The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-01
BUREAU OF MINES
AND METAL MINING

| II iE proposed az The forthcoming scs-
sion OF congress. 20 amend The organic
act creating the bureau of mines, and
the local sections OF the Mining and
Metallurgical Society Of America have
been requested 10 make suggestions 10
| the chairman OF tho house committee
on mines and mining. This is notewor-
| thy IA many ways. II u n recognition
OF the position and influence OF the So
cicty that iB gratifying, and. following the
recent prououuccmcnt OF the council. we
arc unable TO recommend. however. tHat
any section shall have the right 10 make
public its conclusions upon any matter
under any circumstances. IL constitutes
an ad equate rcfuiatiOu OF the wisdom and
sdvEability of any such pohcy. In TINS
instance effective action procluded IN"
possibility OF securing the consideration
Of the society as q whole. and this IL
likely to be tho case in every subsequent
instance. Finally. ~ is not too carly TO
give the bureau OF mines wider scope Tor
It's activities.
Effective and useful as the work Of the
rescue work and the prevention ot accl-
dents in mines, it has, beyond its eX-
tension Of miuo-rescue work. been able
To do hut little as vet for the metal
tho ceoloEists. have deprecated the pos
siblc invasion by tho bureau OF the held
OF the geological survey; with possible
useless duplication OF labor. But the
proper fields OF work Of the bureau and
the survey are Ccneticallv distinct; tho
one Is ldnetic. the other potential. the
with their exploitation and use.
The study ot each involves the con-
sideratiou OF the other. but corporation
Inv Important matters IS possible and in
small affairs unnecessary. just as an in
dividual doses himself with quinine for
a cold. but calls In q physician for scri-
Gus ailments In these days OF trust
busting" ~ seems a bit inconsistent 10
eliminate all possibility OF n little healthy
competition between the survey and the
bureau. But some suggestions for pos
sible extensions OF the work OF the bu-
reau bear the stamp OF futility the most
a testing laboratory for the Eratuitous
testing or ore and other products he es
tablished. Such n laboratory would he
inundated with work. OF which the larger
part would be perfectly useless. and the
remainder could be equally well per-
formed undcr private auspices. Assay
certificates from tho bureau OF mines
would prove Eodsend to the wildcat
promoter. and. incident tally. many wor-
thy citizens would find their livelihood
interfered with. Analytical and testing
work has, in most places, now been re-
duced To n base level or cost. Prospec-
tors OF the right sort would be the first
TO resent an attempt 10 place them upon
a charitable basis; the old timer always
paid his own way. whether he was able
10 go far or not.
We would urge. IN conclusion. the un-
wisdom Of imposing unnecessary rcstriC-
uons upon tho work OF the bureau. In
business " is clearly recognized that tho
best way To get action that IL prompt
effective and well directed Is 10 secure
a man whose judgment. ability. integrity
and loyalty can be relied upon and give
him free hand. Since we now have
at the head OF the survey and the bu-
rcau OF mines men or this character II
cannot be doubted that the best policy
hsmpcring restric,ious.-M Mining and
Scientific Press.