The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-03-23
NEVER FELT THE HARD TINES.
husiness Booming aud EVERYBODY nj
work la the Copper Region OF
MICHIGAN

"WAsHNGToN, March 9-Representa.
I'VE Sheldon, Of the Upper Peninsula of
sdfcolgan, Is one OF the coDgres smen who
cannot understand why the Dngley tariff
OH provides Tor duty on copper. Mr..
onetden lives at HOughton, which is The
very centre OF the copper mining district
abG O0t lew miles distant from the cele
Drated Calumet and Hecla mine the
owners OF which control the copper mar
ket OF the world. Mr.. Sheldon il making
no opposition To the proposed conner
duty, because 10 makes no difference To
hls constituents and the cas- ern men who
own the Calumet AMI Hecla and other
great copper mines, whether there ia a
duty upon the lmportei product or not.
AS great quantities OF copper are ex
ported from the Upper Peninsula mines
ana little or none imported into this
country, the object Of the duty is not
apparent.
In talking about the copper industry
To-Day Mr.. Sheldon made some very inter-
esting statements. He said that owing
90 the great demand Tor copper and the
TACT tnat IL Is found 10 so few places
throughout the world, the owners of the
upper PENINSULA mines are making a
great deal OF money, which finds it's way
directly into the pockets OF his constitu
ente, and that as result the copper min
ing district OF the Upper Peninsula ia pro-
oably the only portion ofthe United States
that 10 more prosperou. TODAY than at
any time In it's history. Nothing il
known there about the hard times. Mr..
Shelden says. Business is booming. every
man 10 at work who will work. rental
values are high and permanent. and every
phase OF the hard times OF the past few
wears has passed them by untouched.
Tue city oil HoughtoD in viii h Mr.. Shell
d~u lives, has about 5000 Inhabitants
Every house in town il rented and il ia a
serious matter how to pr, vide for the
RAPID increase in population. This pres-
eat increase is due largely to the fact
that three great copper mines adjacent
10 he city are about TO resume opera
Uons after having been clos d down for
manv years. The increa ed demand for
copper, owing TO the many new uses to
which 1t is being put of late, has made IT
advisable to resume the operation OF
those mines, which have been worked
beyond few feet below the surface. As
soon as their development begins, hun
dred of miners will flock to the town for
employment, and houses must be built to
accommodate them.
The banks in the towns throughout
the copper mining district have been
doing big business all through the hard
times in other portions OF the country,
aud. as an illustration OF their condition,
Mr.. Sheldon says that in the city OF
Houghton there is one bank with a cap
ital stock OF $3.50, 900 that has 81 AGO.
600 on deposit. The Calumet and Hecla
mine owners are easily able to control
the price OF copper and they ha We kept the
price at about IL cents per pound. They
will not allow it to 20 higher, for fear
that the increased price would cause the
use Of other metals as a substitute for
copper. Whenever, therefore, the mar
ket indicates that the price OF copper 10
going mp, they place large block on the
market and force down the price. The
conditions In all the towns Of the copper
district are the same as at Houghtou,