The San Francisco call., 1897-10-24

opportunities. For advertising California
goes on its fame and the in.ormati)n that
naturally spreads in the ordinary course of
legitimate news. all OF which startles no.
body into attention. magnificent
display at the worlds greatest exposi-
ton would, if properly ma laged, be the
bicges and cheapest new advertise ment Cali
fornia mining could buy. Advertising is in
these DAYS more effective in the mining field
than in the fields OF cheap lands or ready
made clothes. Newspaper stories will set
hundreds or thousands of people chasing off
to the kondike, to Coffee Creek or anywhere
else in the world, and capital easiest turns %
the gold fields most talked about and most
active. Californil could get up the star min
ing exhib bit at Paris, and perhaps she will.
One of the strange things in the proceedings
of the Miners convention was the report of
the committee on resolutions recommending
no action on a resolution iudorsing the good
roads movement and the approval OF that
portion of the reTort without comment. Bad
roads affect the mining industry as vitality
and more noticeably than any other interest
The plainest object lessons the need
of good roads may be found in the
mining dis ricts OF the foothills and
mountains rather than among the
farms of the valleys. During a considerable
por ton of the year, especially in the late win
ter and spring, mines are found closed down
because fuel and other supplies cannot be
hauled in at all or without TOO great expense,
OWL to the condition of the mountain roads
which m ust be used
Last winter and spring development work on
hundreds OF mines was postponed or stopped
to await the time when the roads would b =
come passable. Carload after carload of ma
chinery aud supplies lay for weeks and months
at railroad stations, and vast amount OF
such shipments from San Francisco and else
where were postponed until they could be
hauled over the roads. Men and companies
owning a cain on which ii was decided 10 put
deve .opment machinery would wait after
plans were ready fer passable roads At opeI-
aiing mines the installation of new and ad-
ditional machinery and the enlargement of
operations would likewise wait, while in some
instances mines were emporarily closed ell
tirely.
Such impedjments TO progress mean 10 q
community or district Tor one thing, long de-
lays on the prosperity which depends almost
solely In mining development. 1t takes a lis
tict two years to get to where it perhaps
would be In one with good ;ransportat ton
facilities. There is stoppage of the demand
for EN- mploy ment and of the outflow OF money
expended in woges, etc. There is cost
and annoyance for mine owners. In
these days when cost OF operation is
so closely figured and when the great present
reduction in such cost is doing so much
to stimulate mining activity the cost OF road
transportation per ton is of as vital i'm portance
to a mining community as TO an agricultural
one. Cheapness and convenience of trans
portation, whe her by rail or highway, is one
of the biggest factors in the situation OF the
m ming industry in Califor Iia, and the miners
owe the glad hand 10 the good roads move
mcnt
There will be much discussion among the
miners of this State of the propo led radical
changes in the Federal mining laws now that
they have been specifically presented here by
W. s. Keyes, who al the convention read a Ie-
port aud resolutions expressing the sense of
The committee on this subject OF the Interna-
tional Gold Mining convention, OF which COM
mittee Mr.. keyes is an active member. The con-