The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-01-27

can copper snail go 10 OermstHyI anu
no American copper goes there. Some
copper did get through by way Of
Holland and Scandinavia in Septem-
Der of last year; but England put an
end to that by bringing pressure to
bear on Holland and the Scandinav-
ian countries, and finally by adding
copper to the already swollen list Of
articles declared by England, after the
war had begun, to be contraband of
war. The result interfered with the
business of Scandinavia and Holland;
prevented Italy from getting some Of
the copper which she needed to arm
herself for participation in the war;
cut down the output of the American
copper mines, and caused a boom in
the German copper industry AS to
the ultimate object--a shortage In the
German ammunition supply-it does
not exist and is not in prospect
The cutting off of the 100000
pounds of copper which Germany was
accustomed to get from America
every month has had an appreciable
effect. In times of peace Germany,
the second largest copper manufact-
uring country in the world, makes ar
ticles containing 225,0OO tons of cop
per. This year 1t makes none of these
articles, devoting its entire copper
supply to military purposes. No cop
per money is minted, and the result
ing shortage in small change Is al
ready making itself visible in the re-
quests posted up in many retail stores
that customers give the exact change
in payment, says Gilbert Hirsch, writ
ing from Berlin to the New York Eve
ming Post. He continues:
You hear of how carefully the cop
per from used ammunition is being
saved; of the rounding up of all the
available copper in every position cap
tured from the enemy. You see wom-
en- walking through the streets carry
ing between them copper Kettles, or
horns, to sell to the au-
thorities. II you are a householder,
you are invited to fill out long detail
ed forms describing everything you
have made out of copper or brass and
specifying whether or not the artis-
tic or historical value of each piece is
double the value of the raw material
contain in 1t, for the German govern
ment has determined not to melt down
anything that might be considered
work of art
Precautions Against Shortage.
From all these symptoms one might
conclude, If not acquainted with Ger
man psychology, that Germany is fact
to face with a real copper famine. But
all these measures, like the use of the
bread card and the prospective milk
card, are precautions against a short
age. and not the confession of one.
At the outbreak of the war Germany
had more than $4,000 tons of raw cop
per-much of it American copper-on
hand in factories and warehouses.
Measures were at once taken to in
crease the output from the German
mines. In normal times they produce
some $4,000 tons yearly, since the
war began many of them have in
creased their production more than
20 per cent. But the chief re-
course of the military, in case of
pressing need, will be the old copper.
t is impossible to estimate exactly
low much there is in country which
ike Germany, has been mining cop
Der for 1000 years. Yet no doubt the
German lust for statistics will be sat-
SIZED here as 1t is everywhere else. A
ew days ago the householders sent in
o the proper municipal centers their
flank forms all "regelmassig" filled
tut, and the necessary computations
will be very quickly made.
The government has announced |
hat 1t will begin buying up these ar
icles IL it finds such a course neces-
airy, by the 10th of November. 1t is |
ot believed that these compulsory |
ales will actually take place in No
ember, nor in six months from No
ember, for the amount of copper that !
he government has already received
trough voluntary sales Is said to be
normous. The price paid is an ex-
remedy good one-1 mark 70 pfennigs
er hlo-that is, about 81 cents for
wo and a fifth pounds. The Germ an
overnment, which is just now so poor
/ so many things, is, thanks to the
success of its war loans,
cry rich in money. And its liberal
ayments for copper within the past
ear have enabled many a poor family
} live for months on the proceeds of
s own kitchen utensils.
Dread Of Confiscation.
One hears the hope frequently ex- {
'essed on the part of housewives,
Id with great deal of fervor, that /
ese voluntary sales will make lat
confiscation unnecessary. 1 have I
lard a woman discuss, with tears in c
# eyes, the possible loss of copper e
I'd brass washtub which had cost her
end of time and trouble to keep {
ean, just as she might discuss the ?