Bisbee daily review., 1911-10-22
Warren District Mines

When George M. Walker, the we'll known writer upon copper mines and the metal situation and market condi tions was in Arizona last summer, he paid a visit to the Warren Dis trict besides visiting the other min ing districts of the state and taking a trip 10 Cananea. After he had been pretty well over the copper producing sections in the course Of an inter view on the copper situation in Ariz- ona. Mir. Walker remarked on the changed conditions that he saw, or believed that he saw. In this inter view he stated that in the past eight or ten years he had paid number of visits to Arizona in order to keep in touch with conditions and see them for himself When I first visited
 Bisbee and ,the Wlrreu D,strict..{
 said he, there was little other than oxide ores mined and smelted. Then the miRe owners were all saying that
 fl they could only strike sulphide ores there would be a real profit in the mining. then they could make
 money .aa the cost or prtductien
 would be greatly diminished. Now l notice that they have the sulphides
 and are mining them eXciusiyely.' do not know whether the old supply of oxides is being neglected or has been exhausted but was struck by
 the fact that sulphide ore has sup
 planted the oxide"
 The condition that Mir. Walker re
 marked is one that seems apparent and vet when one investigates it is
 found that such is not the actual
 state Of affairs. The supply Of oxides
 is not exhausted nor is it being neg
 lected. On the contrary there is as
 much Of that character of ore mined
 and reduced today as there was in old
 days. It is quite true that there is
 now a much greater quantity of sul
 phide ores used than there was in the
 days 10 which Mir. Walker refers,
 but it Is also true that the output
 ol the mines is very much larger now
 than then. This increase has come
 from the sulphide ores that were
 found and are now being taken out
 and shipped to the smelters. lt is
 true that there is now large eNcess Of sulphide ores over oxides but those in a position 10 know in the big companies here state that there
 is as much Of the latter character Of ore now taken out as there wal
 formerly. The prepCuderance of sul ] phides that grew up and nov exists required changes iH smelter treat mcnt. Different furnaces were install ed and different methods are now em ployed. thus enabling inc reduction Of ores of both qualities but witf the sulphides largely in excess.
 In the old days there was the cal for the sulphide ore and it is true that oxides predOminated. Now that ! the wishes that were then expressed have been realized, due advantage or the circumstance has been takcr with the result that the cost of pro ducti0n today is far less than it was at that time. Were this not the case the dividends Of the Calumet and Arizona and the Copper Queen companies would be materially less then they are now, for with the pre- sent price of copper it is only the companies that can produce at low tiost that can operaee successfully and keep up the dividends that were paid when metals were on a higher basis. Thus it is the very prepon [ deranCe of the sulphides, a matter that caused improvements and chang es 10 be made at the reduction works
 that today enables the great mines
 of the Warren District to produce successfully and renders it unueces- sary for them to curtaii their out put so as to conserve the supply in sight for periods when higher prices prevail. IL is a fortunate ciTcum- stance and one that seldom receives
 attention unless brought to mind by an observation such as that which
 was made by Mir Walker on the oc.
 casion of his last visit here.