Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1917-09-22
PHONE NO. SO
Saturday Morning, September %, 2917.
THE FIXED PRICE OF COPPER.


Well the price of copper has been fixed, for four
months at least The price of twentythree and oneha
cents is not high prices of other commodities
both fixed and unfxed, considered. On the other
hand is not below copper be mined for with
fair profit in certain mining districts of the country
while in others it may work hardship producers
and labor alike
how it will affect wages is not known at present
as the heads of the big mining companies for this
district are present in the city and cannot be in
terviewed on the The dispatches announcing the
fixed price declared that the between the gov
and the operators scale of
wages was be lowered.
Based upon twenty-five copper, in the War
rem District are s525 for and $500 for muckers
higher than anywhere else in the country.
On the sliding the price of these wages
would be reduced twenty-five cents day under the
price.
Before the war copper sold about fourteen cents per
pound Therefore the price of about
sixty per cent.
Wheat before the war sold less than dollar; yet
the price of wheat has $500 and the farm
ers are grumbling This is an increase of over two
hundred per The housewives and househoders are
grumbling, too.
Steel is 200 per cent higher than before the Near
" every commodity has advanced from hundred to
two and even three per cent the consumer
Therefore all people and communities interested in the
copper industry have no cause hilarious the
fixed price 1t COULD have been worse 1t could have
been much better and still been decent and reason
able considering the conditions of world war.
Another thing Every pound of copper taken from
mine is gone for beyond repair. That mine
can never produce that pound of copper again. 1t il
paid for it is true but it is taken away the value
and life of the reduced by just that pound of its
product and its usefulness The is true of steel
But in the case of wheat the land that produced
bushe of wheat this year will produce another bushe
next year. and the next The land deteriOate lit
tie with and fertilizer and dversifcaton of crops
it will go and producing grain
Taking things into account the sixty cent in
crease allowed the copper people and the two hundred
per cent allowed the of wheat stand not
all the more contrast
Steel and copper are mined in much the way. A
pound of the product either mine for
ever the producing capacity of the mines 1t will
never grow again The Wages for copper
miners are higher than those mining steel at least
the Bisbee scale is higher any scale.
yet copper allowed sixty per increase because of
war conditions and steel allowed three four times
much.
At say. be he politician, pulcist or
publican that the favored the inter
ests the legislative provisions of its
actments
From all obtanable from Washington the cop
per operators met the government than half
and fine spirit of patriotism in the matter. Big
business generally has been inclined hold out for high
profits The copper folks, however forward frank
ly sought cooperate with the government in
way possible They harder hit by the fixed price
than those dealing in any other great commodity
necessity whether it be metal wood food, but far
there has not been a Nor the operators
feeding copper the hogs like certain indignant okla
homa farmers are feeding wheat.
It is possible the price will be raised after the