Bisbee daily review., 1907-12-03
ANNUAL REPORT OF
GOVERNOR SUBMITTED
lcontlnued trom First Page.l

1906. and May 20. 1907. for COMPARE
son Il is found that tae total resources
of all banks increased from 1856
1870 to $22, 491 ,9S066, an aggregate
increase of $5.045, $3.50 Deposits in
creased from sl3.955.4e1.19 to $751;
4s7 81 2 SO, an aggregate increase of
s4.532. O51.s9.
There were no bank failures during
the year. All Territorial banks are
closely examined by the bank comp
troller at intervals.
The prosperity OF the mining indus
try In Arizona is always notable, and
during the past year and a half 1t has
been without parallel
The various mine operators, in their
statements Of productions made to the
county assessors and to the Terrific
rial Auditor in April OF this year, ac-
knowledged an output for the calender
year 1906 of the value of S53 sol, 49,
q. These statements were made for
the purpose OF tX1ng the valuation OF
tae mines for taxation, one-fourth of
the value of the product Tor last year
being taken as the value of the pro
ducing mines for this year.
AS in former years copper mining
oyershaodowed in importance all 9th
er branches OF mining in the territory.
According to the assessors returns.
the production of copper aggregated
255,012, i55 pounds; OF gold, 125,015
ounces; of silver, 2,704.044 ounces.
1t is certain however, that the output
Of gold considerably exceeded the ag-
gregate found in these tax statements,
as mining properties yielding less
than $3.50 per claim Tor tAe year are
not required by law to furnish state
ment; and large number of quartz
prospects, as well as numerous pro-
ducing placer claims, fall within the
classification of ''non-producing
mines," although their aggregate out
put must have been very considerable.
Copper properties also which fan t.
produce $3.50 or more per claim are
not taxed as producing mines, and
| the output from them must be esti-
/ mated from other sources than state
ments for taxation. The returns OF
| the United States Geological Survey
give the copper output For Arizona for
the calendar year 1906 as 253, 900, 600
pounds or 100000 pounds in excess
Of the statements that later were
made in the returns of the assessors,
All evidence at hand warrants the as.
sumption that the estimate of 263, 600,
| 600 pounds was conservative.
| The price of copper during the lat.
ter half Of 1906 and until the mid
4 summer of 1907 was the highest on
record for a like period. and stimulat
ed to an acute degree the activity
which had already marked the copper
industry and the exploitation Of new
| copper companies. Rains widely dis.
tributed and at good intervals pro.
vided water in the arid mining dis
tricts. New strikes of copper were
| announced in various localities from
time to time, and if but a smell part
| of these stories could be taken as fully
correct, it would have seemed that
almost every one of our mountain
ranges was to develop rich copper
| districts and furnish new and heavy
producers for the copper market. But
| allowances must be made for exag-
| geration.
I During the summer months of this
year the price of refined copper has
had a steadily downward course until
now (September) the ruling figures
| us and IT cents) are cents per
pound below the highest prices Of last
| year. There are indications that this
! condition OF the market viii tend TO
curtail production, but whether it will
/ have any material effect Oh the aggre-
gate production Of this year remains
TO be seen. Copper can be produced
1 at a good profit in Arizona even when
prices are several cents per pound be-
low present figures; but there is evil
dence that, in some Of the larger
/ mines, work for the next few months
/ will be devoted more to blocking out
| ore than TO hoisting and reducing it.
Arizona contains one of the largest
pine forests in a single body in the
world $1,000 square miles, and there
are numerous forests Of magnitude.
| Possibly in no other section of the
/ United States is there so keen an ap-
probation Of. the value of forests as
| in Arizona, nor is il possible for the
national administration TO meet any
] wilere- more -lnXal- sunnnrt than is &C.
! corded in this territory to the policy
of protecting the forest domain. Our
people have learned through years OF
observation what it means to have
natural growth removed from the soil
They have seen oyerstocking of the
ranges and forests followed by Tie.
mutation. the disappearance of shrub
/ berry and grass and the loss Of nature
| system for holding water in the soil.
They have seen cattle trails become
water courses for the run-off Of floods,
( the gashes thus made in the soil be-
coming deep ravines or barrancas
that quickly drain districts of rain
fall. Such developments are OF mo
| ment in a country in which water is
of precious value for irrigation and
for stock on the ranges and very nat
urally the pNople OF Arizona have