Arizona republican., 1909-07-30
WHY ARIZONA
 LEADS WORLD
Fitz-Mac Gives Reasons For Territory's Supremacy in Producing Copper at Low Cost-Declares Present Leadership Secure.

The following arlcle by FltZ-Mac. covers the situation in Arizona cop per and answers the question whether or not the copper supremacy of Ari- zona is due to spurt or whether it is the result of natural growth and development. That Arizona win main- tain her present lead and no doubt largely augment it is the opinion of the best informed copper men in the country. AriZona's position in the copper world is assured for this gen eration at least and probably for a longer period, E'itz-Macs article being as follows:
 Stripped of all confusing verbiage the secret of Arizona's assured SUI premacy in copper can be fully and correctly stated in four words-"low- est cost of producing"
 Arizona produces her copper at a lower cost than any other region in the world
 To avert any misunderstanding, let us re-state that assertion in this way: Arizona produces the sum total of her output at lower cost than any other region in the world produces an equal quantity-or than any other region at present known will ever be able to pro- duce an equal quantity
 This will prove d surprising state ment to many pretty well posted cop per experts, therefore it should not be left to rest on mere assertion, and I will state the reasons from the official record further on.
 But the first thing to determine is what is the cost of producing copper The question looks very simple to simple minds, but it is actually very involved and there is no way of de- termining precisely the total cost of the total output for the whole country.
 But as to individual mines it can be determined pretty closely if there is any candid desire to so determine it.. and the final test in the United States is the price at which the refined cop per can be laid down and sold in the city of New York (the American cop per markeD without any gain or loss to the producer.
 That is the trade test, the final test the only complete test.
 That rule covers every possible item of expense and any other statement is partial and misleading.
 That is the rule applied in my as sertion that nowhere else in the world is an equal quantity of copper produc- ed at as low a cost as in Arizona. COST OF PRODUCING IN ARIZONA.
 The great advantage that Arizona possesses over Michigan or Montana lies in the low cost~of mining, arising from the fact that all it's deposits lie relatively close to the surface. and that the ores are mostly very docile to treat ment As the deposits worked up to the present have been mostly in the lime they are quite largely self -flux- ing. an item of great importance to cheap smelting. This is an advantage that no other extensive copper district in the world possesses.
 The cost of producing the copper in the two principle mines of Bisbee (the great Copper Queen and Calumet & Arizona) is as low, and probably slightly lower than in the Calumet S, Hecla of Michigan. It is publicly stat ed that the Calumet S Arizona of Bis bee Is now producing at a cost of 61b cents pound. The statement is prob ably true but refers to only a brief period and is, therefore, misleading: but it is not, believe, an official state ment. It seems, fairly safe, however, to state the cost of production of the only two fully developed and equipped mines in Bisbee at close to ' cents a. pound. At Globe and Clifton the cost is considerably higher, but pretty cer- tainly within S1a cents.
 It seems fairly safe to state the av- craze cost of producing for all Arizona at 71a cents a pound, and no other copper region in the world is able to produce an equal quantity of copper at as low a cost as that, nor within a cent a pound of that cost
 There is the whole secret for you of Arizona's assured pre- -eminence as a producer of copper.
 Yes, Arizona can certainly hold her rate of increase for long time to come and if ample capital can be enlisted she can greatly increase her pace all most immediately. It is true she has so far been skimming the cream of her great mines, but there is great deal of such cream in Arizona yet to be sklinfned, and all the other mines are holding out well at depth.
 LONDON DISTRICT.
 Good judges of copper ground re- gard the new London Kelvin district. on the Gila river 25 miles south of Globe, and extending in a northwest direction from the southernmost point of Gila county for 40 miles into the point of Pinal county, as cer- tain to prove the greatest copper field ever opened in Arizona. It is cut into two unequal parts by the Gila river, has unlimited water. The bank of the Gila river is now travers- ed by the recently built Phoenix & Eastern railroad consequently it has transportation. There are half a score of properties now developing in that field of assured importance, and two of the best t-Inown-the Ray Consolidated near Kelvin. and the London Arizona, near Winkleman, a few miles farther east-which are easily able, beyond a question, to add 100,000,O00 pounds a year to Arizona's output within a very short time, if present plans of devel-