Arizona republican., 1901-01-14
For the mining industry, the past ytat has been the most prosperous F,

year has been the most prosperous Fl
 the history of the t,iri- MINING. tory, and the years rec
 ord clearly demon- strates that Arizona Is sure to become the greatest and most profitable min ing section in the country. In former years the phenomenal production of l few great copper gold and silver mines gave the territory reputation as & producer of precious metals, but the fact that Arizona possesses incalculable mineral wealth has had tardy recogni- tion. The territory has never expcri- enced mining boom" the develop msnt of this industry has beun slow. but sure and substantial. Inacce ssibil- ity and lack of transportation facilities have been the principal drawbacks TheSe obstacles have now been largely overcome by the constructi5n Of rail- roads into the most important mining districts. The mistaken idea has pre- vailed to some extent, also, that Ariz- ona's mines do not "go down." and more or less prejudice has been creat- ed against the territory on that ac- count. This erroneous theory has been entirely exploded. Deep mining has proven that values frequently increase in depth and it is not improbable that deeper mines will be worked in Arizo- ma than on the famous Comstock lode of Nevada. During the past year the attention of investors and prospectors outside of the territory has been enlist ed as never before. and sales and con- tracts for sales have been numerous There has bern notable increase in the production of gold, which will be still more pronounced during the corn- ing year. One of the remarkable fea- lures has been the revival in silver mining. The building of rev railroads has enabled the owners of silver prop. critics to make shipment of ores at profit, and in some sections of the ter ritory silver mining is active and prof itable.
 The prominence which Arizona has achieved as steady producer of the precious metals and the certainty thst the production will be augmented in the future, justify me in urging that d government assay office and mint be established in the territory. Assay of- fees are generally conducted at a prof. it 10 the government, and there Is cv- cry reason to believe that such would be the case with an office established in Arizona, while the substantial en- couragrment thus held out to the min ing industry of the territory would b. very beneficial.
 In copper mining. in the increased capacity of copper smelters, in the To- cation and development of new discov- cries, and in the influx of eastern oapi- tai for the purchase of copper mines and prospects, the year has been re- markablc. The output of copper has increased at marvellous rate, and ii. as thern Is every reason to expect. this rate of increase is maintained, Arizona in a very few years will lead the Unit ed states in copper production. One of the features peculiar to Arizona copper mines is the continuity of the ore bod ies.
 The almost fabulous production O. some of Arizona's great copper mines, and the remarkable success of great mining ventures in this territory, to- gcther with the high price of copper and thr active trading In copper stocks, have afforded opportunities for specu- lators and stock jobbers to unload upon overcredulous eastern investors great deal of worthless mining stock. and companirs have been organized upon quite number of undevelopej prospects in Arizona, and capitalized far beyond any, reasonable valuation, and through much advertising and ex- travagant misrepIesentations have sold stock throughout the eastern states, amounting, I am told. in par value, to several millions of dollars and upon which no return whatever can be req expected. No doubt surh methods are more or less practiced al- | ways where mining Is active and pros porous. The mineral wealth of Ariz- ona Is immeasurable. and honest min Ing Is almost always surr road to for tune.
 Attention is directed to my report for 1899 for comprehensive and detailed in formation in regard to mining and pre- rious metals in Arixona; also historical | and geological data upon the progress |
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