The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-05-12
uation. and it seems impossible for
many of them to continue in business

many or Them TO cor llDue IN business
under present conditions. 1t means
an actual loss on every ton of ore
mined this season, to many of them,
| if their properties are worked, and if
allowed to remain idle the royalties
must be paid even though not q pound
of ore is mined. and there are other
| fixed charges which cannot be evaded.
lone independent operator on the
! MeSaba recently stated in CONVERSE
tion that it appeared as though the
time was rapidly coming when man
or company that proposed to mine on
the Mesaba must have its own rail
road, fleets and dock before it begun
work the mine. The remark, which
was probably meant half as joke, is
literally true, barring its local appli-
cation TO the Mesaba and the placing
of this condition in the immediate
future instead of in the actual present.
The tendency Of the past few years in
the iron ore trade, as in many other
lines of industry, has been toward
lower prices. smaller profits and the
concentration Of the business in the
hands Of the few. This tendency is
intensified with every year that
passes. The prospect ahead Of the
Independent mine operator of the Me-
saba is not pleasant one: every in
dication points to his elimination as
factor in the business within the
next few years.
This condition is not peculiar to
the Mesaba, and responsibility for it
. cannot be laid entirely upon shoulders
+ OF J. D. Rockefeller, for the same
tendencies are observable on the three
ranges where he has no mining inter
, ests. With every year that passes
the number Of shippers is growing
: less, though the number Of mines may
+ increase. There will undoubtedly
continue to be small mining COM
panies operating on at least three of
] the ranges-the Michigan ranges
, for long time to come, but these
4
! advantages in the way of desirable
, ores. cheap mining and cheap trans
portation rates, and which further
: more possess adequate capital and are
skilifuHy managed. Sermons and
O newspaper editorials against the
+ trusts and combines do not check and
: cannot check this tendency toward
4 the Capitalization of business in the
r hands of few gigantic corporations.
p The Rockefeller interests comprise
mines, railroads, docks and steel
n steamers for carrying ore. The Min
o nesota Iron company has like equip.
g ment: so have the Cleveland-Cliffs and
9 Pittsburg and Lake Angelina com
panies of this city, while several other
n ! large corporations have large fleets Of
q ore carriers as well as mines.
n This concentration of the ore trade
Or in a few hands grows more marked
n with every year that passes, and has
Il by no means reached an end. Il
means cheaper iron and steel for al
who use them. 1t means the build
% ing up of an export business in iron
"a steel, hardware and machinery Of {
- magnitude at present scarcely dream
. ed of and the centering Of the indus
=, trial interests of the world in thu
a, United States. and incidentlly i
h means the ruin of scores of TIL,
= smaller mining companies and losse
of millions to their stockholders. Th'
\ industrial revolutions are akin il
% their nature and progress to smalle
evolutions which are in progress in
40 cessantly in almost every manufact
"a uring center where the introduction
iS of labor-saving machinery turns tn
- Industrious mechanic out Of a job
~ but gives the product of the factor
= to the consumer for less money
lu Business finds its way along the lin
!. of least resistance. and the great CON
- bination of capital technical ski
10 and financial ability which is repre-
M sented by one of the great corpora
bo tions that is crowding its weake
:. neighbors to the wall, is bound t
gain strength from the weakness {
y, its competitors. The company wit
:, the most money and skill-and none
= buys the skill-can mine its OF
or cheapest, can make profit where il
neighbor is working at a loss, and
no the struggle now in progress thel
y, can be but one result and that I'll
~ result tersely told by the naturalist
:, the survival of the fitteSt.
HORACE J. STEVENS.
lis