Valdez weekly prospector., 1908-11-05
MINES IF NATION
 IN TRUSTS HANDS
Standard Oil Company Is Declared To Control 72
 Per Cent Of Output
INVESTIGATION IS ASKED
(San Francisco Examiner

That the Standard Oil Company, through it's most powerful agency, the American Smelling and Refining Company, today controls 72 per cent of the future production of gold, sill yer, copper and lead in the United States, was the statement of James +. Callbreath Jr., of Denver, secre- tary of the American Mining Con- gress, before the Trans Mississippi Commercial Congress yesterday in Dreamland Pavilion.
 Callbreath asserted that the Smell ter Trust, which is really the Stand ard Oil Company, is in q position to get possession of all the mines in the United States.
 During the three years ending April, 1908, the shelter company made net profit of $2O, 1904, 1924 upon capitalization of $1OO, ,OOO, ,OOO, two thirds of which was water, and this during a time of panic," he said. "It contains 75 per cent of the best brains in the metallurgical world, 75 per cent of the facilities for smelling, and through these and the mines it really controls, it's position in the metal field is supreme today. The only Federal aid,we ask is all investigation into the methods of the company, for unless the mines themselves will CO., operate, build and support their own smelters there is no hope-Standard Oil will hold the country's precious and commercial metals. When you consider the power of the Standard Oil Company gained through the con trol of all the oil products, for which there are many substitutes, and with out which the world could get along quite comfortably, what do you be lieve will be the result when this con trol is exercised over the metals which are absolutely essential to our industrial life?
 'Do you see the possibility of clos ing the mines of the west by prohibi- tory treatment charges while the value of metals is increased in the market by the stoppage of production in the west? Do you see the possibil- ity of purchasing the valuable mines at great bargains, after they have been made valueless to the owners by prohibitory transportion and treat ment charges2
 Reports on shipments covering a period of eight years show that the miner received 54 per cent of the value of his ore; the smeIter charges were IA per cent, while the amount unaccounted for was 31 per cent, which was either lost or stolen.
 "We ask that the government shall give some attention to that industry, which, beginning at Sutter Greek in 1848, opened up and developed this great western empire; which furnishes more than half the tonnage handled by our railroads, served the nations credit during the days of the rebel lion, furnishes the iron for our ma chinery, coal for our power, golt which measures our values and wbicl today can furnish the only permanent solution to the financial problem.
 'There has been no criticism of tn, Department of Agriculture, whici found q remedy for the San Jose scale, turning the 6g-raising iudustr, of California from failure to success now seeks to save the cotton crop from the boil weeviI and holds pro tecting hand over the farmer of tn, country We think that we bavt cause to ask for Department 0 Mining and that the nation needs it. ]