Weekly journal-miner., 1910-06-01
BIG COMPANY MAY RULE COPPER MARKET

Paso, -& southwestern and the Phelps
 Dodge interests in building to Tucson
 and connecting Tucson with tidewater
 at Port LObos, via Silverbell, is to
 secure control of the copper market
 of the world, is the statement of a
 man said to; be high in the confidence
 of the PhelpsDodge intereets, says the Tucson Citizen. He declines to
 permit the use of his name. He says:
 "By- extending the Fl Paso &
 Southwestern from Benson and by connecting via Silverbell with Port LobOs, the Phelps-Dodge interests will absolutely control the copper market of the United States, and further, will control the copper mer- ger shortly to be effected between the Amalgamated and Utah copper companies. provided that adverse decisions by the United States Su- preme Court in cases now pending do not render such a merger an im- possibility.
 "The reason for this control is most simple.
 "The Phelps-DOdge interests, which now pay a combined rail and water freight rate on their immense ore shipments, of cents per pound from Arizona to points to Perth Am boy, \. 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 at least 112 cents per pound, thus put ting them in an impregnable position to compete for the copper market of the entire nation.
 'When the copper merger was sup posed to be in process of formation, the Pnelps-Dodge people absolutely refused to enter into the combina- tion on the terms and conditions offered by certain Wall street fnan- eiers. If the Supreme Court decisions the Standard Oil and the American Tobacco company trusts, which have been delayed by the death of two justices, are not too sweeping, the copper merger will be formed.
 "In that event, the Phelps Dodge company, because of its tidewater at Port Lobos, and through the trans-shipment of it's ores across the Isthmus of Tehaunte pee, will force the Amalgamated and Utah companies, with their greatly higher freight expense, to aeeede to the Phelps-Dodge demand that the latter's wishes control the copper merger.
 "If, on the other hand, the Su- preme Court s decision is against cor porate combinations, and the merger is not formed, the Pnelps-DOdge eOm- pany can control the worlds copper market because of the lower freight rate.
 "The route of shipment is just this:
 Gathering ore from the Phelps Dodge mines in Bisbee, Morenei, Ray, Douglas and other places. it will be shipped direct to Port LObos; thence by boat to Salina Cruz, and on to Oaxaca, where the ores will be ear ried by endless chain eonveyors from the holds of the vessels to be sPeei-I ally constructed to box cars with re- tops. They will Aen be hurried across the Isthmus of Tehaun- tepec, 200 miles, to Coatzacoaleos, ohl the Gulf of Mexico, where the con tents of the cars will be dumped by. special machinery into steamers, which will convey the ore to the Perth Amboy refneries
 "The Spreckles Sugar company of Hawaii is already shipping its entire output of sugar, destined for Euro pean markets, in this way. IL is car ried by rail from Oaxaca to Coatza- eoalcos, and the run is made in eight hours.
 "When. the slump in the copper market came, about two years ago, the Phelps-Dodge company cut down its labor costs to meet the shrinkage. But instead of mining per cent ore, it extended drifts into the famous Holbrook shaft of the Copper Queen, at Bisbee, and took out approximate ly 10 per cent Ore,. thus keeping up the same amount of income with half the labor formerly used.
 ''In conclusion, the marvellous rich ness of the Pnelps-Dodge fields, and their. far-seeing strategy in securing tidewater transportation, win soon secure them an impregnable position in +bn ooppar 1rar1d