The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-09-13

II Is strange that the latter should b.
included in such a lecture: but a
times even an engineer, according t.
his character, becomes subject to ar
attack of Imagination run riot" II
many quarters attention should bt
paid to an oft told tale. for the grand
old subject of the INSCRIPTIONS COM
pany promoter--that hardy annual OF
the technical press-is due another re-
vival from fresh source. Some re-
cent and past experiences form the
background of the story.
Square Deals and Other Kinds.
The process that the development OF
mineral property has to go through
before 1t becomes an actively produc
ing mine looks simple and is simple
In fact so simple that 1t becomes diff
ficult for some men to realize 1t, more
particularly that suspicious class
which must always see around the
corner and up the back of any word
said to them, searching for some hid
den motive. The class which never
gives fair deal, and therefore can
not conceive such a thing to exist has
far too great say in mining affairs.
Unless there is equity in any trans
action there will be no continuance Of
business. That is the first maxim to
bear in mind. If you buy horse and
the seller of the animal does YOU"
you do not exactly pine to buy another
horse from the same man; but If you
got satisfaction on the first deal, you
would probably give the owner the pre-
ference on the second transaction.
The promoter and prospector vote
en- bloc for the common sense of that
remark, but take the subject a little
nearer home and the fishing becomes
bad The moral is that in mining far
too many men never consider a second
deal as possibility; which means
that they are in the business to make
cleanup on one transaction and to
do so they rely upon every form of
Misrepresentation. or worse, that 1t Is
possible to employ. 1t we could per-
suade all who are directly or Indirect
ly interested in this work that 1t is
business just like any other business,
such as selling furniture or buying
a house. in which the reputation of the
manufacturing or building concern has
something to do with its sales, and in
which the business goes to the rep
resentative who, first of all, knows
what he has to sell and all about II,
and. second, meets competition by the
production of better article at
lower price and, third, pays atten-
ton to small business details, such
as proper presentation of the subject;
II we could persuade mineral property
dealers on both sides universally to
accept these statements, perhaps the
might arrive
Exaggeration and indefinite state
nents are fatal errors in the search
or mining capital. This is another
maxim to keep in view. Consider that
capital is not just engaged in q mad
scramble to deveolp mining lands.
that there are just as many
people selling mines as there are farm
srs selling milk in a suburban locality.
rhe milk supply may be scarce in
hese days and mines, also, may be
elatively so, but under ordinary con-
Iitions this Is not the case Hundreds
# proposed developments are placed
'efore capital every day; and through
much of this experience capital. or
hose who make the preliminary in !
estigations for capital, naturally |
Don get to know the hall marks of !
he exaggerator and the characteristics
{ the reliable statement. The inter-
eder for capital who concludes his
thus: God didn't make this
ountry for farming, and the timber
! all cut off it, so he must have made 1
linerals down below" does not acquire
luch standing in the halls of finance.
or does the local engineer or owner
cquire much of reputation for YER
city by trailing capitals represen-
tive three days in the bush, batting
he way with tales of 1O-foot veins
nd winding up by pointing to rice
aper string Of quartz, saying: There
+, that always broadens out as it goes
own, and there is millions beneath
our feet for the asking" The ask {
g. by the way is often only a small
after of half million dollars or so. {
Local Capital Seldom Sufficient.
In the beginning of things there are
ways the prospector and the ancient
Irtnership 'grubstaking" to consider;
It since these men cannot go far
local capital generally
kes a hand. Since it cannot within 9
ason be expected that the struggling "
and traders of a developing
strict can take upon their should
J the entire development of a min Z
! area, there is reached, sooner or II
err, stage when an appeal has to II
made to regular financial mining "
1t is in making this step ="
It the handling of a property most "
quently takes the wrong turning. "a
ing to conflicting views leading to is
al entanglements, exaggerated ideas %
the work to be accomplished, or ~
" valuation of the work to be done, VI
hing progress languishes. This is '"