The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-08
THE ADVANCED CHARGES.
How the Local Shelters Are Looked
Upon in Denver.

General Manager Callbreath of the
Mining and Industrial Reporter of Den
yer generally makes himself heard
whenever he thinks anything is going
wrong, especially if il affects mining
interests III any way In commenting
upon the advance in the local smelter
charges IN Utah, in the last issue of
that paper, the following is noticed:
That the mining men of Utah have
a grievance by the recent advance in
local smelter charges, has already been
demonstrated by the fact that the
Daly-West mine at Park City, employ
ing in the neighborhood of 60 men;
the BulliOn-B Beck at Eureka. the Nam
moth mill and mine at Mammoth and
several other producing properties have
closed their doors. discharging in the
neighborhood of 400 or 500 men. No
greater evidence is needed that a griev-
ance exists. Perhaps some Of this
blame may be attached to the recent
slight raise in railroad rates, but the
rate on ore has been raised so little in
comparison with the advance made by
the smelters that it is a mere bagatelle.
1t is true that railroad rates on ore
are high-in fact, too high to admit of
the mining men working at a profit
but taking into consideration the local
charges and comparing them with other
localities throughout the mining west,
the existing rates are equitable to the
shipping mines of Utah.
The advance of rates by the local
shelters will be of advantage to out
side smelters at Salt Lake City when
they can get their work done more
cheaply and satisfactorily elsewhere,
and where the net returns are just as
great
1t is not this alone that has put
damper on mining in Utah. The recent
powder combine. in which all the pow
der shipped into the state AID con-
trolled by the hardware companies of
Salt Lake City, has advanced the price
of that which is so necessary to the
miner from IA cents to 10 cents Be
fore the middle of May powder sold to
the mining men for the above price-14
cents. At that time the houses COM
blned, and now not a pound of pow
der can be bought in Utah under 16
cents. Why it is that the dealers in
this commodity should work a hard
ship on the local miners has often been
discussed since the beginning of this
rule; indeed. there is much talk at the
present time among the miners them
selves of organizing company and
manufacturing their own powder, as
the necessary material for its manu-
facture can all be obtained in the
state. The writer believes that the day
ufacture her own powder
From the smelters' standpoint. the
following quotations from interviews
held with smelter men viii show the
way they stand on the subject: Mr.
Hanauer said: L cannot understand
why the miners should raise an OBJ
lection to the increased rates of
smelling ore, because the shelters of
Salt Lake City have not made any
.
charges that We may make a little,
they begin to kick. We have not ad-
vanced the charges on some classes of
ore, and are paying just as much as
we ever paid. OF course the ore is
graded, and on some classes the
charges are advanced"
Hon. T. r. Jones. of the Ger
mania, said: I do not care to
be interviewed on the subject.
have grievance. 1t is true that some
advance has been made in the charges
on ore, but l do not want to be led
into a newspaper controversy. l think
that the only miners who are kicking
are those who have ore which will
not pay for shipping.
On the either hand. John ]. Dalv, |
one Of the heavy owners OF the DAILY
West mine at Park City. said: The I
advance in smelter charges makes a 4
difference in charges for treating our
ores of 81. compared with the charges !
made a year ago; in other words, we I
cannot get as much returns net to US !
as we did a year ago by 81. This has /
us to use up all our profits, and (
we will not work for nothing. The rail (
road and smelters will have to do |
in the matter and thereby 1
give us chance"
From the above interviews il will be
seen how the different sides view the /
matter. What the outcome will be is /
hard to predict; but should some ar
not be made soon it will /
work a great hardship on the Park .
City and Tintic districts. where nearly .
all the ore is shipped for treatment
II is a safe prediction that some
thing must be done in regard to smelter
charges. and a nominal figure for pow
der else a new smelter will be built in
Tintic, and a powder factory estab-
iShed within the state