The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-05-02

would Immediately get into operation.
|. I rather would think they will
do 1t anyhow, because Mr.. Ryan is that
kind of man." Mr.. Baruch did not
tell the committee that the Anaconda
company was already engaged on con-
struction for this purpose. Other wit
nesses referred to the matter of ar
senic, whereof the United States was
represented as only furnishing 60 per
cent of its requirements. The COM
mittee failed to draw out that the
other 40 per cent comes from Canada
and Mexico, which supply us because
they are able to do so comparatively
and require no shipping for the pur-
pose.
The promoters of this bill are pat
riotic and Jealous, but we do not think
that the men who are engaged In our
industries are in anywise inferior in
their patriotism, and we may be for
given If we judge them to be more
experienced in their work We are
skeptical regarding all Washington
estimates. The overestimate of the
treasury last year in the matter of
financial requirements tended to de-
stroy confidence. Coming nearer to
home, the overestimate of lead re-
quirements by the war industries
board last spring. which played mis-
chief with our lead industry, causes
us to pray to be let alone.
But if the war minerals committee
thinks that more manganese, chrome,
pyrites and graphite are going to be
required than natural market condi-
lions will induce. and if additional
supplies can be obtained only from de-
posts that private capital will not
by all means let the gov
eminent do it; but strip off the cam
outage and let it be done by straight
subsidy or direct venture. Mr.. Hotch-
kiss had this in mind when he told
DR.. Fosters committee of tin prop
erty in Virginia and said that 1.-THE
only way in which it can be operated
is for the government to take 1t over
and operate it and turn the money
over to the court (there being rival
claimants.) This has the merit of
honesty. 1t is what the government
ought to do If it thinks it can get any
tin there. 1t may be that great tin |
mine will be developed there, but pri- |
vate capital, which has been solicited |
off and on during the last rs years,
has not had the nerve to try it. We
should be really curious to see that |
Judgment tested by the government.
However, do not imagine that the
government is going to do any pros
oecting and developing on it's own ac-
count. The idea will be rather to in
.roduce regulatory measures for going
concerns and to satisfy the official de-
sire to boss the men who have created
business organizations. Be-
sides the irritation of this, there is
he danger and a very real one, that
n monkeying with the machinery they
will put it out of order. 1t is there
ore to be prayed that the pending bill
IAN be limited to the minerals special
y named which constitute only a
minor part of the industry and can
stand interference without the major
part of the industry being put out of
oint. We wish, however, that there
we're less Of the careless talk about
)rofiteering. We have not observed
my desire for profiteering in the min
ng industry; we discern nothing but
/ desire to live and to produce. The
of a bill to guarantee mini
mum prices will do more to promote
profits than anything ever conceived |
by business men since the days of the |
secretan Syndicate in copper.