The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-04-30

iUelI COuDdIdliNcl9 lew dSSoSAdtCS
who have been really instrumental
in framing the tariff legislation, do
not possess the prescience to name
justly the rates upon thousands of
substances, as TO any one of which
even the experts in that particular
field will not agree. As matters
stand, however, the position of the
metals, in which the mining industry
is particularly interested, is as fol-
lows
Aluminum-lngot will be duti-
able at &c per h., or 1c less than at
present Inasmuch as the price in
this country is now practically the
European price, plus freight and
duty, consumers will gain a trine.
Antimony-The present duty of
| q c per h., on the metal, which rate
was retained by the house. has been
increased to II c by the senate.
| The latter also imposes duty of 1c
per lb. on the antimony content of
ore and matte, at present free and
also free in the house bill. The eff
| feet of this will be to increase the
price of anthony in the United
/
advantage of the producers of anti
monial lead (which may be the
| ''joker.") The gain will not be en-
ough to help the domestic producter
of antimony ore and the smelling in
terest will be at a little disadvantage
as compared to now The senate
amendment as to the anthony
schedule SHES into the ring a new
subject of dispute, which the courts
will doubtless be called upon to de-
eide
Iron and Steel-The senate pro-
poses to have a duty of % cents per
ton of pig iron ore, which the House
put on the free list Pig iron re-
mains at $3.50 per ton, but the rate
on scrap Is raised to the same figure
as substitute for the House pro-
posal of so cents per ton. On bar
iron, blooms. billets, etc, the senate
has made no further reduction; on
beams girders etc. an increase. The
duty on iron ore penalties by just SO
much the manufacturers of the At
| lantic seaboard who obtain supplies
! from Cuba ETC., without being OF
particular advantage to any OF the
American miners. The iron and
steel industry can easily stand all
| of the reductions that have been
made, the chief effect of which as
We have remarked before, will be to
restrain an excessive rise of prices
at bottom period.
Lead--The Senate has restored
the rate on pig lead to the present
figure. The House has maintained
the rate on lead ore. but has reduced
that on pig lead. This would have
continued to deprive the smelters OF
ability to obtain foreign raw ma
terial, but would have advantaged
consumers a little by preventing ex-
cessive rises in the price for the
metal In other words the average
over series of years would probably
have been little less. The leaving
of this metal in statu quo will please
both miners and smelters.
Quick silver-This remains un-
changed at cents per pound.
Tin-This remains on the free
list.
Zinc-The Senate leaves the
House proposal unchanged. The
rate as to this metal has been sadly
bungled, and serious industrial dis
turbances is inevitable. In Difference
to the wishes of the miners, who de-
sire to obtain a higher price for their
ore a tariff of ] cent per pound on
the zinc contained in imported ore
(now duty free) has been imposed
but the rate on spelter has been re-
duced to l cent per pound and on
sheet zine TO | Il cents per pound.
The difference Between spelter and
sheet zinc is less than the cost of
rolling. The rate on zine in ore Is
relatively higher than on the metal,
because the smelter has TO pay on
the IS TO 20 per cent. that he loses
in the process tunless the admins
trative law shall make allowance for
this) besides paying on the lead In
such ore which he may not recover
at all. The effect of this will be to
exclude largely the foreign ore,
create a scarcity in the supply for our
smelters, and boost the price of both
ore and spelter. The latter will be
limited to the point at which it will
be profitable to import spelter.There
will be even more danger of import
of sheet zinc. The manufacturers OF
sheet zinc will, moreover, feel more
keenly the competition of substi
tutes The rattle large quantities OF
dross that is exported will doubtless
remain in the country for smelling.
The upset in conditions will be so
complete that 1t is difficult to pre-
dict how the industry will readjust
itself 1t is even more conceivable
that the change will not work out
to any great advantage to the opera
tors in the Joplin district Under
existing conditions at New York, or
SIS, st. Louis may be considered a
normal price for spelter, at which
! the base price for ore at Joplin
would normally be about $50. At
that point according to the tacit I'M
derstanding. the wages of miners
4 increase 70 Dpr cent which adds