Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-30
BUSINESS MEN
AND MINERS DINE
Banquet of the Chamber of Mines
and Oil Is Largely
Attended
MANY PROMINENT SPEAKERS
Wealth of Southwest ReCounted
and Los Angeles Is Called
the Mecca
RY LANES wYNKooP

The Chamber of Mines and Oil held
its annual banquet at Hotel Alexan-
dria last night and was attended by
over 100 representative mining and
business men of Los Angeles and the
southwest in general, being the largest
and most sumptuouS banquet. ever
held by an organization in the city.
The speakers were all woii known
men here and men well versed in
the responses they were calld upon to
make. Speakers of the evening repre-
senting wealth and both business and
social prestige were Calvert Wilson,
president of the Chamber of Mines and
Oil; Antonio Lezano of Mexico; Mar
Gus A. Smith of Arizona; E. A. Mont
gomery, president of the Sierra Madre
club; Thomas e. Gibbon, T. A. O'Don-
neil, Joseph Scott and james McLach-
Ian. suea (
The subjects were well chosen and
thew the limelight upon the indus
tries of mining and oil in California
and the southwest, showing the prom
inence that these industries hold in
the commercial annals of the commun-
ity That Los Angeles is the logical
and actual center of the mining indus
try of the great southwest was en-
phasized by Mr. Gibbon and others,
who produced facts in the form of re-
cent developments in the mining dis
tricts and oil fields to show that what
San Francisco was to the west fifty
years ago in mining Los Angeles is
today, and more was predicted for
the great capital of the southwest.
The decorations of the banquet were
somewhat new and the spread was the
best that could be produced and had
any hungry prospector been present
he would have thought himself in
heaven, far away from the heat and
sands of the desert.
SECRET PROCESS DISCUSSED
The toastmaster of the banquet was
John r. Mathews, vice president Of the
Commercial National bank, who intro
duced Calvert Wilson, president of the
Chamber of Mines and Oil. He said that
the object of the chamber was to en-
courage all mining and to endeavor to
hold Los Angeles as the great center
of this industry; that it was practi-
cally the only chamber of mines in the
country and that it had done much in
furthering the efforts of mining men,
especially in influencing congress in
the establishment of the newly created
bureau of mines.
Mr. Wilson discussed the secret pro-
cess practices which were exposed in
The Herald last spring apd placed the
chamber on record as absolutely OPP
posed to any such practice. He said
that through the chamber of mines in
fiuence there will be introduced in the
legislature at it's next session a bill
making it necessary for any secret
process operator to label his assay as
found by a secret process, thus sepa=
rating such assay from the old line and
reliable fire assay approved by all rep
utable mining men.
'The West Coast" was the subject
responded to by Antonio Lezano, con-
sui. A toast was drunk to President
Diaz and Senior Lezano said that $685.
100000 in American money had been
invested in mines in Mexico. AS Sem
or Lozano stands very close to Presi-
dent Diaz his remarks were considered
as exceptionally favorable to the
Americans now operating mines in the
great republic to the south. He said
that the two republics were so bound
together as to make of them great
and permanent family.
Marcus A. Smith of Arizona spoke
upon the Mineral Resources Of Ari-
zona." AS Mr.. smith is Kentuckian
and a good Democrat he could not help
but make a good speech. He said he
could not tell half the worth of Ari-
iona else everybody would think him
a liar and he said that Arizona was
soon going to be state by the grace
of God and the Democratic party. He
took a slap at Pinchot and his timber
policy as applied to everything in con-
servation, saying Arizona cannot use
its timber now like other states did
when they were made. But outside
this remark conservation was left en-
tirely in the family closet of fearful
beings.
OIL TNExHAUSTIBLE
e. A. Montgomery CBob) spoke of the
excellent work that has been done by
the Sierra Madre club and the Ameri-
can Mining congress, and said the es-
tablishment of the bureau Of mines was
wedge in the cabinet for the mining
interests of the country, and inferred
that the east had at last awakened to
the fact that there was something else
put here than lemons and oranges.
Thomas e. Gibbon, being chosen to
speak upon the question of publicity
and Oil, gave the oil industry one OF
the best boosts it has received in many
a day by simply telling the truth about
the possibilities and past accomplish
ments of the great San Joaquin oil
fields, taking the Lake View gusher
the 10000 barrel well, as an example
He said 1t only remains for Los Ange-
les bankers and business men to make
the city what San Francisco was fifty
years ago; that Los Angeles was the
logical center of the great southwest
and that it was up to the business men
here to do their part in aiding and
bringing to the fore one of the greatest
Industries here or anywhere. Mr. Glib
bon spoke of the. discovery of oil solv-
Ing In6 Iuel pIODlSll Ol Inc
coast. He said that when he came
here twenty-five years ago there were
twenty-three vessels unloading coal in
San Pedro harbor.
short time afterward oil was dfs.
covered, said Mr. Gibbon, and this was
the dawn of Industrial oil in California
In a recent trip to the oil fields Mr.
Gibbon, as he said last night, observed
the results of the score of years in the
development of oil in California. The
5000, O0O- barrel prediction of the grea
Lakeview gusher was an importan
point dwelt upon by him. The cry
years ago that California had no fue
has now been completely met, was tn,
substance of Mr.. Gibbons argument
and not only that, but that Calfforni;
had enough oil to supply not only it
self, but the entire world as we'll.
other interesting speeches of tn,
evening were california Crude', b!
Thomas A. O'Donnell Los Angeles
the Mecca" by Joseph Scott anC
"Legislation," by James McLachlan.