The Alaska daily empire., 1918-09-10
PRICE OF GOLD AGITATION IS DUE TO OUR DELEGATE. }! [: 1. [: 6 l: Believed That as the Re-
 suit Better Conditions
 Will Result for
 Mining. SITUATION IS REVIEWED As Result of SuIzer's En- deavor a Worldwide Program Likely to Ensue.
SITUATION IS REVIEWED

II FOr the aEltdtlOH HOW Tn progress whereby it is hoped to better the conditions of the mining industry of the United Sates, and particular lily for the aids that have already been secured for the miners, credit is due Chas. A. Sulzer, Delegate from Alaska. It was through his efforts that the great government inves- tigation that is now in production, has not been extended yet, but Mir. SuIzer hopes that this very mate rial form of assistance will be given before the end of the present Con- Il gress.
 Price of Gold Not Likely to II Change
 In the minds of many there has been confusion as to what the gold miners of the country and their friends are trying to do. There has 1, been some talk of changing the price of gold, but the best economic authorities are strongly opposed to \ this, bitterly so, declaring that a change in the price of gold would disrupt the credit systems of the nations of the world. And further more they point out that a raise fin the price of gold would mean that owners of gold which is in jewelry or in the arts might i'm mediately turn the precious metal over to the mint at big profit. For these and other reasons the con census of opinion at the naional capital and elsewhere seems against a raise in the price of gold.
 But bonus on production is an entirely different matter and while it was met with much opposition at l first in the national capital, MT. Sul ger and other friends are winning converts gradually. Under the pro- posal of bonus, the aim is for | the Government to pay out of the treasury of the United States such sums as may be decided upon for every ounce of gold produced from the earth. And the treasury would be authorized to make such rules and regulations as necessary to compel the owner of the gold to prove when and where it was pro- duced, thereby preventing fraud. | Friends of the measure insist that it can be worked out quite as sim ply as the matter of offering boun- ty on wolves or eagles or any other animal or bird.
 The present price of gold. twenty dollars and six-seven and frac- ton, cents per ounce, was fixed by the Bank of England in 1873 and le- calized by an act of Parliament. Shortly afterward the United States adopted the same figure and other countries followed suit And 1t has remained at the same figure ever since. although the cost of pro- ducing the metal has increased enormously.
 History of Work for Miners.
 Although Mir. Sulzer realized for some time that the war was affect ing the gold mining industry, the matter was not brought forcefully to his attention until last winter. Then he began to receive letters, partic- ularly from Yukon River points, from old and patriotic Americans who had been prospecting for years. in which the writers express cd the opinions that gold mining was non essential, that the men en- gagged therein were doing nothing toward winning the war. and urging the Delegate to introduce a resolu. tion in Congress, declaring gold mining to be non essential and or dering that the miners turn to some other work wherein they would be more useful
 Other letters received by MT. Sul- zef from larger operators com ! piained that they were being dis triminated against in the matter of obtaining Supplies, the merchan- disc men having gained the i'm pression that gold mining was al non essential, and some of them also complained against paying ex- cess war profits taxes, which they considered manifestly unfair to them in view of the fact that they not only made no excess war profits, but that, in fact, they sustained seri- ous losses because of war condi- tions.
 Mir. Sulzer then started a some- what exhaustive investigation him. self and shortly thereafter became convinced that gold mining was one of the most essential of industries, that the gold miners should not be com?eIled to pay excess war profits and that they should be given pri- ority rights In obtaining supplies. The first step taken toward the relief of the gold miners. was ta- ken by MT. Sulzer last winter. Hel first took up the matter of excess war profits win the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives. which had ip| charge the work of framing thel new revenue Legislation. He was| a ass,,red that fhe matter uvot,1d ho in