Bisbee daily review., 1918-03-24
Labor Troubles dnd \ Draft Reflected in
 Output in District
Production in Bbee Mines Lower for Past Year Owing Combined Circumstances; Development Decreases Dur ing Last Six Months; Cornelia Issues Optimistic State ment of Future Possibilities.

the army draft and the great country wide demand for workmen combined has caused a serious shortage of ia bor and We are forced to curtail our development work and our output ma terially during the last six months of the year. On December 31 about SS per cent of our normal underground force was at work and since that time this percentage has increased, but l look for a scarcity of labor during the coming year.
 "The wages of the men have been based on a sliding scale dependent upcn the price of copper, but when the government price of 2S15 cents per pound was fixed for certain term it was agreed that the wages estab- lished during the month of August by the price of copper for July should remain in force during the term in. spite of the reduction of the selling price During the last four months, therefore, miners wages have been S5.35 a day and unskilled under ground labor has been 25 cents less.
 Development Halted
 Owing to the disturbances caused by labor shortage, the strike and the draft, we were unable to maintain the same rate of development that has been carried on for the past several years. During the first six moHths Of the year we made one foot of develop ment for each 6.5 tons of ore mined, whereas the last six months of the year we mined 12.0 tons of ore for one foot of development As a result the tonnage of new ore opened up during the past six months has been comparatively small, although the total tonnage of ore blocked out De cember 31. 1917, is greater than it was on December 31, 1916. by possibly 10000 tons. We are now taking steps to increase the amount of de velopment until it aeain becomes nor nal and hope to attain this end early. in the coming year"
 Underground Report
 The report of W. B. Gohring, su- intendent of mines, shows 9S.161 lineal feet of development work con hummated during the year and 1884, 5O6 tons of ore mined. The report goes in detail into work in the various shafts and includes statement or pumping equipment installed in the
 
 on Gadsden says in part:
 We have installed a good surface plant, with electric power. and are sinking a shaft which is now over 500 feet deep. We will soon starr lateral drifts, the exact level having not yet been determined"
 Report of the New Cornelia Copper company for the year shows with the absorption of the Ajo Consolidated Copper company total developed ore bodies aggregating 52,262,6 SOP tons or an average copper content of l57y per cent. Production for the year was 12,764,S4S pounds of electrolytic cop per. 3,316,2S3 pounds copper in cement shipped, and 3.401.060 pounds of cop per in ore shipped, totaling 19,4S2, ,19l was at the time of report 3,456,5S4 pounds of recoverable copper locked up in the process. The report coh- cludes:
 "The difficulties that we have had appear to be behind us. We are now making copper at the rate of nearly 100000 pounds a month. and with the completion of two additional aD- sorption towers we shall be able rO bring the electrolytic plant up to d capacity of between 50 and so tons of electrolytic copper a day, and when this is attained and when we can mine 6000 tons of ore a day. there should be no difficulty in making be- tween 100000 and 4.5O0.OOO pounds Of copper a month"