Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-08-10
What Consul Edward NJ Conley Has to
Say OF Conditions There.

Edward NJ, Conley. vice consul gen
eral at Mexico city, Mexico, has made
q report on conditions IN that country
as regards to American Investments
and warns the "unlnltiated" to look out
for fake concerns alleged to own prop
erty there. lie says
The same general laws govern sue
cess In mining I'm Mexico as In agri-
future Any person who invests in
mining enterprise I'm Mexico, should be
n man Of small capital, should either
be a practical mining man himself, or
have the opinion OF an expert whom he
knows personally to be perfectly re-
liable. II is true that mining is more
or less a hazardous enterprise at best;
but the investor In mine who looks
upon his investment as being IN the
nature Of lottery ticket, and will most
certainly reap the same reward as If he
had purchased II lottery ticket-that h.,
almost always nothing. The experienced
man In mining is the only one who
stands reasonable chance Of being
successful. II Is a safe general advice
10 all others to strictly avoid mining
stocks. There are, OF course, excep-
tlons to all rules, and occasionally an
inexperienced man makes money from
an investment In mining stocks, but IL
must not be forgotten that million
others have lost money In similar at
temDts Investments Of any size In
mines In Mexico are usually made after
careful investigation, and with such
Investigation this article Is not con
cerned. 1t is desired chiefly to warn
Americans working for small salaries
against mining stocks IN Mexican mines
which they know nothing about xc9pt
from pfospectUses.
10 illustrate the methods Of fake min
ing companies, l know OF one company
claiming Milwaukee as Its headquar-
tiers, which has recently been ddvertls-
Ing extensively its stock In a mine In
Mexico. 1 horpen to know that this
company does not hold title TO n loot
of land or a dollars worth of property
In Mexico. 1t holds some denounce-
ments OF mining claims In the state OF
Mlchoacan, but does not yet hold title
20 these claims. Even II 1t did hold
title, they are mere prospects upon
which absolutely no development work
has been done. Yet the company, styl-
ing itself With the name OF the mine II
is advertising, claims that the mine is
fully developed, Is In actual operation,
and is about TO pay large dividends. IL
OlItIh " SUI SlONhN W lilNNhAVlh ~
rldiculousy low prices, and states that
It holds In reserve Ave other fully de-
veloped mines for the protection OF It's
stockholders. IL offers to send samples
Of its ore to any prospective purchaser
OF stock when 1t is known that not an
ounce Of ore Of any kind has ever been
taken from the claims. As climax Of
nerve" It offers TO pay the expenses OF
Il trip to Mexico of any prospective pur-
chnscr Of a certain large amount OF
stock, for the purpose OF allowing the
purchaser to visit the mine to satisfy
himself that II Is bona flde. II publishes
pictures OF another large and rich mine,
showing buildings, machinery, etc. la
beling them with its own name. The
advertisements are so constructed to be
very misleading TO an uniformed per-
son, and no doubt many Will be In
duced to invest upon mere statement
Of some reason the offers to send per-
sons 10 Mexico free Of expense to IN
yestigate this and similar properties Is
never made use Of II II were, this
warning would have no purpose II the
investors would only force the com
panles 10 prove their statements, they
would probably not be investors.