The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-10-28
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY OCTOBER
|SMEL TER TRUST WAR
MEETING OF AMERICAN MIN
ING CONGRESS IN PITTsBURG
WILL MARK FIRST MOVE
AGAINST ROCKEFELLER.

DCAssvfNN, OCI. Co just tHlHk
for moment of the power Of the
Standard Oil Co. gained through
the control of oil products for
which there are many substitutes
and without which the world could
wag along quite comfortably.
Then think what the result
would be If John d. Rockefeller and
his allies could exercise the same
control over metals of this country
which are absolutely essential to
our industrial life.
do you see the possibility of
closing the mines of the west by
prohibitory charges for treatment
of ores while the value of metals is
increased in the markets by the
stoppage of production? Do you see
the possibility of purchasing the
vahlah2ermfnes at great bargain
after they have been made value
less to their owners by prohibitory
transportation charges?
This may seem startling to you,
but this is what we are coming to,
If we don't take measures at once
to stop it."
]. F.+Callbreath jr. of Denver, Sec
rotary of the American Mining con-
gress, that is to meet in Pittsburg
the first of next month, says that
unless the United States govern
ment takes steps at once to prevent
1t, John d. Rockefeller will realize
his ambition to be king of the in
dustrial world by his alliance with
the srnelter trust and his conse-
quent control of the output of the
mines of the country.
The control Of the metals of any
givelFarea has always been a hard
thing to accomplish and is, OF
course, thing incapable of abso-
lutte accomplishment. But as nearly
as any individual can come to the
absolute control of the mineral re-
SOURCES of country, so near can
he come to controlling its destinies.
The value of gold ores is regu-
lated by the ease with which they
may be reduced to pure gold and
Transported to the markets of the
world A million dollars worth of
gold Ore would be valueless ii we
did not know how to get the gold
out Of the ore, and million dol
lars worth of pure gold would be
valueless itself If it were situated
ON a desert island in the middle of
the South seas with no means to
get 1t to the great markets Of the
world where it could take its place
as a part of the life blood of COM
merce.
John d. Rockefeller is slowly but
surely gaining the control of the
mineral resources of the United
STATED. Through his alliance with
they transportation and the smelter
trust which is in reality an adjunct
of the Standard Oil Co., Rockefeller
can now tell nearly any miner In
the tie United States what he must
take for his ore.
The smelter trust has patented
methods of ore production and ore
REDUCTION machinery until miners
are compelled to ship ore to the
trust and take it's estimate of
values
"It has been shown" says Call
breath, that the miner receives APP
proximately but 80 per cent of the
value of his ore after paying the
regular smelling and transportation
charges. The smelter trust must
be compelled to devise a better
method of ore reduction or to quit
deducting profits under the guise
of penalties. 1t has been shown
that on shipments covering a per-
Tod of eight years the miner re-
ceiyed "a per cent of the value of
his ore. The smelter charges were
Ia per cent while the value unac-
counted 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
smelling zinc ores. The zinc is
kept by the trust and no payment
is ever given the miner for the
value of this metal"
Callbreath believes he has rem
edy. He wants the senate to pass
the bill establishing a bureau of
mines, which has already been
passed by the house of representa-
tives, He will urge on the mining
congress that pressure be brought
upon the senate to secure the pass
age OF this bill.
When the bureau of mines is es-
tablished the fight is just begun,
SAYS Callbreath. The struggle will
then be to secure annual appropria-
tions for the use of the bureau of
mines to be used in experimenting
on methods OF ore reduction for the
benefit of the whole people.