The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-03
Consultations of Copper Prop
critics Eventually VIII Freeze
Out Individual Owner.
WILL CONTROL PRICE
AND OUTPUT ENTIRELY
Gold Mining Still Remains the
Safest Refuge for the
Small Operator.

II am looking for n good copper prop
ositlon not for the purpose of branching
out into the cppper-p reproducing business,
but for the purpose OF swinging IT into
the laps of those who arc" said promi-
nent mining man Of this city Friday,
whose name is withheld for obvious rca-
sons Copper mining Is not tho right
line for a man OF my means to follow
he continued. ;as within two years the
Individual producer will ind himself very
much In the position of the present OIL
we'll owner That Is my own individual
opinion and I believe that l am very
near right
Copper in Big Hands.
These huge copper mergers you hear
so much about arc bound to put the min
ing and production OF the red metal into
the hands OF q chosen few who arc not
In the business for their health or amuse-
ncnt They viii control the output both
iIom the mine and smelter, they Will be
able TO place their metal upon the mar
ket or stack it up when prices are away
down. or to put them down, thus forcing
the smaller fellow to either cell out at q
ruInous price or quit the business alto
gether. There is not much of n chance
for the small copper miner In the future
Easy to Dispose of Ground.
AT present. however. is the time to
catch these copper propositions on the
fly. There is good market for copper
ground-pcrhaps the demand has never
been so great-and the average mining
man can come very near swinging prop
erty full Of the red metal Into the lap
OF one of the copper kings on the first
trial. The coming year Will be full Of
such deals, and the impression Is gaining
ground With those | have talked to-thoSc
who have copper prospects-that there Is
need to permit the present harvest
day to pass by without turning something
TO good account
Gold Mining Only Loophole.
About the only genuine avenue OF
is the old-time gold mine. with silver
mining coming next Even lead mining Is
fraught. will be fraught, with embar-
rassments that Will be found attending
tho operation of copper properties. 1
know the expression Is shelf-worn, but
tho gold mine is surely the poor mans
proposition. 1t is true today. and Will
prove Stlll more positive with thc passing
of the present year. We mining men,
therefore. are looking for copper ground
now; next year. perhaps. We Will have our
glasses on gold ground,
Worked by Limited Capital.
There is one thing sure about gold-it
Is based on pretty good foundations, and
gold bullion usually is not stacked into
yards or sheds like copper can be for de
sired ends. The gold mines OF Nevada.
for Instance, are what might be called
the typical onc-man proposition. the great
surface values arc more than sufficient
usually, 10 provide ways and means for
development at great depth later on
Now Is the Harvest Day.
There is one thing In addition that
makes me dubious about the advisability
of the individual copper-producing Dusi-
ness; with ali the many additions being
mede by the great copper concerns, with
continually increasing territory and ever
increasing smelter capacity the supply
OF the red metal Will be very nearly up
TO the demand. This may bring tho price
down materially. which would not operate
to the advantage of tho small fellow, and
in the general mIX-up through which the
bls producers Will try TO limit the output
10 keep the price right the small fellow
VIII not lind the atmosphere any more
healthy In a financial way Now is the
harvest day. and. as ! said there is a
disposition TO profit by this condition"