Daily inter mountain., 1900-11-09
THE FUTURE u. |.
.:..... I. OF COPPER
BRUKER r. W. LAWS0NaOE BOSTON
GIVES HIS OPINION ON
THE MATTEh.
OPTIMISTIC VIEW
OF COPPER MINING SHARES
What Is Going on in Montana Mines
Mining Notes From various
Counties.

Thomas w. Lawsons views on the
status of the copper metal market and
the copper shares are embodied in his
latest essay on the situation. He says in
part:
1T costs a good producing mine four
to seven cents per pound to produce the
metal. If this is to be sold now and
for years to come at 16 to 1S cents, the
present market price of 'coppers will
multiply, and the points that will be
made by those who continue to hold, or
by those who purchase at present prices,
will be greater than those OF the past
four years, and the risk attending such
purchase will be less than in any other
class of securities now before the public.
ION no important business matter will
one meet with so much fallacious ignor-
ance as the future increase of product
ton off "copper" Any intelligent person
who had not investigated the subject
would be justified in believing from what
is written and talked that in a short
time the production from new mines
would equal, if not surpass, that of the
old ones. Demonstrated facts indicate
conclusively that the entire production
of all new mines for the; coming ten years
will probably not equal what has been
taken from the old ones in the past three
or four My investigations lead to the
firm opinion that the world is approach
ing a copper famine. and that it will re-
quire more thought and able considera-
ton on the part of those who control cop
per production to keep the price down
to reasonable figure than to raise 1t be-
yond the prohibitive line. The fact that
new copper mining companies Will he
started in the future, as they have been
in the past, and that their production, on
paper, will be very large, will not, in all
probability, have any more effect on ac-
tual production in the future than such
statements have in tho past.
"In regard to the immediate future of
tccppers,' 1 would warn present holders
against parting with any of their stocks
in producing mines during the few days
after election. Particularly does this ap-
ply to the stocks of mines located in
Montana. While, on the day after cleo
ton, it will probably he apparent that
the republican national ticket has been
elected there may be conflicting reports
from the state of Montana, where the sit
uation is so peculiarly complicated as
to he naturally confusing to those un-
familiar with the local details. Unques-
tionably the result of the election IN
Montana will have an important bearing
on the future of the Amalgamated the
BOSTON & Montana, and Butte and Bos-
ton companies. These companies have
been attacked during the past few years
in a most vicious and unjust way. Ordi-
narily great interests of this kind could
quickly bring to justice those who have
been guilty of these unlawful, if not
criminal, proceedings; but in this case
it is necessary that one should under
stand the local conditions which sur
round these properties to properly appre-
ciate how such insignificant characters
could work such disturbances as they
have worked during the past two years.