Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-03-22
COPPER MARKET
DEPENDENT ON
NEW BUILDINGS
Consumption of Metal Through
Ordinary Wear and Tear Is
Comparatively SmaIl-EIec-
trical Equipment important.

The market for copper in the
United States depends fundamentally
upon the resumption of that class of
business which involves, new struct-
ures. The consumption of this metal
through ordinary wear and tear
amounts to less than half the normal
demand-that is the normal demand
in a growing country like ours and in
a progressive age such as this is. In
country which does not grow, the
normal demand would, of course, just
equal the absorption through normal
wear and tear. Mr.. James Douglas
has shown that about one-tnird the
copper is consumed in brass wearing
parts. This demand is, OF course, a
comparatively steady one, because it
simply keeps up ordinary wear ald
tear. One-third the demand is for
architectural brass, bronze and struct-
ural copper. OF this third, part is
for renewals and a part for new
structures. The remaining third is
for electrical equipment and the re-
newals in this line are relatively very
small Thus we see that a stoppage
of new business might readily dc
crease the demand by 50q6, and this
is about what happened during the
latter months of 1907.
Down East the people are still
very blue and depressed and they ere
afraid to move for fear Of getting nip
ped. The West, on the other hand,
with true Western spirit. TOOK stock
OF the injury done by the financial
blow and finding it slight. promptly
forgot it, and went to work rs though
nothing much had happened. There
are those who say that the pessimism
and depression of the East will grad
ually spread west, and that the West
1 will see its hardest times this sum-
mer. We are inclined to take the OPP
posite view-namely, that tne opti-
mism of the West will spread East
and drive duh care away from the
broBs of our financiers.
So far as this country is concerned,
only little Improvement can be look
ed for till the East gets over its fit
! of the blues. The East is the seat
OF the major consumption of copper
and SO long as it is out of the market.
! the American copper market is a good
deal like a four-hourse team with
| three of it's horses down in the mud.
The fact that the fourth horse is up
and doing will not work much adj
vancement till all can pull together
| As an illustration of Western spirit
it is interesting to note that there
are three electric lines now building
near Denver, and at Sheridan. Wyo.,
| franchise is being asked for to put
electric cars on the streets.
Luckily our copper market is not
limited TO the American demand. and
Europe in general, and Germany IN
/ particular, has not felt the depression
as much as the eastern part of the
United States. Germany has been
very large buyer of copper il the
United States markets during Febru
airy and March. The European buy
! ing, together with the optimistic tone
/ CT the West, are the two most ercour-
aging features of the copper trade.
! The large surplus srock Of copper
! Mich was on hand last fail has been
| entirely consumed, accoI dir;, to Mr..
! JoLl d. Ryan: according 10 others. 4
large part of it has simply passed
into the hands of spectators and re-
mains 2 menace to the market All
the Amalgamated mines at Butte have
been reopened. Mr.. Ryan states that
the increased foreign demand together
vita some resumption of building at
home justifies this step. The knock
ers' have it that this move is simply
to whip the Lake producers into line.
The latter group of producers went
right along producing copper when.
the Amalgamated was closed down
and was buying to bolster up the
; market, so it is only natural that
there should be some bad blood, but
we think no sane man, and Mr.: Ryan
is certainly sane, would go to al the
| trouble and expense of starting the
, Butte mines simply to whip the Lake
producer into line. The more tenable
theory is that Mr.. Ryan means Just
about what he says. There Is little
profit in 13-cent copper. and the Anal
gsunated might as well get its share
Looking beyond the immediate future,
! the outlook for the copper market is
extremely good The world has in
creased its consumption of copper
about 5.S4eo each year since 1880 1t
will keep on. needing an increased sup
/, ply Of copper each year and, OF course,
, the price will have to be sufhclent 70
reward the miner for getting 1t out.
: The average price of copper since
1880 has been between IA and 10
cents. but as the copper mines are
7 getting deeper and the demand IN
t creasing. it is probable that the aver
: age price will raise somewhat in the
= FUTURE