Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-03-23
MINING, BUSINESS AND STOCKS
NEW YORK QUOTATIONS.

nIH The developing Of mines oven
Niih thc ald OF unlimited capital cln-
NOT he hurried beyond certain limits
80 its best this work ls expensive tc-
dious and trying We submit that
I prospecting and dcvcloping. even when
/ fruitless and Disappointing. are proper
I charges against the cost of producing
/ lend. Many concerns while doing de-
/ vclopmcnt work have taken out such
! high grade ores as have been encoun-
/ tered and have sent them To- market
| the proceeds beng used towards de-
| iraying the cost OF development IN
| only few properties however. has
enough development work been done
| TO make mining operations profitable.
According 90 census statistics for tho
| year 1902 the only year for which
complete statistics are available.
there We're only - dividend paying
argentiferous lead mines in the United
states, or less than per cent out of
the az mines that marketed any
product that year. appendix II Is
significant that these dividend-paying
mines had "a large tonnage indicating
extensive Development. the avcrag
output Of each OF these mines for IA.
year being some $4,000 tons OF low
grade milling ores The owners Of the
uun-dividend paying properties bee
lieve. " course, that when suficie0t
development work has been done their
mines viii bc able to produce lead
choaply and economically otherWlse
they would not keep on spending
money without immediate return /.
ls TO De noted that mining methods
are constantly improving. but that "
the total expenditure. more than go
per cent is for labor
AMOUNT OF RECOVERY.
The argentiferous lead deposits Of
this country are generally low grade
the quantity Of lead recovered for the
year 1902 indicating an average CON
tent or ~ per cent on 15S pounds OF
lead per ton Of ore. The res
naming portion Of the ore ganxue
Is worthless rock which must be got
ten rid o. the bulk or il by con-
oenuating In water, the rest by the
more expensive process OF smelling
The profitable handling Of low grade
lead ores cannot be done on cheap
scale. on the contrary, IL calls for
the investment Of large sums OK
money before any return is had
The claim IS sometimes made by
persons opposed 20 the tariff on lead.
mat wages in the mining districts OF
the vest are maintained at "a waste
fully high level. But il should be re-
membered that mining work calls for
skilled, experienced men. and that in
comparison with the wages paid oth-
err classes Of skilled labor throughout
the country the rate Is not too high.
The mine owners pay the existing scale
because they are compelled to do 80
Ia order to obtain competent service.
II the tariff on lead should be re-
duced. we should be compelled to meet
competition from Mexico. or 10 abau-
don the industry OF lead mining. Az
more than so per cent. Of the cost
OF production OF lead from "a fully de-
veioped mine IL represented boy wages
OF miners. ON competing with Mexico
depends entirely upon the question as
To whethey our wage earners wiz
work for the same wages and live
under the same conditions as do the
miners of Mexico our miners receive
an average of S3.00 20 400 for eight
hours work the Mexican miner re-
ceives e6 cents 10 as cents tgoidl for
10 TO IT, hours work That our AM
erican miners cannot compete with
Mexicans in the matter of wages is
obvious
CONFERENCE INSISTS
This conference insists primarily on
protection for the American lead miner
But u tariff which, even though protect
ing lead Ia ores permits bullion and the
products manufactured from lead to
come from Mexico and other ooun-
tries Where 20 d mined and smelted by
cheap labor and 10 undersell American
products, VIII cripple the American lead
mining industry as effectively as would
"a reduction of the tariff on ores.
We therefore respectfully but strong
~ ask FOR such a differential of duty
ON pig lead. etc., above the duty ON
lead in ores and for such further dit
foreutlal on refined lead, as win pre-