The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-08

10 hours. In southwestern Colorado the
mines are largely Of low grade, and
heavy shipment charges, managers say,
will make it impossible for the major
ity of the mines to be kept going
State Senator Buckley of Telluride
takes more hopeful view of the situa-
ton, and says:
1--WE discussed the bill fully in the
senate, and if anybody will take the
trouble to turn back to the files of the
Denver newspapers the arguments may
readily be seen. We went over the Utah
law. and it was enacted without omit
ting the dotting of an i or the cross
ing of a t. That was favorite eX-
preston of the senators at the time. L
wanted the mills to be excluded from
the act by plain statement in the Dill
itself, but the majority was against me.
I believe, however, the mill men are not
to be considered in interpreting the bill.
1t applies only to underground men ana
to smelter men-men whose health is IN
danger on account of their work ana
not to mill men, whose health is all
right. The smelters and the miners are
the men the bill applies to, and believe
it will be generally observed, and in
time will be recognized by the majority
of the best citizens as righteous meas
ure. There may be little friction in
effecting the change to the new condi-
lions, but anticipate no serious trou-
ble."
Mine owners were averse yesterday to
making any expression for publication,
but it is evident that many of them
regard the bill as a serious menace to
the state. One of the points urged is that
a lessee cannot work more than eight
hours without violating the law. This,
it is claimed, would be disastrous to
hupdraSs of this c1aSS of miners.
Don Mcguire. mining expert of Salt
Lake, returned recently to that city
from a trip into Montana and Idaho.
He thinks Utah and Idaho show more
improvement in a mining way than
Montana does. He says that Montana
is not drawing the attention of mining
men to any extraordinary extent this
year. but admits that there is much ac-
tivity in mining in the state. He ex-
presses the belief that Idaho offers bet
ter inducements for the prospector than
any other part of the country, there be-
ing so much of it yet UNEMPLOYED. All
kinds of metals are found in the state,
but where the excitement has COM
menced the metals most sought after
are copper and gold.
Idaho is coming rapidly to the front
this year." said Mr.. Mcguire to Her.
aid reporter From the Seven Devils
to Salmon river and from Custer to
Mineral Hill, is a vast area of $1,000
square miles of mineral country which
is practically UNEMPLOYED. Some of the
country is difficult to get into, and the
foot of man has never trodden a big
part of it, People are going in there
from everywhere: more work is being
done in the mines of Idaho this year
than ever before, so it certainly is sure
to be prosperous year. There is a
great deal of snow in the country yet,
but regardless of that people are go
ing in, and it is especially active from
Lewiston on the west on over through
the Buffalo Hump to Salmon City. The
roads are lined with prospectors while
others are seeking work, and some of
the bigger guns are after properties of
some kind. The Seven Devils region
will boom this season. Two railroads
are building into the big copper mines,
one from Huntington and another from
Weiser.''