The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-14
GOLD AND SILVER MINING.

hCCOTuiilS 10 d special press Dulletln
! prepared by Waldemar Lindgren. OF
the United States geological survey
the gold mining industry of the United
States had q successful and prosper
Gus year In 1908, in spite of many ad-
verse conditions ct trade and finance.
Fundamentally, this prosperity is due
to the fixed price and apparently limit
less demand for the product The i'm
mediate causes operating to increase
the output were In part the removal of
certain abnormal features tending to
depress the production in 1907, such as
the partial closing of the Homestake
mine In the Black Hills Of South Da-
kota and the labor difficulties in the
Mother Lode counties of California,
To some degree the increased produc-
tion of gold is also indirectly due to
the closing OF many mines in the base
metal camps. A tendency toward In
creased production by small operators
was noted as early as the last months
of 1907 and continued through 1908.
Large numbers of miners left the dis
tricts In which the output Of lead. cop
per. and zinc was curtailed and began
placer work or took up leases In gold
mining camps.
The director Of the mint estimates
the production of gold for 1908 from
domestic sources at S96.313,256,
against 500, 0,435, TOO in 1907. South Da-
kota, Alaska. California, and Colorado
show large estimated increases, rang
ing from s2.0Oo,000 to $3.600.O00. The
estimates for Utah indicate decrease
Of about s1,200.Oo0; for Nevada a de-
crease of $3,3o0.0o0. The production
Of Montana, Arizona. Idaho, Oregon,
and other sllver-producing states has
remained approximately stationary.
The production from the Philippine Is
lands shows gratifying increase. the
estimate Of the mint being $306,7OS,
against s7S,700 in 1907. AS part OF
the Philippine gold does not reach the
United States mints the showing Is
probably even better than these figures
would indicate. Most Of the gold was
recovered by quartz mining In Benguet
and by dredging operations in Para
Gale.
The depression In the base-metaI In.
dustries did not affect the gold pro-
duction to any considerable degree.
for the total base-metal ores contribute
only to 10 per cent of the normal
output OF gold for the country. the
gold from copper ores suffered little re-
duction, but the small amounts contrib
uted from lead and zinc ores we're
much reduced,
The silver-mining industry presents
far less satisfactory condition than
that of gold, owing to the low prices
for silver. lead, copper, and zinc Dur
Ing the year the large smelters of
Utah and Colorado were partly closed
and partly operated on q reduced ca
pacity. Important mines in Leadville.
AsDin, Creede. and Park City, Colo.
which were operating In low grade
| ores, found 1t very dificult to make
profits OIL orc Of the same grades tha.
yielded we'll in 1906 and 1907. and were
therefore compelled to reduce their
output or to close. Owing TO temper
ary lack Of demand from India the sill
YER market declined almost continn-
ously from about sc cents per ounce
In the early part of the year to about
As cents in December, the average
price being So cents. The year closed
with New York prices at so cents.
However, the purchases by India dur
Ing past years have been large and
have steadily Increased, and there is
no reason to expect sudden falling ofr
In this market, The extraordinarily
heavy production Of the Cobalt district
In Canada, which for 1908 may approx.
innate 100000 ounces, undoubtedly
contributed to the depression in the
price of silver In the United States
as was clearly forcshadowed In the r1e.
ures OF the geological survey for the
mine production In 1907. which
amounted to only 52,500,lO4 fine
ounces, whereas the refinerles and the
mints reported 56.514,70o fine ounces.