Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-04-15
AN APPEAL To
THE SANTA f.
''' mining Men Of the Territory Ask for
\, Lower Rates for Ore to the CeriIIos
Ii. SmsIter.
!; y The ''.'''.. :.. .,,':.-jI|!o| s; 10 INDUSTRY
~ Established by lit
og atEl paso." >SmeItsr In

The people Of Grant county haNl corn
pealed to the Santa Fe Railway Conn
pany to give them better rates on ore
shipments to the smelter at Cerrillos IN
Santa Fe county They demonstrate
clearly that such a policy on part OF
the Santa Fe would pay the railway
company and at the same time foster
the mining industry all along it's route.
Since the smelter trust has closed the
smelter at Silver City, the miners OF
southern and southwestern New Mexico
find it Improbable to mine their low
grade ores and in consequence the sit
uation in the mining districts of Grant
and adjoining counties is very quiet,
carrying as high as ten per cent cop
per, cannot be shipped and treated with
profit at the trust smelter at FL Paso.
The smelter trusts treatment charges
are not only exorbitant, but the trust
retains four and a half cents on each
pound of copper produced at an expense
charge in addition to the treatment
charge. 1t can be readily seen that af-
ter making these deductions and paying
the freight, very little profit goes to the
miner even on comparatively high
grade ore. AS consequence, the tom
mage of ore carried on the Santa Fe
railway from Silver City and the White
water branch is very small.
There would be remedy for this, a
remedy which would put new life into
the mining industry of southern, south
western and central New Mexico. that
would greatly increase the tonnage of
the Santa Fe from that section not only
in the line of ore, but also in hauling
the product Of the smelter and In carry
ing supplies to the mining camps That
is the reduction of the rate for carry
ing ore from Grant county to Cerrillos,
from 81 ton to s1.50 ton. The smelter
st CerrillOs is as perfectly an appointed
smelter as is to be found in the west
! Tt is ready to blow in, but has been
putting off that event from time to
| time on account of lack of ore in the
bins. It's treatment charges are low
and with fair freight rate that would
fill the empty cars coming up from
southern and central New Mexico with
ore, it would be the factor that would
move the large bodies Of low grade ore
| in central and southern New Mexico
While the smelter has but a capacity Of
La Jor I an1 md NJ
larged If the ore supply would warrant
| it. With present trust smelter charges,
it would be out Of the question to move
this ore to Ell Paso no matter how low
the freight rate established, but with
the low treatment charges at Cerrillos,
| a freight rate of $1.50 a ton would make
it profitable to move the ore. The Sants
Fe would get not only this haul on the
crude ores, but also on the production
of the smelter, and what is even better,
would build up the country along its
route.
There is logic in this and undoubtedly
the Santa Fe Railway Company will
grant so low freight rate to the min
ers Of New Mexico as to make it prac-
ticable to ship ore to the Cerrillos
smelter. The latter has lately appoint
ed j. w. Bible of Grant county. ore Of
the best known mining men in the
southwest, to buy ore for it, but unless
he can secure a favorable freight rate
he will find 1t very difficult to supply
the smelter with the ore it needs tt
keep it in operation.