Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-27
MINING CONGRESS
FORMALLY OPENS
Pinchot Defends Conservation
Policies and Gives Views
Regarding Oil Lands
MINERAL LAWS DISCUSSED
President Buckley Urges $780,
600 Endowment for the
National Organization
MINERAL LAWS DISCUSSED
Confined from Page one,


grants of the Southern Pacific saying
that these grants should not prejudice
any against conservation, and with
his closing remarks, which follow,
brought forth a storm of applause
which lasted for several minutes. He
said:
''The government will not be doing
its duty unless it attacks title of the
Southern Pacific grants through legis-
lation or otherwise and restore these
lands to the people of the United
States. Before you condemn conser-
walton find out what the friends of
conservation assert and not what
enemies to it declare or dispute"
Before Mr.. Pinchot arrived Presi-
dent 3. R. Buckley delivered his an
nual address, telling of the accom-
plishments of the American Mining
congress the past year.
He reported that the year had been
a successful one in the association,
its financial condition having i'm
proved and membership increased.
SEEKS ENDOWMENT
He made a plea for a permanent
endowment of $500000, which he
thought could easily be contributed
from the great fortunes made in
American mines.
He alluded to the necessity for a
revision of the mineral land laws and
the elimination Of the intricate litiga-
ton which now seems necessary to
perfect and retain titles.
To protect the prospector from the
deception of unreliable assayists, he
urged either the establishment of free
assay laboratories under the bureau of
mines or the licensing of assay labor
atories and their maintenance under a
system of state inspection. In this con-
nection President Buckley denounced
the pseudo professional man, who
lends himself to the support of fake
mining propositions, furnishing the
most alluring reports at so much per
thousand words.
"They are often more dangerous"
he said, ethan the promoter whose mine
is merely a castle in the air.
He also criticised flake promotion"
as one of the evils of mining and urged
the enactment of state laws taxing
mining ventures on their stock issued
as one Of the best means for prevention
of overcapitalization.
Mr.. Buckley urged the congress to
give it's attention both to mine safety
and mine sanitation and thought 1t
possible to accomplish much in this di-
rection by proper illumination, ventila-
tion and drills that will be less pro-
ductive of dust.
Speaking of mining stocks he said
their fluctuations seldom depended on
the earning power of the property it
self, but were the result of a system
of buying and selling, chiefly on mar
gin, which was nothing more nor less
than gambling.
BETTER CONDITIONS URGED
"I trust" he said, "that there may
be some way suggested by which this
body can assist in bringing about a
better, safer, sounder condition in the
stock markets Of the country. 1 may
suggest that one way of doing this is
to urge upon the various companies the
Importance of issuing printed monthly
or bi-monthly reports covering in detail
the condion Of the property"
On the subject of conservation, Mr..
Buckley said:
-Four things appear to be perfectly
clear in a consideration of the prob
lem:
First, as mining men we cannot af-
ford to have the government enact
legislation which will make the occu-
patton of mining more hazardous than
1t either respecting the protection
of life or the investment of money;
second, that nothing shall be done
that will in any way retard the de-
velopment of our manufacturing in
dustries that depend upon the prod
ucts of the mines for their business;
third, that everything possible be done
to increase the percentage of metals
that can be recovered from the ore
deposits and from deposits of coal,
oil and gas; and, fourth to bring
about as quickly as possible the use
of substitutes for the present sources
of power and for the metals which are
supposed to be limited in quantity.
There should be the fullest develop
ment of our mineral resources, under
such federal or state cooperation and
. regulations as will insure the maxi
mum elimination of waste, it being
agreed that our mineral resources
should be exploited with intelligence
and in a fair and upright manner.
1.-THE question of the ownership of
the public domain should, as far as
possible, be considered apart from
that of conservation. In doing this, 1t
should be remembered that ownership
that may be otherwise desirable may
be undesirable from the standpoint of
conservation and vice versa. The
question of ownership is political and
sociological, while conservation is
technical and scientific"