The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-31
H|GH-GRADING IS A
VERY OLD NUISANCE
Same Problems Have NeXed
Mine-0Wners Since the
Dawn of History.

one or the old problems Of mining,
which has never been satisfactorily get
tied. Is the prevention of thcfts OF high
grade ore. The question has become
particularly important one In recent
years, because Of the discovery OF many
mining districts where the ore is slngu-
larly high grade. says the Engineering
and Mining Journal. AT kaleoorte.
Western Australia. the situation became
so bad that recently the government had
To appoint n commission TO investigate
the evil However, this commission does
not appear TO have come TO any sans
factory conclusion In recent interVle"
Mr. Hoover, OF BewiCk, Moreing & Co.
who is now visiting In Austrana. re- e{
marked that after the appalling state ol
affairs disclosed by the report OF the
commission, IT was great pity that no
more effective remedies were proposcu.
In Mr.. Hoovcrs opinion the suppression
Of gold stealing from the mines rests WIN
the police and II would he advisable 10
introduce the system which exists IN Lon
don. where anyone who can sho" thal th
the purpose Is in the interests OF pubic
order and for the public good can hire g
policeman from the regular force. tne
control and direction OF the regular police
officials. and the police admipistIation
being reimbursed the cost. That is M un
a0TosGy ao% one WHICH pn3 into eject Would
greatly tend TO reduce the cvil OF h'sh
grading"
We have IN the UnlteQ states lue satb'
trouble which exists IN Western Australia.
Everyone remembers the serious extent
10 which the stealing OF ore was carried
on at Cripple Creek; Colo, and no" IN 5ne
stroving the assay Offices where the
stolen ore was bought. At Goldheld,
New. conditions are worse tnan they evei 1
were al Cripple Creek, High grading
is regarded by many miners as leSiu-
mate perqulslte. analogous to secret com
missions. Mine operators SO uniucky as
not 10 possess n "rlch streak have found
II difficult TO keep miners, who constantly
try new employers until they find work
near the rich ore. This scandal was so
open that premiums were offered lor
work in the Hayes Monnette lease on the
Mohawl mine where the ore was so ilcn
that a miner could easily carry away one
thousand dollars worth in his coat pocket
An amusing incident occurred IN the cpse
of one OF these gentry, who Was 100
greedy and loaded himself so heavily that
he could not get out OF the BUCKET upon pa
has been the way In which this stolen
ore has been collected by the wagons OF
reputable concerns and shipped openly 10
the snetsrs
Last January a strike Of the miners
at GoIdheld was feared. because the mine
owners proposed to establish "cnanse
houses" In which the men were TO be re
quired 10 change their digging clothes
for ordinary clothes, under supervision,
OF course IL has been we'll recognized tnaL
American miners would not permit lndi
ruie, which is enforced IN the diamond
fie!ds Of South Africa, and the operators
OF GoIdfeld were over venturesome ~
suggesting H. In war they paid pen
atty for their temerity. because the
miners. having taken the proposal as a
reflection on their honesty and threat
ened a strike. the dispute was finally set
tied by the miners allowing change houses
in a modified form, while as conPeh-
sa,lon they eXacted an increase or wages
10 the minimum of s. per eight-hour
shit.
obviously the prevention oil stealing
from mines Is distinctly police duty
Under the conditions whicn exist In smch
parts OF the world as Western Australia
Nevada and other remote districts, where
society and government are not hlghiy
organized il Is too much 10 expect OF the
state and county governments that they
shall control every mine However. MI
Hoover suggests an eXpeden' whereby
anyone 10 whom IT would he worth while
could secure the desired protection. a
similar practice. although not particularly
Tor the prevention Of ore stealing "a. ag-
tually exists al many of the remote min,
Ing camps of Mexico, and has been found
to work we'll