Bisbee daily review., 1916-08-04
Friday Morning, August 4, 1916.
COPPER TAX ERROR

Those responsible for proposing a special war tax OF copper in the revenue bill would have considerable difficulty ia defending themselves against indictment charging amenable ignorance concerning the uses tc which the red metal contributes The special was proposed the assumption that copper is particularly fat and thriving baby that its vitality must be at tributed milk munitions profit and that there fore it should be penalized.
 The facts in the that copper exports have decreased during the European that increase in domestic consumption is largely responsible for the in dustrys prosperity that the niquity of the proposed tax lies in the that copper alone of all the metals has singled for taxation while iron steel zinc metals. escape entirely seems incerdibe that the United States will permit this dscrmi nation nor that should the bill pass the court would sustain it.
 Pure copper is used in the manufacture of munitions only purposes the primer of shells and the ex- panson ring that follows rng of the gun discharg ing the shell.
 The amount of copper used for this purpose is very small compared the general production. compilation the which copper is put n the and indus tries fills an exceedingly large vo1unfe including the manufacture of wire, brass bronze. sheet tubes
 
 ferent manufactured shapes and alloys are devoted.
 There are more than 2OOOOOO,OOO pounds ci copper in telephone and telegraph wires in the world the single long distance circuit between New York and San Francisco there is about 6OOOOOO pounds of copper
 In the identification of the 26 mnos of the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific railway between Butte and Anaconda there was used 11.SOO pounds of copper per me while identification Chi cago, Milwaukee St Paul railway 24OOO pounds per mile used. In ordinary steam locomotive more than 5000 pounds of copper are employed.
 Copper enters practically into every line of trade, including the electric lighting industry the automobile industry boat ship building heating cooking vices building construction hardware and coinage etc Fully 1OO,OOOOOO pounds of bearing metal is milled annually in the United States to take Of the de mand for journals. Of this amount destroyed probably 5OOOOOOO pounds copper In the opinion c. F Kelley vice president and managing director of the Anaconda company is doubtful if copper during the past year half would have been substantially great, although the price would have been much less. had there been no war.
 Germany and Austria constitute the principal copper customers of the world. 1913 the United States ex ported Germany Austria alone 5S7 OOOOOO pounds
 
 stroyed by the
 The amount Of copper that has gone into muni- tons since the declaration has been considerably less than the would have been furnished to the market of which United States been thus deprived Another allacy is that export has tremendously increased account of shipments copper to the allies
 According to government figures the total exports Of copper during 1915 amounted about 6S2OOO06O Ioands against S4OOO0OOO 1914 S17OOOOOO in 1913 a3d 775OOOOOO in 1912 In 1915 there less copper exported from the United States Europe than any year since 1910
 Of course, in addition to the copper exported very large quantity exported in the shape of man facured munitions the exact of which is not attainabe From these facts the conclusion reached that the end of the will witness any dminution in copper consumption