The copper era and Morenci leader., 1913-06-20
EAST GLOOMY; West
HAPPY, IS
PICTURE
DR.. Ricketts, Returns to Arizona from
Extended Business Trip East;
Does Not Fear Result of
Legislation.
DANGER SIGNALS
WILL CAUSE HALT.
Gives His Views on Possibility of Fix
ing Actual Value of Mining Prop
erty; New Methods.

Dr. L. D. Ricketts, has returned
from a business trip to New York
and other eastern points, arriving in
Bisbee Wednesday evening.
Returning he came through north
ern Arizona and visited the Grand
canyon where he remained for two
days, meeting there Mr.. J S. Doug
las, who has been on visit to the
Verde extension property at Jerome.
Il was in New York several weeks
and found that among all classes
there was a decidedly pessimistic
feeling with all kinds of stocks going
down and reaching lower levels. AS
/ returned west / encountered conf
dence and in Arizona l have encount-
cred no feeling of uneasiness concern
ing business conditions" declared DR..
Ricketts, yesterday morning to the
Review.
Continuing DIR. Ricketts, said: Il
do not share in the declared belief of
many that there is danger of the in
dustries of the country being de-
stroyed or seriously hurt by what is
being proposed in congress. Before
great damage could be accomplished
think the danger would be realized
and when this occurs of course any
thing plainly threatening disturbance
of legitimate business would not be
persisted in or allowed to occur.
DIR. Ricketts, speaking of the copper
market gave it as his opinion that
the heavy shipments of the red metal
to Europe during the past six months
was for actual consumption and that
he did not believe there was any ele-
ment of speculation in this heavy
movement of copper to foreign coun-
tries He said that the demand for
copper was increasing both in Europe
and in this country and that he did
not anticipate Interestingly low prices.
The large producers are selling very
little copper at the present time, ac-
cording to DR.. Ricketts,.
Mine Taxation.
DR.. Ricketts, was asked this ques-
ton: DO you believe that it is pos
sible for any engineer or expert to
fix the actual value of mine for
taxation or any other purpose?' To
this question he replied: Emphatic
ally no. A man might make guess
NO man could fix, even approximate
ly, the actual value of any mining
property in Arizona. / would consider
myself wholly incompetent for such
a task and have so stated on several
occasions in this state when asked
about the feasibility of having the
mines assessed at their actual value.
That would be all right perhaps, If
there was any way of determining
the value, but TO my mmQ tnere is ~
method for determining the actual
value of any single mining property in
the state
i Then DR.. Ricketts, pointed out that
if mining property was to be assessed
on an estimated actual value, then
all property, whether producers or
not, would have to be included.
Speaking further of the value OF
mines Dr. Ricketts, said that many
of the valuable properties of today
we're of no value twenty-five years ago
before modern methods and processes
were known or in use. Once he ex-
amined the Chino property IN New
Mexico for a possible purchaser. He
turned it down as worthless and I'M
der the then existing methods OF
treating ore it had no value, though
with present improved methods Of
ore treatment is is property OF
/ great value. lr o At--
DR.. Ricketts, is the consulting eng
ineer of the Inspiration Consolidated
lin the Globe district and stated that
work would now soon start In earn
i'est on the big concentrating mill, but
that it would probably be two years
before that company would enter the
I RAJ. ks IF the producers.-Bisbee Re