Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-03-23
Mining and Financial News

Ol HdlH- uHe OTlSlH cdTfleu DN Ine Tdll- roads was S93, ,1S4972 tons. Of this total the products of the mines amount ed to 476,S99,63S tons, or approximately 53.4 per cent. Properly added to this is the item of manufactured mineral products, such as petroleum and other oils, bar and sheet metal, iron, pig and
 bloom, cement, brick and lime, etc.
 amounting to 76,2S2,9 tons, giving grand total of over 533, 100000 tons, or approximately 62 per cent of the total railroad traffic This is against about 340,000,000 tons furnished by all other industries combined, such as az riculture, forestry, livestock and all ar, ticles of manufacture other than man. ufactured mine products. For purposes of clearer distinction it should be stated that manufactured mine products do not refer to the finished articles made of the minerals and metals; it embraces only those raw minerals and metals extracted from the rocks by treatment and reduction processes which resemble manufacturing.
 But more striking parallel may he drawn: During the same period approx imately 237,00O miles of railroad were in operation in the United States; sub dividing the mileage among the different industries in proportion to the tonnage furnished by each. we find that some l47, ,OOO miles are engaged exclusively in hauling mineral products and about 90,00O miles are hauling the products of all other industries combined
 Still another comparisons: Two mil lion freight cars run over these roads carrying their freight; 1,240,OO0 were handling cargoes of mineral products and 100000 cars satisfied all other purposes.
 The railroads were then employing some 1,675,000 men; of these about r. 047, ,000 were concerned with trains ex- clusively handling mine products and 630,000 filled all otehr needs.
 The tonnage furnished by mining is sven times larger than that of all az ricultural products; twenty eight times larger than that of the livestock ia. dustries; 515 times than that of forest products; times than that of the industries and nearly twice as large as all of them combined.
 Demand for Bureau of Mines
 But this great expansion of the min ing industry has brought with it in- creasing problems of vital import to mining men. For assistance in the sou- tiOn of thees problems the miner has very appropriately turned to the fed eral government and asked for the creation of a bureau, or department of mines, through which, or by means of which the desired cooperation may be effected.
 The creation of the independent de- partment of agriculture, under the spon- Sorship of which dozen bureaus are engaged in grappling with all problems in which the farmer and stockraiser are interested, and the marvellous field of usefulness it has established for it. self, are soundan dsat isfying proofs that the province of our government is to cooperate with those who form its in the work of wealth crea- ton.
 Why not extend this benefcent CO., operation to the mining industry, which Is the only other direct source of wealth, in proportionate degree, is the query many times pressed to our states men by mining men.
 The second session of the sixtieth congress appropriated tn sum of $l2,- 995,000 for the service of the depart ment of agriculture. Mining "also ran, escaping out of the melee of patriotic statesmen with sharpened axes with pittance of $750,00O.
 A final comparison which shows how the federal government has "fostered' the nation s two basic industries mining and agriculture.
 In 1907 the total value of mineral production was $2,050,000; of agricul- tural products, $7,4SS,00O,000 In 1908 the tonnage of the former was approx imately 553,O0O,000 tons, of the latter, 00,000,000 tons. Number of men em- ployed by the formers 2,50O,OOO; by the latter, between 4,OOO,OOO and B. 00O,0O0. Mining is represented in the machinery of the government by one bureau, geological survey, devoted ex- to the making of geologic and topographic surveys. Agriculture has a department and twelve bureaus. The appropriations for the former total $750,000 per year, for the latter about $l3, 100000 per year.
 When the American Mining congress was organized in 1897 its slogan was "A Bureau of Department of Mines. - Both houses of congress were then "forninst everything for the benefit of mining with the ex- ception of small and easitly ignored western contingent. Twelve years have seen this attitude change to one of al most unanimous consent for a bureau, the vote on the bill in the house in May, 1908, being 229 for to ? against
 The Mining congress will continue it's efforts and has already succded in push ing the Mining Bureau bill GIT. R. 139l5) through the lower house by a safe vote, which occurred January 9 of this year. The action of the sem ate, soon to come, will determine it's fate. As one of the important purposes of the bill is to investigate mine acci- dents with view to preventing the loss of life, it is hoped that the senate will S1On accord to the bill the con