Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-04-18
AN APPEAL.
Mining Men of the Territory Want
Better Rates From the Santa Fe.
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.

The people of Grant county have an.
pealed to the Santa Fe Railway com
pany to give them better rates on ore
shipments to the smelter at Cerrillos
north of Albuquerque. They demon.
strate clearly that such a policy of the
part of the Santa Fe would paw the
railway company and at the same time
foster the mining industry all along
the route.
Since the smelter trust has closed
the smelter at Silver City the miners of
southern and southwest 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
not to say discouraging. Sillcious ores
carrying as high as 10 per cent COP
per cannot be shipped and treated with
profit at a trust smelter at Ell 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 OK.
pense charge in addition to the treat.
ment charge.
1t can be readily seen that after max.
ing these deductions and paying the
freight very little profit goes to the
miner even on comparatively high
grade ore. AS a consequence the ton.
mage of ore carried on the Santa Fe
railway from Silver City and the
Whitewater branch is very small.
There would be a 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 products of the smelter and in car
rying supplies to the mining camps
That is the reduction OF the rate for
carrying ore from Grant county to Ger
rillos, from 81 a ton to $1.y0 a ton. The
smelter at Cerrillos is as perfectly an
appointed smelter as is to be found in
the west. 1t 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 a fair freight rate that
would fill the empty cars coming VI
from southern and central New Mexico
with ore, it would be the factor thai
would move the large bodies of low
grade ore in southern and central New
Mexico. While the smelter has a capa
city of but 100 tons a day, it can ant
would be enlarged 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 witt
the low treatment charges at Cerrillos
a freight rate of $1.50a ton would make
it profitable to move the ore. The San
ia Fe would get not only this haul or
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 undoubt
edly the Santa Fe Railway company
will grant so low a freight rate to the
miners of New Mexico as to make il
practicable to ship ore to the Cerrillos
smelter. The latter has lately appoint
ed ]. w. Bible, of Grant county, one 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 tc
keep 1t in operation.