The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-04-05
EXPERIMENTAL STAT|ONAT UNIVERSITY
NEEDS SUPPORT Of MINING INTERESTS
GOVERNOR CUT OFF APPROPRIATION LEGISLATURE
REPRESENTATIVES, OF STATION AND UNIVERSITY


Ii the state OF Idaho, either dlree
or through the public spirit of privat,
citizens, provides the necessary fin
ancial support to the mining depart
ment of the state university, the ex.
perimental station that has been es.
tablished there by the United States
bureau of mines will eventually be-
come the most important meta'lurgi-
cal Institution in the west, so far as
facilities for the solution of ore dress
ing problems are concerned The sta
tion was located at Moscow with the
understanding that the state of Idaho
would appropriate a sum equal to the
amount provided by the bureau Of
mines, and in pursuance of that un-
derstanding the legislature made the
necessary appropriation. However,
Governor Alexander, with character
istic narrowness of vision which sees
no merit in any measure that does not
vetoed the bill making this -appropria-
tion, which leaves the university with
out funds for the cooperative work
with the bureau of mines except the
fund contributed some time ago by
the mining companies of the Coeur
d'Alenes, and which is not sufficient
to carry on the work longer than this
summer
Other States Want the Station.
The Importance of the Moscow sta
to-, 10. h. ,;,.,, ;nI, IL, ;,,1t
Gated by the fact that other states
are eager to take advantage of the
failure of Idaho to provide the finan-
cial support, and are even now bring
ing pressure to bear to secure the
station if the people of Idaho fail to
provide the necessary support. The
Moscow station is designed especially
for working out problems in ore
dressing, and it's work would be of in
estimabe benefit to the mining indus
try of the Coeur d'Alene district
There is probably not an operating
company in this district which does
not realize the necessity of expert
mental work in order to- reduce the
milling losses, but lack Of both time
and facilities renders it practically
impossible to undertake such work. 1t
must be apparent, therefore, that the
station at Moscow under the direction
of metallurgical experts and especial
ly equipped for handling and solving
these problems would be of tremend-
Gus benefit, and would make ample
return in improved methods for the
comparatively small financial support |
now needed by the station.
Bureau Of Mines Representative.
Assuming that the support for the
station would be forthcoming from
the state of Idaho, the United States
bureau of mines has appointed a rep
resentative to take charge of the sta
ton The bureaus representative is
Thomas Varley, who for about six
years and until recently, when he re-
signed to take the position at Moscow,
has been in the service of the Ameri-
can Smelling & Refining company,
with headquarters at Flat River, No.
where he had charge of the great ex-
perimental plant maintained in con-
nection with the Federal Lead COM
pany. He was also similarly engaged |
by the company at its plant at Muir
ray, Utah. While in that position he |
experimental and worked out meth
DDS of treatment of ores from all parts
of the world and ii was through his |
success there that his services were
sought by the bureau of mines. Mr..
Varley is spending week in this city,
accompanied by Professor E. K So
per- of the mining department of the
state university. They have confer
red with the mining operators of the
district on the work of the expert
mental station, and are also taking
advantage of the opportunity to visit
various mines and mills of the dis
trict.
Work Of the Bureau.
In conversation with Mr. Varley he
explained the plans of the bureau of
mines in carrying on work in con-
junction with state universities, which |
can not fail to be of interest to all who
hope to see Idaho share in the benefits
of this cooperative work, which can
be accomplished with reasonable fin
ancial support.
Cooperative work In metallurgy Is
now being done by the United States
bureau of mines and several of the
state universities throughout the
west" said Mr.. Varley. "This work is
carried on by graduate students of
some university or college under the
direction Of metallurgists Of the bu-
reau Of mines. The heads of depart
ments of mining and metallurgy of
the university act as consulting met
alllrgists with the government metal
lurgists and represent the university
In this cooperative work.
There is formulated by the bureau
of mines plan whereby certain prob
lens are assigned to each station, so
that the possibilities of duplication of
work is eliminated.
I'm each case the university or
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