The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-15
UTAH CON. PLANT
MAY Be CLOSED
Farmers Demand Is Referred
to Company Headquarters
for Final Decision.
ACTION AFFECTS US. PLANT
LEAD SHELTERS MAY SHOW
RIGHT TO CONTINUE.

For the privilege of operating the
Highland Boy smelter for fourteen
months longer the farmers of the val
ley have demanded a cash bonus Of
100000 and damages running from the
time Judge Marshall's injunction de-
cision was made up to the first day of
March, 1909. This, it is figured, would
make the total cost to the Utah Con-
solidated company approximate $780,
900. The proposition has been referred
by Manager ]. B. Risque and the at
torneys for the Utah Consolidated COM
pany to headquarters and the expec-
tation is that word will be received
tomorrow OF next day as to whether
the proposition is accepted. If it is
not, there are two alternatives left to
the company. 1t can make an effort TO
have the whole case reviewed by the
supreme court of the United States
and thus gain a brief respite from
closing, at least, or ii can order the
works closed down. The opinion in
mining circles yesterday was that the
latter alternative would be adopted
and that the plant would close at the
time required by the courts decree,
early in January.
Action Affects the v. S. Company.
The action that is taken by the
Utah Consolidated company is likely TO
have considerable bearing on what will
happen at the United States cOmpanys
works. II is argued that, if the Utah
Copper company is permitted to run
under any sort of an agreement with
the farmers, there would be every Tea-
son for allowing the United States COM
pany to continue smelling copper ores,
oil e cd he
Highland Boy plant is the greatest Of
fender in the valley, owing to the ma
ture of the ore treated and the methods
employed at the works to extract the
Talues.
If the Utah Consolidated decides to
close down pending the erection of its
new works across the range of noun
tains from its mines, it will certainly
mean the closing of the United States
Company's copper smelter also. With
the fires out there and with the Bling
ham Consolidated plant idle. also, there
will be only the lead-silver works of
the American and United States COM
panies in operation within the limits of
the zone that has caused so much trou-
BILE and expense to the smelling COM
panies and which has so thoroughly
aroused some 400 or 500 property own
ers in the smoke zone.
Lea1 SHELTERS May Run.
1t is claimed that both the United
States and American companies are
prepared TO show the court and the
farmers that the requirements of the
Injunction have been and will be COM
piled with and that. under the show
ing, the plants mentioned viii be en-
titled to continue operations-that no
harm can result from it. The Ameri-
can company claims to have an under
standing or agreement with the farm
ers by which it can continue it's lead
smelter in operation. 1t has been
stated within the past few days, how
ever, that the terms OF the agreement
were never fully complied with and
that, when it comes TO a showdown,
that it win be found that the Ameri-
can company has no more right TO run
than has the United States company;
that 1t will be a case OF meeting the
requirements of the court with both of
them.