The San Francisco call., 1898-12-18
NEWS OF
 THE MINES

The most significant feature of the re- cent convention of the California Miners Association was the resolution requiring the appointment of a special committee to take in hand the broad question or the conservation of the waters of the State. Some years ago, during the early stages or it's career, the California Miners Assocla- ton launched the project of securing a department of the executive branch or the Government which should be wholly devoted to all the interests of mines and mining throughout the United States, thus giving a Cabinet department to the in dustry which adds nearly $1,OOO,0OO,OO worth of wealth a year to the country This plan has grown in prestige year by year and has become national issue So strong and general is the movement now that it seems likely that the mlning industry will get a Cabinet officer rather than mere bureau III Ihe ed.oa LneelIod ,,aT,, partment or bureau in the proposed new department of Commerce and Industry.
 Now the California Miners Association has launched still bigger idea, tnough fir is essentially a local one. 1t has at tracted little attention from press and neonle since the convention, but 1t is the greatest scheme in the way of puollc en- terprise that has ever been sugseSSGien Siso,,ri ti sion in the near future and 1t promises to become an important State as well as national issue. a,,,,s and otherwise the waste waters Of the State. The resolution ayers that nine tenths of the surface water or the State now runs runs t9 dro,S5f %5ste with t ns its fine of $3O 900 or so imposed on California serves to command attention for the scheme of conserving Tor the pur- noses of mining, power and irrigation the waters with which nature really abund- antly supplies the State. There must be long discussion and an evolution or pup lie opinion in this line beIore anyI1ilig hecome in the near future one of the chtef State issues, and the California MlnerS Association must be now credited with being the first agency to make thls palpable benefit an issue.
 The Butte County Miners Association has given pleasing evidence or vitality since the State Miners convention. IL has not been the habit of any of the f1t- teen county associations to meet soon after the annual State convention or at any other time than shortly before that r eeting and mainly to elect deiegaeeS;
 other evening and for one thing decided to hold soon miners mass meetlnS Tn Oroville to stimulate interest Tn the as- sociation to increase its membership and to Whoop along the inchoate plans for a local activity on the part of the associa- tion which shall do something for the general mining interests Of Butte county if is planned to have some of the leading members of the State executive commit tee present from San Francisco and eles- where. The project of establishing a county mining bureau and mineral eX- hibit was discussed among other plans. President O. w. Jasper appointed as the executive committee ". F. Duncan Jr., George H. Evans, A. Ekman and H. P. Stow. w E. Duncan Sr., the secretary, resigned, but his resignation was not ac- cepted. Mir Duncan has been the soul and a good deal of the body of the Butte County Association for several years, and in times of apathy this well known mine owner has hustled about and been nearly the entire association. He was mainly instrumental in getting up and nIacing the Butte County exhibit at the fate Mining Fair, which he personally cared for during the exhibit and what he has accomplished in this and other ways illustrates what one man of energy and m,hIic spirit can do in community in which nearly everybody jogs along in the ruts. ~
 innulse to lay hold with an enterprising n,,blic interest This life on the part of the Ritte County Association and the plans for doing something directly to boom the mining industry in that county, while be- coming a stronger support to the State Association, are worthy of note.
 Word was received here yesterday stat ing that the richest strike yet recorded