The Arizona sentinel., 1903-09-16
AN OPEN LETTER.
flr. Allen J. Smith Addresses the Stockholders of the California
 King Gold Mines Co.
(From the Los Angeles Mining Review1

No doubt many of the outside stock holders wonder why so little informa tion IS allowed to leak out from the coinpany's head office in New York as to the real facts of it's present standing.
 The only report issued by cur com pany since it commenced operations is told in six items, the substafTce. of which is hoW over half million dollars had been expended on it's property. Since then the only papers issued from the New York offices to the stockhold- CTS are blank proxy forms soliciting votes for the coming meeting in Yuma. Arizona, on the i-th prox., ind no doubt may proxies will be sent in, which will enable those on the throne to vote themselves in again for another year,
 Myself and others have been working for better management for the las eighteen months. and we had every hope of things changing for the better idSt M dL OIls W HCu MI Ie. | V" came out to Picacho as chairman of the executive committee, with full power to act. The management was changed and Mr. PettigreN appointed a machinist who was working in the mill. no doubt an able man in that line of business, as general manager of the company's property. This new mana ager at once discharged the cyanide expert who had made such a grand fs the official report in the month of March shows that he lost only 3'i cents per ton in the tailings. The new gen. eral manager then engaged the cyan ide experts assayer as head cyanide man. and the result has been that he has not issued any statements of their monthly returns since this change took place; the returns really dropped down nearly one half. notwithstanding the ore in the mines increased in value. Moreover the workings in the mines got into such shape tlrat instead of talk iffg out sixty cars of ore of five tons each, they got down to five cars per day. The general manager then sent in his resignation but it was not ac cepted. He then requested that a mining man be sent out to show him what to do and to lag out the work for him. Tn the meantime my partner; Mr. J. M. Mandivil, the pioneer of the camp, and locator Of the company's mines took hinr over the com pany'S property and showed him other places where he could get an ample supply of pay ore. sufficient until our mining ex- pert arrived. and it is reported that those in authority are rejoicing about his report. This is not to be wondered at. as the mines show up wonderful values. as we have always citimed. and as so many of the most noted experts have previously reported. Still there are no dividends.
 When left the mines in May last 1.-the company had acres of eordwood stacked up arounI the mill; there was one car load of cyanide on hand and an ample supply of other material to go upon, all paid for in fact everything was in grand shape for the new man. sgerneut. Phe results were as follows:
  They used up ali the wood and the mill was shut down for want of wood and now they have to use green wood. The new management went to work and built at great expense d new con triyance on the old-fashioned arcastra plan to save the coarse gold; this was a complete failure.
 They then moved the large hoisting works from the Venus mine at great Fcost and placed it right on top of the l largest body of ore the company has. l As a result it will have to be moved again before the company can work this large body of ore in an extensive way.
 To wind up, their manager reports the July cleanup at S26,500, or there abouts, while he only shipped $l6, ll6, shortage of over slO,O0O. They have had a Pidkerton detective investigate i ing the matter. No doubt they will ] find that most of the shortage is in the .ail;,,,rc Pho I.st raDOpf ic and tbi ic 1 is from a responsible party, who states that miners at Picacho are making an 1 6Ie.Y boast that their wages cut no i Ggufe, aS they steal so much gold out Of Che mines and sell it to the salCon i Keepers. This gold has been seen by i people in Yuma. Notwithstanding all this, MP. R. F. Pettigrew writes me that the company has full confidence in it's management. Judging from results many of Us fail to see where this confdence comes in.
 What we desire to know is: How ] can' we expect our company to be in d prosperous condition with such incom- potency on all sides. The results Of | the past six months speak for them selves. Those in authority know it is incompetent. Why should I be silent? i We have also the New York office to contend with, which is evidently run | by young man. named Mr. Fay, who i refuses to give out any information to the stockholders which will enlighten them as to the dOings and the present 1 Gnanrial Sfandino nf the cn1nnanN