The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1907-12-05
What the Smelling Trust
is Doing to Nevada
Mark W. Musgrove in the Intermoun-
tain Republican.

Mark w. Musgrove in the Intermoun-
tain Republican.
Exceedingly favorable conditions
would prevail in the mining industry
in Nevada if it were possible to have
the ores reduced and values recovered,
for without doubt the mining interests
generally are in very much better shape
than ever before in the history of that
state. Aggressive exploitation has
been prosecuted, strong high grade
shoots have been disclosed at depth,
and the tonnage in sight is positively
enormous For a single industry within
the limits of one state to advance from
an output of a few hundred thousand
dollars per annum to at least $25 100000
within the short period of five or six
years, and which phenomenal sum could
very easily be doubled, is not an insig-
nifcant factor from a commercial
standpoint.
And / really believe that the gold,
silver, copper and lead fields of Nevada
are in their infancy Of production, for
every mountain range carries these
metals sufficiently high in grade TO
warrant their being operated on legiti-
Uldt0 Uu61uCoS liuCo. 1CAtdlHlJ IL
dicap of lack of reduction plants is one
vital to the mining industry, and until
this is remedied there appears to be no
way in which the great mines of Ne
vada can be operated on that extensive
scale which their showing fully war
rants. The formation generally is
without doubt favorable for great
depth in ore bodies, and the grade is
exceptionally high in many districts.
AS a matter of fact, the copper deposits
carry values from eight to ten times
as high as any copper region | know
of, and the transportation facilities are
now adequate to permit the handling
of comparatively ow-grade ores at good
profit.
Independent Smell ers Unsuccessful.
Efforts have been made to install
Independent smelters at different points
in that state hut always without sue
cess, because of the close traffic ar
rangements he'ween the American
Smelling and Refring ard
the TRANSFORMATION systems ana II his
way, the sol lt'rg errst has nraet'eal'v
throttled tn mining industry If The
richest mining region on the face Of
the earth
Twice in the past week the charge
has been advanced for reducing Ne
vada ores, and it IS claimed Nv tn
trust that "drastic' measures wore
necessary 70 shut IF the sunnly r.
Nevada ores for at this time y QUO
tons of bullion, worth over $4. 900 900
is now on the way to Denver. Salt
Lake City and Omaha from Nevada
alone. In this case drastic measures
are vicious measures, because the trust
has all of the smelters and a discrimi
nation in charge against Nevada ores
can be properly termed by no other
name.
Theories are obsolete when we are
confronted with very positive condi
tions, and the condition is that it is
impossible to have your ores reduced
except by the plants of the American
Smelling and Refining company, ana
you must either accept whatever in
significant sum they are pleased TO nav
per ton, or else shut the mine down
Favor Big Operators.
Tn order to control this industry tho
corporation named went so far as TO
pay to the large operators $40 per
ton more for their ores than they could
possibly secure in the open market.
The object of this was to shut off
competition on the part of those
strong companies, who had a treas
ury with sufficient funds to install
their own plants. and the small oper
ators, who could not erect their wi
reduction plants, were forced to go to
the smelter trust for the reduction of
their ores, and, of course, incidentally,
make up the difference in expense nee
essary to reimburse the smelter trust