The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-12-27


School of Mines, University of Idaho,
Moscow
WV yHILE PERHAPS slightly less
A activity in mining circles
" has been evidenced In the
northwest during 1917 than
during 1916, the year as a whole has
been prosperous one Changes In
market conditions and in the labor sit
uation brought about by our entry in
to the war have disturbed operations
to some extent but the situation as a
whole, provided relief from the war
tax is secured is fairly promising.
The labor supply throughout the
year has been reasonably adequate.
The lead gold silver mines are having
to pay price for labor dictated large
ly by conditions in the copper camps,
without the compensation of fixed
price at fairly high level. The min
ers, however, have shown less dispo-
siton to listen to anarchism and l. w.
W.ism than the workmen of other
western industries.
Smelling and transportation.
The extension of smelling facilities
at Northport and the entrance Of the
Bunker Hill & Sullivan company into
the ore market have been favorable
features for the lead gold-silver mines.
The closing of the Trail smelter across
the line and the reduced scale of op-
erations at the b. c. smeter at Green
wood and at the CRANKY plant at
Grand Forks, due to coke shortage,
have, however, hurt the small copper
producers.
No material change in transporta-
ton facilities has taken place during
the year, if we except the Pine creek
branch of the O.-W. r. r. & N, which
will afford outlet for the promising
inc-lead producers of this compare
lively new region of the Occur
d'Alenes.
New Legislation.
In the line of legislation the out
course, the war tax law which be-
cause of it's inequities and "inartifi-
cialities," as Judge Turner'S pleasant
euphemism has it, promises to bear
with great harshness on those con-
Germs which have been commercially
conservative in the matter of capital
ization. Doubtless relief will come in
time, but in the meanwhile some of
the mining companies are having to
cancel dividends to stockholders in or
der to declare them in favor of the tax
gatherers For all of this the mine
owners would be content if they felt
that all other concerns were carrying
an equal load.
A second line of federal legislation
which directly affects the mining in
dustry is the explosives act. This is
designed to prevent explosives falling
into the hands of alien enemies and is
a highly desirable and entirely COM
mendable piece of legislation. The ad-
ministration of the law Is placed In
the hands of the director of the bureau
of mines who is given very full au-
thority for carrying out its provisions.
The fear that the administration Of
the act might result in restriction of
mining operations is not, in the writ
er's opinion, at all justified.
No New Discoveries.
The year has been rather singularly
devoid of new discoveries Of import
ance Several of the larger properties
in the Coeur d'Alenes have responded
favorably to new development. and
the Pine creek district, with transpor-
taton and further development,
should soon begin to make place for
itself in the zinc and lead statistics of
the Coeur d'Alenes.
An interesting innovation Is the
dredging operation which the Yukon
Gold company is beginning near Muir
ray on the North Fork Of the Occur
d'Alene river one of the Yukon boats
having been "transplanted'' for the
purpose.
| In Stevens county the continued de-
velopment of the great magnesite de-
posits and the erection of kilns, with
the steady shipment of both calcined
and raw products on an extensive
scale, continues to be gratifying
! feature Of the contribution which our
own mineral deposits are making to
the war needs. At Loon Lake. also in
Stevens county, development of cop
per prospects long known but little
valued is producing distinctly encour-
aging results. In q small way the
same thing is true Of the copper pros
(Cnntinued on Page 81