The works he
would have something like the great
works at Swansea, which have chal-
lenged the attention and the admira-
tion of the world.
THE Executive Committee of the Cal
ifornia Miners Association is now in
session here, and I would suggest to it, -
he said yesterday, that the committee
take hold of the matter at once. 1t
would result in great good to California.
The Government has received as an
aggregate in internal revenue sources
from California to June so, 1893, more
than SS4 100000. 1t has also received
from the customs duties here since 1880
over $21S,000, 600. These figures are
from the books of the Custom house.
Now the Government has paid out
on account of public buildings in Cali
forrgia 50, 93S, 600, and for the improve
me1A of the rivers and harbors $3.50
GOO. These two are the best appropria-
items that have been made.
The total cost of the National Gov
eminent in the United States is about
S30O,000,000 a year, making the aver
age to California about S0,0O0,O0O a
year. For thirty years the latter would
amount to $150,000,000
Therefore this is big balance to our
profit.
Nov it should be noticed that the ap-
preparations for rivers and harbors, al
though low, were for the benefit Of the
United States. In regard to the POST
offices and other public buildings the
same may be said. If the Government
did not have the buildings it would have
to rent them. Neither item should be
charged to California.
Besides this the Government has
sold $5,000,000 or S6,000,OO0 worth of
land here, and has got out of Cali
fornia besides 5000, 900 to $50, 000, 600
liz postage. It is at least 100000
debtor to California and can afford to
spend some money in our behalf.
The next proposition the California
Miners Association should take up is
the scientific survey of the western por-
ton of the Sierras. It ought to ask
Congress TO make a scientific explora-
ton and locate the old channel of the
river known to exist parallel to the
main axis of the SierraS.
I'm this way immense quantities Of
gold would soon thereafter be devel-
oped. Congress ought to make a spe-
cial appropriation for this purpose at
once 1 should say $1,000 would be
ample 1t should then appoint a thor
oughly competent, scientific corps of
mining engineers to make the survey
for the gold deposits"
Mr. Mills declared that if the Cali
fornia Miners Association would take
hold of the matter at once it would at
tract attention. They would gain this
object and extraordinary benefits would
result to the State. He said much more
in the same vein.
The metallurgical works, he said,
should be very extensive and for the
treatment of all kinds of ore. In this
way we would have the fame of an
other Swansea, for the results in a sec
ton where there was so much and such
varied kinds of minerals would be prob
ably without a parallel