The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-07-26

Mining JournaD
Of the copper committee asks the pro-
ducers to contribute pro rata to the
government contract. What happens?
The small producers--those who sell
their ore to smelters, whose output Is
individually small, but In the aggre-
gate is considerable-can not conven-
iently be reached and escape their
quota, which causes the larger pro-
ducers to supply more than their
share. The refiners who buy copper
material on average price contracts,
and this represents large proportion
of the total business, can not contri-
butte, for they can not buy copepr at
30 cents and sell 1t for rs cents and
long remain solvent, Many of these
contracts are with foreign producers,
including British. II the ideas pre-
vail In Washington are carried out,
that is. not only buying cheaply for
this government but also for our allies,
we are likely to witness this eondi-
tion,, namely: Q) The subtraction
from the market of a large quantity Of
copper at q relatively low price. (2)
Further rise In the free market, owing
to that subtraction. (3) Payment by
American refiners to British produce
ers at the high market prices, ac-
cording to the contracts with them.
"a Dear copper to American consum-
ers. (6) American government losing
taxes on excess profits. This would
be rank stupidity
The wiseacres of the federal trade
commission apparently have some
glimmerings of ideas as to how things
would work. so they propose to limit
prices to everybody. In other words
they would put blight upon produc-
ton. If there is one sure formula
for losing the war they have got It..
Not only would their project dis
courage production in this country.
but also would 1t result in a large de-
crease In the importation of raw cop
per into this country, which impor-
tations constitute large part of the
supply of our refiners. If the price
paid for copper abroad We're around
80 cents, and If sellers in the United
States We're forced to give away cop
per at lower price, 1t would be but
natural that the blister copper now
coming to this country from South
America, South Africa and elsewhere
would first be held back and later,
when adequate refining facilities had
been established in Europe, would find
its way thither
This whole matter of price fixing,
communicating, ETC., has received
something of shock with respect to
the foolish whiskey amendment that
the senate tackled on to the food bill.
According to this the president was
directed to commander all distilled
spirits in the bonded warehouses of
the United States; and after paying to
owners thereof the cost of production
plus 10 per cent. redistill this LIQUOR
for the production of alcohol for gov
eminent use.
The same senators who voted for
this on Saturday admitted on Monday
that the project is in direct viola
ton of Article v of the constitution
Of the United States, which saws:
nor shall private property be TAX
en- for pubic use without just COM
I'm fixing the price at
which whiskey in bond is to be taken
over by the president" said Senator
this bill has become involv-
I'd in judicial complication. The
senate has undertaken to arrogate to |
Itself power that belongs to the courts.
may legislate power to COM
nandeer but when 1t attempts to fix |
PRICES, 1t encroaches upon the author
ty of the judiciary. How can con-
'ress say what is to be fair price
or property to be taken over unless
here has been an exhaustive inquiry
nto 1t? To say that cost plus 10 per
ent is a fair price for this whiskey
to hit arbitrarily upon price with
ut any real attempt at a fair calcu-
alton, Manifestly, If any price is to
q fixed sby congress, 1t ought to be
he market price and not the cost of /
reduction plus something" K
1t looks as IL what would be un-
institutional with respect to whiskey
ould also be unconstitutional in the I
ases of steel, coal copper. etc. 1t
oks. moreover, that when Secretary =
aniels and Secretary Baker have Z
zen obtaining supplies by fair trading I
it'll the producers. they have been y
'rrect, but when Communicating at +
ices fixed arbitrarily by themselves
ey have been acting unconstltution- 9
ly IC