The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-01-04
THE LEAD AND ZINC MEN.

men held in the Commercial Club on
Thursday evening is an important step
in the direction Of conveying TO iuflu-
cntial statesmen in Washington the
/ danger OF certain theories which some
OF those statesmen appear 90 entertain.
The idea OF an ad valorcm duty upon
lead and zinc. for instance, is some
thing that would be absolutely de-
! structive 10 the mining OF those metals
in Utah in case il were put into law
by Congress. Mexico is the great peril
in this situation, the lead mines of
Mexico being immensely productive,
and the peon labor employed in them
being of good efficiency. although paid
an extremely low wage. IN al valo-
rem duty as applied 10 Mexican lead
or lead in ores would be bu. little pro-
lection to American miners, for the
tremely low price. so that an al valo-
rem duty OF % per cent on lead. As
proposed in the metal schedule is re-
vised by the Democratic House last
summer, would cut the price OF lead
in two, and still be profitable 10 Mexi-
can producers, because they get enough
silver in the lead ores or bullion to
pay the low cost Of mining in the
Mexican operations. So far as Canada
is concerned, her product OF lead could
be ruled out ou the basis that it is
produced by aid OF bounty. And
since Canada considers the production
OF lead so important that she is willing
to pay n bounty upon it. one must
wonder that any one in the United
States would have the idea that it
would be good policy To hamper and
perhaps destroy lead production in this
! country.
The lead and zinc mines in the
United States pay their full share Of
local and National taxation. and are
entitled to consideration on that
ground, besides the general ground that
the industries applied in producing lead
and zinc are active, give work and
wages to large numbers Of men. aud
supply the material for large manu-
features and for great industrial ac
tivity in many lines.
The paper read at the meeting by
Mr. George w. Ritter covers the field
very well indeed, so far as the general
discussion is concerned; and We pre-
sumo that the brunt Of the fight will
in the first instance come upon these
general principles. There can be no
doubt but that Mr.. Ritter paper is
entitled TO the highest consideration,
and will be very useful in the discus
sion OF the principles involved. He
points out quite clearly that it would
be a fallacy to consider the Mexican
lead production as negligible either on
account OF the amount produced or Of
the efficiency of the labor. The fact
is that the Mexican peon labor in the
mines is surprisingly efficient com
pared with the amount of wages
paid for it, and this point in Mr.. Ri
ter RS paper is one that deserves high
prominence In the consideration Of the
question.
The Democrats who believe in gen
eral way in low tariffs do not, SO far
as the Democracy Of this region is
concerned, believe In the least in max
ing the tariff so low as 20 wreck home
industries and discourage home enter
prise. They believe in having the
tariff as low as the business and in
dustrial conditions of the country will
admit, but they draw the line between
fair and just competition and de-
structive policy, The former they fa-
vor. the latter they oppose, and this
is the just position 10 take. Instances
are not wanting in the past in the
history of Utah when Democrats re-
ioiced at the triumph of their party,
but were found, just as they are now
found, earnestly opposing any revision
of the tariff that would be likely TO
weaken or DESTROY home industry. en-
terprise, and production.
The Tribune hopes that the efforts
of the Utah lead and zinc mining men
will be effective in dispclling the idea
so prominently brought forward in the
revision Of the tariff metal schedule
in the House bill OF last summer, that
all metal production is on the same
! basis: for that revision was of slap.
dash, helterskelter character, that had
no real application 10 the metals as so
produced in this country. IL is quite
true. for example, that the iron and
steel industries need no protection in
the United States, because they arc
by far the greatest in the world. These
| industries have their own orc supplies,
their own mills, and everything com.
plete. They mine, transport. and
smelt the ores, extract the iron,
and manufacture that iron into
every form of iron and steel pro.
duetion known 10 mankind. with the
possible exception Of needles, as Mr..
Carnegie has pointed out. Nothing OF
the kind is true as TO lead and zinc