The copper era and Morenci leader., 1917-07-13
MIN FRS 0N STRIKE ARE LOSING B|G
 WAGES
Removal of Intimidation in Coppe; Camps By Government Forces is Needed to Restore Old Efficiency.

Miners of Arizona on strike during the present month are probably losing the highest wage opportunity that will be available to them in some time The Bisbee wage this month, regulat- ed by the price of copper in June, will be $5 S5 the day. The strike call of last week incorporated a demand for $6 The automatic advance in wages came near meeting it. In other cop per producing districts of the state proportionate increases in pay also came about automatically, because cop per sales in June, mostly of small lots averaged better than 30 cents.
 What the average price received for copper during July will be, remains to be determined. It is mainly up to the Federal Trade commission and the Allied Purchasing Board. It is under stood that the two are working to- gether and that the Federal govern ment will fix the same price for cop per for the Allies that it fixes for the metal it requires. It is the presump- tion that the price paid for the 60,000,- 900 engaged by the Federal commis- sion last week will be 25 cents, but this is yet in the air. "A base price in the neighborhood of 25 cents,' is the form the government announcement takes. The base price means little or nothing of definite character under the circumstances. However, it is be. lieved that 25 cents will be adhered to- In such event it will be the pur- chases of domestic consumers of the metal aside from government con. tracts who will fix the average price of the metal. They have been pur- fho holt Nf the production of copper. The price they will pay will doubtless raise the average above 25 cents, but how much is entirely problematical. Ii metal market transactions for the month should go as now indicated, it is not considered at all probable that the 30 cent mark will be touched. It is likely to shade off a cent or two at least.
 Investigations in the course of the price fixing conference resulted in de termination that Apaconda copper has cost IT. 596 cents this year, and that due to the present strike together with constantly increasing supply prices, the cost of Anaconda metal vii advance still further during the bal ance of the year. In Arizona it is questionable if there is a mine getting it's copper at the present time for less than 15 cents, if excess profit ano super-income taxes are figured. The copper of some of the producers, the smaller ones, is running over 9 cents These could not today accept govern ment orders on a 9 cent basis with out losing money. Agitation ant strikes are daily increasing the costs for efficiency cannot prevail while the air is filled with trouble talk. The greater the degree of ineffciency, the ! higher the costs of production
 1 The restoration of efficiency in the copper mining districts of the state appears at this time to be possible only through the presence of Fedora
 troops in the districts, or least II most of them. Intimidation prevail: that can be overcome in no other way With the intimidation removed there
 will be plenty of men available to pull
 the mines back into efficient produc
 tion, although such accomplishment
 will not be the work of days. It vii
 mean months, during which the state
 will fall behind the high normal whlcf
 it had reached early in May and undel
 continuance of which it would nave
 made a billion pounds of copper this