Arizona republican., 1914-12-08

Over ten score of keen, alert looking men assembled in the Elks' theater yesterday afternoon to open the first meeting of the seventeenth annual session of the American Mining Con- eress-the third national congress whic hhas been held in Phoenix. Well comed to Phoenix by the officials of the state, city and reception commit tee, these men, and over hundred others, expected today, will begin their real deliberations in this morn ing's meeting which will be opened by President Carl ShoIz at nine thirty.
 Yesterdays preliminary work was all cleared away in the short business session that followed the speeches of hospitality and the responses from the president and leaders of thirteen of the state delegations. The "earIy birds" were assembled at the theater- some being the experts from the big cites-others the booted mine owners and field men from all the Rockies. Although no women are accredited delegates, a number of them appeared in the convention hall, apparently talk ing an immense interest in the pro- ceedings.
 No hint of the big developments of the session were discovered in yester- days meeting. Everything was mere ly formal preparation for the delb- erations of the next three days. Even President ShoIz's address at last nights reception contained no outline of the startling or intensely interesting things the session is expected to pro- duce.
 After the reception, a committee composed of pr. J. w. Foss, George H. Dern and J. F. Callbreath, draft cd telegram in reply to President Wilson's cordial letter, which was read to the delegates during the af- ternoon.
 When the two hundred and some odd delegates assembled for the af- ternoon session yesterday. the Elks' theater had been redecorated, with the handsome Elks' colors remaining from the Lodge of Sorrow Sunday, still in evidence To the banners and bunting and masses of flowers, a huge American Mining Congress ban ner had been added.
 Judge Joseph H. Kibbey, chairman of the reception committee opened the meeting, calling upon Dean Will liam Scarlett for the invocation.
 Judge Richard E. Sloan, speaking for the reception committee. expressed appreciation of the congress visit to Phoenix, and of the honor conferred on the state by it's presence here. He called mining the basic industry. Con- servation, he declared, was one of the big problems before the mining industry, and not only of mineral re- sources but of human life. He com mended the sensible attitude of this same assembly in it's previous meet ings it's attitude toward legislation Too much law, is sometimes as bad or worse than too little law. In its existence, the congress has done few things of greater importance than the securing of the federal bureau You will, at this session. accomplish things that will tend to bring about a needed revision of mining laws"
 Judge Sloan pointed out the simile of industrial efficiency and military efficiency, that is now being so well demonstrated in Europe Whatever Germanys success in this war; he said, that nation will have taught the world the lesson of efficiency. Ii is the system and method employed in the German industrial life, that enabled Germany at war to seize and hold what advantages have been seized and held. Our mining suc- cess does not depend on the rich ness and plenitude of our mines. but on the efficiency of the men and methods by which they are de- veloped."
 When he mentioned contraband attitude of this congress toward the European practice of seizing cargoes of the metal might change this prac- tice he elicited a round of applause that caused him to remark that the minds of the delegates must be al ready made up on one point, at least
 Governor Hunt, on behalf of the state, read an address of welcome rc the congress. He told how great was the responsibility of the mine owner and mine expert, in this time ol stress, when so much depends on tho