The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-10-05
THE HAsKlN Letter
HOW TIE WAR AFFECTS Us.
KILN Concerning Copper.
BY Frederick u HaslIin.

xLllI-C0l
4 BY Frederic
II Is assumed by historians that
n the bloody feud OF man against man
n gave way toswar of clan against cian
when the human race PROGRESSED
|! from the Age OF Stone to the Age OF
II Bronze. How small is the measure
tof our progress is shown In the fact
that our modern warfare is essentl-
h ally matter of copper. We are not
far beyond the Age of Bronze.
\ "A nation at war can last only as as
4 long as It's copper supply. No helo
h army ever was reduced SO nearly 70
\ complete exhaustion the Confeder-
I ate army commanded by Robert =.
Lee. Months before Appomattox.
\ General Lee sent his best young Of
4 ficers through Confederate territory
i to collect common copper Kettles
and copper bottomed wash boilers
i that from the copper thus saved per-
lcussion. caps might be made to keep
the army lighting.
/ When the end finally came. strange
as it may seem, there was still Little
\ food in Petersburg and Richmond.
there were still scanty supplies OF
9clothing: still few. very rev.
shoes; thereswas even considerable
amount OF gold coin in the Confeder-
ate treasury; but there was no cop
per. When the last supply OF per-
cussion caps failed to arrive at
Amelia Court House. as was sched-
uled, the Confederacy died. It's sur
render at Appomattox day OF Two
later could not be delayed.
There are copper mines In most
of the European countries and there
is not. under present conditions.
any danger that any of the warning
nations will soon have to face g
shortage in copper. And yet, some
remarkable things are already to be
noticed in the copper situation.
This is the Age of Copper in peace
as well as in war. for copper is the
fundamental basis of all the huge
and variegated electrical develop
ment that has transformed our mode
OF life in the last half century.
When war came the arts of peace
were paralyzed and electrical deVel-
opment was curtailed. Capital was
tied up. new enterprises were aDan7
doned and the upkeep of old enter-
prises reduced to a minimum.
The United States produces Il.
I622. 900, 600 pounds Of refined copper
a year. of which more than half IS
exported. With the declaration OF
war, the American copper producers
at once curtailed their productlon
to fifty per cent of the normal. the
price dropped to twelve cents
pound. and dividends of the copper
mining companies were reduced or
passed. 1t was calculated that the
export of fifty-seven per cent of our
total production would be almost en-
tirely cut off.
But the copper producers had not
calculated on the demands of the
God of War notwithstanding the
tremendous upset in shipping facii-
tiles. notwithstanding the equaiy
great upset in foreign exchange, tne
conner exports for August and sep
fember were more than fifty-five per
cent Of the normal. The warning
nations have to have copper and they
are calling on u.s. Somehow SHIPS ~
will be found and money VIII oe
found
| The domestic demand, although
| It has shown sharp falling OH 70
still much more than SO per cent u
the normal. so that in reducing tnelr
ontput by half. the copper miners
a,a not lyeepng UP with the actual
demand. Still the copper surplus
accumulated by the mines before Ins
Icurtailment policy became eHectlNs'
viii continue to supply the renheEs
for the next two or three months. SO
mat the shut in surplus stocks viii VIII
NOT he apparent until the latter part
of the year. If the present deHanS s,
keeps up. the mines will be forceu
to increase their production In tn
early part OF 1915- Europe Is COZ
fining its purchases to immeola.s
requirements and American consum.
ers are doing the same thing. Shoulu
there be sudden change for the
better in conditions. copper fannlns
could hardly be averted.
Most of the copper now going
abroad is destined for Great Britain
and France Germany is entirely cut
of. That country is heavy export
er of manufactured copper, and also
uses thousands of tons of raw cop
per for it's home consumption. The
feeling of restored optimism now
making itself felt in the copper IN
dustry is partly based on Germans
isolation.
Ordinarily, Germany exports more
than half a billion pounds of cop
per every year. Two great electric
al manufacturing concerns in Ger
many last year did gross businesses
of $40, 900. 900. The three largest
American concerns do not greatly
exceed this total. the General Elec-
trio reporting $1O6. 100000; West
ern Electric $77,OOO.O00 and West
inghouse Electric S43.O00,00O. The