The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-12-02
MARIANA DISASTER
IS INTERESTING TOPIC
Laws For Prevention of Fake Mininq
Schemes Are Advocated and It Is
Believed That Much Good Will Thus
re Accomplished.
Hearst News Service

mil eral and metal producing state
from the Atlantic to the Pacific rem
resented by distinguished delegates
the American Mining Congress open
ed its eleventh annual session in the
Smoky City today 1t is estimated
that the delegates and visitors number
a thousand, and this attendance is
expected to be doubled by Friday.
when the governors and mine experts
of all coal states will hold a confer
ence for the purpose Of promoting
uniform state legislation for protect
ing the lives of miners and protect
ing the fuel supply from waste
Proposals for elimination of fraud
ulent mining stock operations, the
relation between custom shelters and
the ore producers; federal aid for
mining schools and experiment sta
tons; the ploitation of the rare
mineral resources of the country; the
conservation of mineral resources.
timber and water supply and unfit
cation of the mining laws of the sew
oral states are the principal subjects
which will be under discussion.
One of the leading objects of the
congress is the enactment of ade-
quate laws for the prevention of fake
mining schemes. 1t has been sue
cussful in having stringent laws pass
ed by some of the states covering
this subject, and it is the intention to
in time have every state enact a law
which will guarantee protection to
legitimate mining interests.
The Pittsburg convention will take
long step toward having such a
law enacted in Pennsylvania. The
law that the congress is anxious to
have passed is modelled on law now
in successful operation in California.
Another topis which will come up
for discussion at the congress will be
that of rare minerals such as radium,
DR.. Herman Fleck, of the Colorado
school of mines. will discuss this mat
ter. Practically no radium is pro-
duced in this country at present. but
mining engineers believe that if it is
properly sough for it can be pro-
cured
Sensational developments are ex-
pected to follow the assertion of Sec
rotary Calbrath that the Standard
Oil Company is rapidly securing con
troll of the output of the mines of the
smelter trust.
According TO Calbrath, John ID.
Rockefeller is slowly but surely gain
ing control of the mineral resources
of the United States. Through his al
lance with the transportation trust
and the smeter trust, which is in
reality an adjunct of the Standard
Oil Company, Rockefeller can now
tell nearly every miner in the United
States what he must take for his ore.
The smelter trust has patented
methods of ore reduction and ore re-
duction machinery until miners are
compiled to ship ore to the trust
and take its estimate of value.
1T has been shown" says Calbraith
that the miner receives approxi-
mately but so per cent. OF the value
of his ore after paying the regular
smeltering and transportation charges
The smelter trust must be compelled
to devise better method Of ore re-
duction or to quit deducting profits
under the guise of penalties. 1t has
been shown that on shipments cover
ing period of eight years, the inner
received "a per cent, while the value
Unaccounted for was 81 per cent. In
other words, 81 per cent. of the value
of eight years shipments was either
lost or stolen.
I'm most cases, it was stolen out.
right. The smelter trust charges for
instance, an extra penalty for smelt
ing zinc ores. The zinc is kept by the |
trust and no payment is even given
the miner for the value of this metal" |