Bisbee daily review., 1918-07-07


 The advanced price announced for metal until August Is will have effect. it is indicated. of enabling some re- sumption of operations among the small properties thus far forced to close down, but inasmuch as the period covered by the new price extends over so short a time, less than a month and a half from the date of announcement. it is not reasonable to expect that there will be important gain.
 Take it From Big Mines
 Among the large operators, the only increase in output they can make is on a metal price that will enable them to go into their low grade ore bodies With their men, they are doing now all that is humanly possible. restricted as they are to the higher grades of their ore. To open up into the lower grades is a big and expensive task at all times, and under present conditions or high. costs would be doubly expensive Unless a long period of higher price metal is guaranteed. it will be impos- sible for them to undertake to get into these lower grade bodies. The 26c. figure will not permit them to do it, as the increase will all be taken up in higher wages and increased freight charges, the latter amounting to as much as 10096 Blister copper charge from Arizona to New York, with this copper now being made at the rate of nearly a billion pounds year, was formerly $S.05 Under the new rate 1t is $16.0O.
 Refiners May Take 1t All
 These are some of the factors in the situation. There is another, bigger than those mentioned It is the. in- creased charge proposed by eastern refineries, who assert that they have been running at a severe loss and whose representations in this regard appear to have provided the real ar gument under which the War Indus tries Board recommended the advance in metal price. All Arizona copper goes to these refineries for final treat ment. The small producers metal goes along with that of the western shelter handling his ore. The smelter has in the past included the freight charge to the east and the electrolytic treatment charge in the smelling charge it has made to the ore shipper. The latter has had freight and electro lytic treatment at cost under the con tract of the large producers with the eastern refineries. Of course the small producer could have obtained no such low figure as he has enjoyed for re- fining if he had gone direct to the re- finery with his small lots of bullion, nor shipping the bullion on his own account he could not have obtained the trainload freight. rate of which he has had the benefit.
 All a Guess Right Now
 Until it is determined how much of the increase in copper price the refin- cries are going to take under the ad- vance the government has allowed, it is guess work at best and of little avail to try to figure just what the higher metal price is going to mean to the copper producer in Arizona. On the face it looks like 21k cents. Eastern reports, however, vary as to what the refineries expect to take. all the way from one cent to the full 2Iz. The producers, large and small, are pro. testing, demanding that the contracts extant with the refineries be lived up to, but the best they hope for is a com premise In Arizona some of the small CT producers have already given it to be understood that they will accede to an advance. The producers referred to are making around a million lbs of copper the month each. Below them in size scale are more than one hun- dred with production running from a few thousand pounds the month to 100000 and upward who will have to accpet whatever figure the larger con cerns may agree to.
 As to Wage Increase
 On top of the increase in refinery charge is the increase in freight rate, and on top of that is the increase in wages which the producers desire toI make and with the men, have been fighting for during the last year, and during the last three months with the conviction that advances in all costs of living make it necessary that the wcrlmen have more profit on his lab or than he is now earning if he is to be asked to remain in Arizona and help with output of the war metal, instead of going to government contracts on the outside at higher wages. Under any OIu1udIg COuulllO0S tue Z12 ceQL advance in metal price would mean without question the general advance of wages under the rate of advance provided by the profit-sharing wage schedule which was in full effect be- fore government regulation of price, beginning year ago. At that time. however, upon the urgency of the op- orators, the government left wages at the 26 cent rate when it reduced the metal to 231z. Raise now would mean that wages would be paid on the basis of 2S1z cent copper under the profit sharing plan. It is true that many of the copper producers could pay this rate of wages, provided the refiners do not reach too high with their advance, but it is also true that the far greater number of all engaged nsArizona cop per production could not pay it with cut further help being provided in scme way. For part to raise wages and part not to could cnly mean de- moralization of working forces and g severe curtailment of metal output Employers and employees are now busy trying to work out a solution of the esF Hfr.-. q g Ns