The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-04-04
The Prospector Again

In the hundreds of columns that have been written within the past
year about. the mining prospector, there have been many suggestions OF
government aid for that species of the genus homo. Many mining men,
however, are opposed to the government extending financial aid under
such circumstances, believing that it would result in the flooding of the
mineral districts with inexperienced men more interested in securing
government aid than making mineral discoveries of commercial value
For months the discussion has been gong forward pro and con i'll
technical mining journals, and practically every mining man Of prom
inence i'll the country has contributed his views to the symposiums
Now comes the Mining Age, published at Redding, Cal, with a sug
gesion that is a little out of the ordinary. This publication is opposed
to the extension of direct financial aid by the government to men en-
gagged in prospecting for minerals, but favors the establishment by the
government of free ASSAY offices and custom mills. Here is what the
Mining Age says:
Throughout the west there are found hundreds of prospectors
who have discovered minerals with which they are unfamiliar, and
OF whose value they are absolutely ignorant. Their only course is
to submit samples to a private assayer, naturally attended with
costs frequently imposing financial hardships on the discoverer.
The maintenance of government assay offices, making free assays,
would be the most valuable aid thai could be given the ordinary
prospector, for it would enable him 10 know whether the ore he
discovered merited further attention, and might be the means of
saving him years of unfruitful labor and needless expense. The
number OF assays made for a single individual could easily be limit
ed, thus preventing the overtaxng of the facilities provided. The
average prospector is a maj of limited education, with little money,
and inclined to Judge a district by the lessons he has learned in 9th
er fields. His experience has shown him that only a small per-
cent Of his discoveries are worthy of serious attention, and he is
generally against submitting samples of unknown ore for assay
when each assay means a drain on his slender resources. If a gov
crnment free assay office were available, he would send in all I'M
usual minerals, and such familiar ore IS he knew were worthy
the tests.
Aside from free assay offices in charge Of experienced assay
es, what is most frequently needed is a custom mill in new dis
tricts. There are scores of districts in California and Nevada
which are prevented from proving their merit by the absence of
milling facilities. Unless the prospector o II small mine owner can
show high grade ore lie is rarely able to induce capital to become
sufficiently Interested to finance the construction of a reduction
plant, although medium grade milling ore is at the basis of the
prosperity of all stable camps. Consequently the small operator
is forced to select his richest ore for shipment, and cease operations
when his high grade is gone, while if a small mill was available he
often could mine his low grade ore to advantage. In Australia
the national government has established numerous custom mills in
the more importan. fields, has prosecuted deep work in new dis
tricts, and otherwise aided the prospector and small mine owner
in a manner fair and satisfactory to all.
We are not in favor of direct financial aid to prospectors By
the nation or state: we believe that individual independence and
energy should be FREE of a paternaHsm which can only obstruct.
But we do believe that every legitimate aid should be extended by
state and nation to the prospecor and the miner, for it is in the
discovery of new mines and districts, and their proper development.
that the American people must continue to look for the fundamental
source of national prosperity.
SO far as free assay offices are concerned, a bill was introduced il
congress about three years ago providing for them, but such a howl was
raised and St much pressure was brought to bear against the passage Of
the bill that it was quietly sent to the Legislative cemetery.