Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-25
THE MINING CONGRESS
AND IT'S IMPORTANCE


" ant to themselves, to the coun-
try's welfare and to Los Angeles-will
assemble here tomorrow in annual ma
tional session. Los Angeles welcomes
the delegates to the American Mining
congress, and will not only show her
appreciation of their presence by So
cial program she has rarely equaled
for similar gatherings, but also hopes
to show the captains of great indus
try that here is its logical focal point,
the city best adapted as a clearing
house of its ideas and transactions
and as a residence for its leaders.
Probably no previous meeting of the
congress has ever equaled this in the
interest that attaches to it, both inside
and outside of the organization. The
problem of conservation as it is re-
lated to our mineral wealth is one of
vast Importance both to miners of
metals and drillers Of oil, and scarcely
less so to the people at large whose
wealth it is sought to protect from IL
legal exploitation for the benefit of
posterity. This question will be one of
the prime topics of discussion, and in
point of practical application and re-
suits this congress will far outrank in
Importance the one recently held in st.
Paul.
A great deal of misapprehension
and misunderstanding on the part of
mining men, born chiefly of fear that
their proper rights were to be radically
curtailed by the government, Is certain
to be cleared up at this meeting. Mr..
Pinchot's presence means that he is not
only deeply interested in the large
subject to which he has devoted his
life, but is not afraid to thresh out
his views with friend and foe alike,
and 1t Is safe to say that he will go
a good way, If he does not indeed en-
tirely succeed, in showing the men who
have enriched the world by their en-
ergy, intelligence and capital that he
has no purposes inimical to theirs, so
far as they serve the common good.
Conservation, as 1t relates to mining,
is a special and pecul.1r subject, and
its discussion by Mr.. Pinchot. by the
governors of states who will be present
and by other distinguished speakers is
sure to be informing; and II 1t shall
be shown that the adoption of the gen.
eral principle for the larger good needs
the cooperation of the mining men, we
are sure they will be among its hearth
est supporters, even to the extent Of
some individual sacrifice.
In carrying out the policy of con-
servation, however. 1t Is OF immediate
Importance that satisfactory arrange
ments be made whereby the oil men
may secure some satisfactory form of
title or right without unnecessary de-
lay. This is a great industry, and its
progress should not be impeded by
laws that in any way tend to prevent
its development or retard its progress.
And there will be other questions Of
popular as well as technical interest to
come before the congress. The rela-
tions of the railroads to the mining
output as to rates for carriage will be
one, and as the question is but a phase
of the relations between the great dis
tributing agencies and all shippers and
their application reaches down to the
humblest home and its larder. the dis
cussion on this point will be Of wide
interest and Importance.
A third subject of interest will be
the suppression of the fake mining
promoter. The vast army of investors
who have looked to oil or the metals
for opportunities to increase their
property will form an attentive au-
dience to the discussions on this point.
The mining congress is ardently sup
porting a policy for legislation that
will protect the public from the min
ing shark, and it's agitation along this
line will serve A great good, as the con-
gress has already done by placing on
the statute books of several states
laws to suppress the swindler who sells
bogus goods in the form Of worthless
stocks and bonds.
The congress, 1t will be seen, is not
merely a gathering of men for the
study of technical problems, but
body dealing with matters Of wide
spread interest, and the public will
find it worth while to follow the dis
cussions. The Importance Of the ques-
tions to be considered this year prom
ises to make the Los Angeles gather
ing historical from the standpoint both
of its members and the country at
large.