Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-23

The writer takes the stand that min
ing companies should give more pub
lcity to their transactions with the
shelters and undertakes to point out
how 1t would be to their interests to
do so, whereas, says Mr.. Atkinson;
Managers are often ready to discuss
the details of their work in the mine,
but, from some esoteric reason per-
haps, though probably from custom
long established, if one of them VEN
lures to ask another about the details
of the contract for his product the in
quiry is received in stony silence. Why
Is it?
What is the inherent quality of ore
contracts which forbids their discus
sion2 We all know what the ulti-
mate value, the New York price of our
metals Isl why should we not know
what proportion of value the producer
reveiVes and hence have some data as
to the proportion OF profit which goes
to the smelter? If producers will show
little less hesitation in telling one
another these details the profit of the
exchange Will be considerable.
But what is our attitude? We go to
the Office Of the smelter with as for
lorn a hope as If we ventured into the
labrinth of the minotaur, lacking the
Ariadnean thread to bring us safely
out. We humbly beseech the monster
the anteroom and at last we are pre-
sented with a document setting forth
what We may have. With this docu-
ment Rugged 10 our bosom we go away
either leaping joyfully In our foolish
belief that We have succeeded In get
| ting more than someone else--thai
subjective competitor whom we ever
strive 10 vanQuish-oT we walk with
dragging footstep, feeling that someone
| else has received more than our portion
| and we utterly ignore the practical
| step or confirming our success or fail
uro IN the light OF the experience OF
| our fellow producers.
And why is this the popular atti-
J tude? The state of mind OF the aver
! age ore seller Is very simple. In an
| incredible number Of cases he signs
| the contract offered him without care
| fully analysing 1t. He neglects the
| simple precaution Of figuring some OF
| the former settlements on the basis OF
| the new contract before he signs it;
! a precaution which will promptly lndi-
| cate whether or not the new contract
/ viii b. an Improvement on the old. He
! does not study the metal deductions,
| rate of payments, and treatment
| charges i'm their relations to the
| gross value of the ore in some OF his
| typical shipments, I'm order to learn the
! percentage of division of that gross
| He is often ignorant of the details OF
| the contract form, and viii sign what
| Is offered him rather than make tacit
admission Of his ignorance by asking
| the smelter representative TO explain
the terms TO him, ] know of one mana
| ger who was offered contracts by COM
| peting smelling companies. The FIRST
offered TO pay him for Is per cent ~
| the silver contents at 65 per cent II
| the New York price; the second com.
pany offered payment for 60 per cent
OF the contents at the New York price;
and he failed to see any difference In
the two items until a hypothetical case
was figured out for him.
1.-THE state Of mind OF the Ore-buyor
! Is equally simple. He knows his bust
ness, and before presenting contract
| terms he talks with his man In "a gen-
cral way ana finds ont how much his
| opponent knows. Then he weAycs
| around his unsuspecting victim his In
| trCate web of percentages, deductions
! treatment charges, and confusing legal
| verbiagc, until to the pronered con-
| tract more often than not, there IS
| neither objection nor even protest
made lie IS not required by any rules
of business conduct 10 show his op-
punent either the fine points. or even
! the Obvious ones and the seller IN too
proud Of his own ability To admit iV-
| noranCe. There are engineers and
| managers who show In every word that
they are thoroughly alive 10 the Inn
portance OF reducing the cost Of theiI
product; whose every thought Is fOr