The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1910-06-03
PhsIps.DOdge Co. Said to Be After
Market Control.

|
Market Control.
Tucson.-That the real purpose of
Phelps-Dodge interests in building to
Tucson and connecting Tucson with
the tidewater at Port Lobos, by the
way of Silver Bell, is to secure con-
troll of the copper market of the
world, is the statement of a man
said to be high in the confidence of
! the Phelps-Dodge interests. He de-
clines to permit the use of his name,
but says;
"By extending the E. P. S. w.
from Benson and by connecting via
Silverbell with Port Lobos, the COM
! pany will absolutely control the cop
| per market of the United States, and
further, will control the copper
merger shortly to be consummated
between the Amalgamated and the
Utah copper companies, provided
that adverse decisions by the United
States supreme court in cases now
pending do not render a merger an
Iimpossibility.
"The reason for this control is most
simple.
"The Phelps-Dodge company, which
now pays a combined freight and
water rate on their immense ship
ments of copper ore of three cents
per pound from Arizona to Perth
Amboy, N. j., where their refining
and smelling plant is located, and to
New York where their selling agency
is stationed can, by the use OF the
tidewater route reduce this charge
by at least one and one-half cents
per pound, thus putting them in an
Iimpregnable oSition IL compete for
the copper market of the entire
nation.
"When the copper merger was sup
posed to be in process of formation,
the Phelps-Dodge people absolutely
refused to enter into the combination
on the terms and conditions offered
by certain Wall Street fnanciers.
If the supreme court decisions re-
garding the Standard Oil and Ameri-
can Tobacco company trusts, which
have been delayed by the deaths of
two justices, are not too sweeping,
the copper merger will be formed
SIN that event, the Phelps-Dodge
company, because of its tidewater
lcounectious at Port Lobos, and
through the transshipment of its ores
over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,
will force the Amalgamated and
Utah companies with their vastly
higher freight expense, to concede TO
the Phelps-Dodge demand that the
latter's wishes control the copper
merger.
"If on the other hand the supreme
courts decisions are against the cor
porate combinations. and the merger
is not formed, the company can con-
troll the worlds copper market be-
: cause of the low freight rate.
"The route of shipment is just this:
gathering ore from the mines in
Bisbee, Douglas, Morenci, Ray and
other places, it will be shipped direct
to Port Lobos, thence by boat tc
Santa Cruz, where the ore will be
carried by endless chain conveyor'
from the holds of the vessels to the
specially constructed box cars witt
removable tops. They will then bt
: hurried over the isthmus, 200 miles
. to a point on the Gulf of Mexico
D where the contents of the box car
will be dumped by special machiner.
into steamers which will convey th'
ore to the New Jersey reineries.
"The Spreckles Sugar company o
A Hawaii is already shipping its entir
] output of sugar destined to Europeal
e markets by this route. The run
made in eight hours.
"When the slump in the coppe
: market came about two years age
d the company cut down its labor cos
Il to meet the shrinkage. But instea
of mining per cent. ore, it extend
ed the drifts into the famous HoI
brook shaft and took out approx
D mately ten per cent. ore, thus keel
d ing up the same amount of incom
s with half the labor formerly uset
"In conclusion, the marvellous ricf
d ness of the Phelps-Dodge fields, an
n thier ar.seeing strategy in securin
: water transportation, will soon secur
them an impregnable position in th
/ copper world"
n Democrats and Statehood.