Arizona republican., 1916-08-06
MINING EXPERIMENT STATION Especial Article by Charles F. Willis)

AopeCldl HTtiCie py OndrleS r. WlliiSD
 Announcement that the United States Bureau of Mines had author ized a U. : mining experiment. sta ton % be located at the University of Arizona is an important step for ward in the progress of Arizona as a mining state. and a more important step in the advancement of the min ing working at the University of Ari- Zona. The permanent progress of the state rests upon the mines. They encourage and support the other in- dustries and cut the trails of civil ization and advancement.
 It was not unexpected that Tucson should pe chosen as ;ne site of one of the first three stations authorized, for while Tucson is not the geome- trical center Of the state. it is the center in almost every other way. lt is on two main line railroads. and has a consideTa ble number of other rail- roads branching from it. It is the center of the states educational ac- uyitieS: it is the location of the State Bureau of Mines: t is the location of the state university; it is the cen ter of population. the center of the states copper production and the center of money distribution within the state. It is connected directly with all of the largest copper capms of the state except Jerome
 It seems to be a general conviction that a state leaping forward at the rate that Arizona has in the produc- tion of metals can have but few un- solved problems, but an analysis of the situation will show that this is not the case. Over 95 per cent of the copper produced in the state is pro- duced bv thirteen companies. out of 400 producers. There are thousands of mines Tn the state waiting for methods of reduction. As it is at the present time with no facilities for metallurgical research the only hope of the smaller companies. having un- solved problems. is to sell out to the large corporation having sufficient capital to carry on their own research. This is evidenced by the many re- cent changes of ownership. The Cal umet X Arizona spent thousands O. dollars 60 develop e process for the economical extraction of the ores at Aio. although the mine at Ajo is one of the oldest in the state
 Arizona literally abounds with prob lems. Immense low grade deposits of copper are awaiting an economical method of treatment. The teaching of the carbonate ores of copper will open to exploitation many hundreds of thousands of dollars. now unavail- able. The economical separation of the mountains of garnet associated with copper will open some large pro- ducers. The utilization of the smell ter smoke in the manufacture of sul- phuric acid by finding a use for the acid will relieve many farmers, as well as utilize a by-product.
 Although the problem of separating lead and zinc sulphides has been par tially solved in other states. the meth ods of solution are not available for the immense deposits of these ores in Arizona, and must be devised other than those which involve cheap power Metallnrgical research on mOlybden- um affords one of the states greatest problems in it's undeveloped resources The cyanidation of refractory ores is another difficulty but partially. solved
 Over 25 per cent of the adult males in Arizona are employed in the min ing industry. and the problems con- nected with labor are stupendous Welfare. sanitation. safety etc. are but n few of the many things
 Although mining contributes both directly and indirectly about two- thirds of the states taxes, over 90 per cent of this two-thirds Is paid by thirteen companies These eompan- 4tH are Det-TlIsB Ihe DuTuen Tor tne entire state. and until such time as We may have Improvements in the methods of reduction. they will con- tinue tO bear the burden. win the utilization of our many resources that gre now unavailable through lacI of knowledge of how to work them there will be considerable difference; as to the distribdtioh of taxes.
 Montana. Michigan and Utah ar, the only states that can be classee as competitors of Arizona as to cop per output. Montana is largely a on, camp state. as q very large percentag. of the corper comes from the Butt, district. While undoubtedly Montan' has it's problems, it has out fey problems that are not duplicated tt greater extent in Arizona Ari zona has mines scattered all over tn state. has problems scattered all ove the state and undeveloped resource to all of it's foUf corners. Moreover Arizona is rapidly advancing in pro duction each. having passed the lead CT, Montana, two years ago and now leaving it well in the rear. Mon tana is not going forward at the sam rate as Arizona--in fact it's productio has been decreasing in the last fe, years. While it may not be fair { say that Montana is going backward and has seen it's best day 1t is cer