The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-01-22
MINERS OF WEST
NEED ASSAY OFFICES
UNANswERABLE ARGUMENT IN
SUPPORT OF MAINTININo
THEM IN WEST.
mining and Engineering worId)

! mining and Engineering Word)
1t has been urged as an objection to
, the minor assay offices that they are
, not self-sustaining but as matter OF
, fact there is no reason why they should
! be. The mint service, like many other
J departments of the government, was
not established primarily as a profit
making business, but for the accom-
|modation Of the public and the ne,
cost to the government for the main
J tenance of the six offices now in exist
ence is less than 100000 per annum
These so-called minor offices" are
located at Boise, Carson, Deadwood
Helena, Salt Lake City and Seattle.
The office at st. Louis was discontin-
tued June 80, 1911, and that at Char
Hottie June 80, 1912.
Operating Expenses Favor Western
i Offices.
The excess of operating expenses
over fees collected during the fiscal
year 1912 at the New York assay Of
flee was $117,09S.96; while at the seven
other offices--Boise, Carson, Deadwood
Helena, Salt Lake, Seattle and Char
lotte-at all these combined the ex-
cess was only $90,22S.51, difference
against the New York office of $685.
S7o.45.
i The Philadelphia mint, the most
splendidly equipped institution of its
kind in the world, is only two hours
from New York. and anyone having
business with the latter city could
with almost equal facility transact
that business with Philadelphia. Yet
for the sake of the triflng convenience
1T is to the New York banks to have
an assay office there, we are called up
on to expend more than is required to
maintain seven assay offices. the two
nearest Of which are less than 400
miles apart and which are scattered
among the gold producing states, Just
where they are needed, and which ac-
commodate thousands of people. II
should be remembered, Also that the
poor man Is the one who is benefited
by these small offices. they make it
possible for him to continue the bust
ness OF prospecting. and it Is the pros
pector who in the first instance has
discovered the great mines which have
added so much to the wealth of the ma
ltion.
New York Office Should Be First to Co
If. then, the offices which fail to COL
lect enough in fees to offset their op-
Grating expenses should be put out of
business. the New York office should
be the first to go, since that costs more
than all the rest combined. But it is
said that that office is worth the cost
because Of the accommodation it af-
fords to trade; then if this justifies
the expenditure, we are even more jus
titled In eXpending whatever sum NAV
be necessary to maintain a sufficient
number of smaller offices to accommo-
cate the men who are taking wealth
out OF the ground-at the risk of life
and limb, and at great uncertainty of
any return upon their investment.
particularly when it is remembered
that by minting their product the gov
eminent makes a direct profit of S.
100000 annually, and that the sum
required for their maintenance is less
than 100000. One would scarcey
argue that the New York banker Is
entitled to more consideration than
the western prospector.
Could Be Made Self. Supporting.
1t has. been said that the New York
office can not be compared with the |
smaller Offices; they certainly can moi |
be compared to the advantage of New /
York. But if it is still insisted that /
the minor offices should be self-sue- /
porting, we find, taking the reports of I
the director of the mint for the last
10 years which we have, 1903-1912.
inclusive, that the government has
made an average annual profit on the /
mint service Of $5,429, 095.1O. ut is
evident that were the minor offices
credited with share in this profit
to the amount of bull
lion handled by each, all of them
would be self-supportng.
AS, however, ii may be urged that
he government would receive as much
bullion and make this profit if all the
smaller offices were discontinued. X I
$ proposed that the charges to be
collected should be so increased as to
cover all operating expenses and
cave his profit intact.
During the t0-year period mentioned
he Purchases of bullion of all kinds
'veraged annually $207,66S, S3S.71 and
md the operating costs e37,949.77,
II O.1S per cent, but during the first
'alf of this period it cost 0S6 per cent,
While during the latter half it fell t.
~ per cent, and for the last year
mentioned, 1912, 1t was only 069 per
ent. Mos, of the reduction was made
n nc minor offices AMI there were
ur,her reductions made in the yea,
fiscaD 1918 and 1914.
New Method Of Charging Proposed.
The present methods of computing
harges on bullion purchased is so
duplicated that neither congress nor
he public generally understand 1t. II
proposed, therefore, that whenever
lllion Is presented at any of the