The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-05-08
FATE OF THE LEAD AND ZINC TARIFF, AS
QUICKLY DEALT BY HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES
TWENTY MINUTES FOR "oesATE"-iDAHos CONGRESSMAN ARE
BRIEFLY BUT QUICKLY VOTED ouT-FREE


out their first papers as the first steI
looking to their naturalization Thu
average wages paid to laborers Of tn,
Occur d'Alenes Is $3.50 per man, ant
] would compare that with the aver
age wages paid to the laborers in thu
mines of the republic to the south OF
us, where the average Is 80 cents pei
man. The miners in the Coeui
d'Alenes receive from $3.50 to $4.5l
per day for their labor. while Tho
miners In the mines of Mexico re.
ceivc rs cents per day. The muckers
receive i'm the Occur d'Alcnes from S.
to $3.50 for their labor, and the muck
ers in Mexico receive so cents per day
tion with mine work receive from 81
to IS per day in Idaho. as compared
with 81 to $1.25 per day in Mexico
And 50 you can go down the list anf
by the various Glasses of workmen il
the mines of the region that produces
nearly one third of the lead Of the
United States and almost 10 per cent
Of the lead of the world, and you viii
find that the wages received on the
average are more than 400 per cent Of
the wages received by the laborers in
similar mines In the country ilnmcdi.
ately adjacent to the United States
More than that let me say this:
''The lead produced from the mines
In the Occur d'Alene region would no
pay the running expenses and tn
freight to convey the lead to the mar
kets of the world If it were not for tn
by product of silver that Is produced
In connection with operating the mine
Of that region. The very fact that W.
are able to produce silver alongsid.
of the lead enables our miners to wor'
these mines and operate the same a
a profit and pay good wages to the la
borers in this country II you wer'
to insist upon reducing the schedul'
of duties upon lead imported fror
foreign countries into the Unite
States anywhere near the ratio sug
gested by the bill you are considerine
at this time, it will mean that ou'
miners will be compelled to accer'
lower wages than they are receivin'
at the present time or else the mine
will cease to be operated.
Possibly both of these results VII
In part obtain and ! have no douh
but that so far as development wor'
is considered in that region and ir
other regions Of the great west it viii
in large part cease or be retarded. be-
cause 1t will not seem to be profit
able business in which to engage"
Congressman Campbell Of Kansas.
came from Congressman Campbell. It
applies with equal force to our own
people as to those of Kansas. He
said
Mr.. Chairman, | offer this amend
ment for the purpose of continuing
he zinc ore mining industry in the
United States and especially in my
)wn district.
1T is proposed to reduce the ad va
orem rate from an average of so per
'ent to 10 per cent.
with apologies to the gentleman
rom Pennsylvania (Mr, Palmer), ] |
state that | own no stock in any ore
mines anywhere. But | am inter |
'sted In those men who are employed |
n that industry in my district The
industry Is carried on by individuals.
Ien group themselves together. put
heir capital together, and go down
nto the earth to get the ore. The ore
in that section of country
$ not under the control of any great
of capital. but It is car
led on by individual efforts and the
men employed by these men are de-
endent upon that industry for their
livelihood and for their prosperity
II have seen those men lose their
Employment as the result of competi-
ion with old Mexico I'm the produc-
ion of zinc ore under free trade. Il
ave seen the same men find employ {
lent again as the result Of the pro- |
ection given to the Zinc-ore indus
~ In 1909 by the present law The {
Zen were out of employment as the {
esult of competition with Mexican {
liners, who get from one fifth to one +
NTH of the wage that is paid to the |
'borers in Kansas. The reason the !
lborers in Kansas were out of en- t
loymcnt in the zinc mining industry $
as because they could not live upon g
le same wage that the men i'm Mex g
% were getting who were supplying h
'e shelters in my district with zinc O
e.. I
Il urged duty then to protect them d
ON that competition. | am urging
Nv duty high enough to protect
q laborers employed in that industry
the end that they may have an op. "
'rtunty Of supplying their families n
nh the necessities of life and the on d
'rtunlty of living In the manner in a
hich they have been accustomed 4
e. That Is all that is asked. They Il
n not do that If Mexican poems al
me the ore that supplies the smelt-
: of the United States. In 1910 and q,
81 have not the figures for igii- II
ere were Imported i1,750.56i pounds m
zinc ore. for which the United &c
\ toe