Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1918-10-04
ZINC SALES FOR LAST
WEEK IN SEPTEMBER
LARGEST IN HISTORY
PRESENT NOT REAL SLUMP
Simply the Elimination Of Blue
Sky Propositions and the
Determination Of Real
Mines

Much has been said about thu
slump in the great oklahOma-Kansa'
Mining Field, but there never ha'
been q real slump. It's true there
has been a period Of reconstruction,
slowing up of business which har
away with itself for time, Us bust
ness always does in field where fab
ulous mines have been discovered, bu,
no real slump.
How could one consistently call
condition wherein more ore is being
taken out than ever before in this OF
any other country, slump, even il
property is not selling for so much
as it did before the war. There are
many reasons why it should not, the
principal one of which is that the blue
sky has been knocked out of the game
At the end of the last week in Sep
tember it was found that more jack
had been sold in that week than ever
had been sold in this field in any week
in its history and that the sales OF
the week had amounted to more than
q half million dollars.
Another thing that the report
showed that looks like anything but
papicy times for the great Mining
Field is that the sales for the nine
months of 1918 have almost equalled
the entire amount that was sold in
1917 and that should the next three
months equal snT three of the others
the sales for this year would climb
to the Seventeen Million Dollar Mark.
Not nearly all Of the ore that is pro-
duced in the Oklahoma-Kansas field is
reported in the turnin which iS made
public each week, for while q great
deal of care is taken to get it cor
rect, the work must be done almost
entirely by telephone and several OF
the good mines have no phone con-
nections at all and it is known that
several mills have been running for
some time and have never been re-
ported at all. Had all been account
ed for it is safe to say that fully
million dollars could have been added
to the total sales of the field for the
nine months just passed.
What has caused the psychologist
al condition that has been called a
slump?
First-The war has taken millions
Out of the district and while no one
wonld have kept it here, it is certain
that when it went there was just that
much which had formerly been in use
here that is not available at present.
Second-Through manipulation the
price or ore has been kept down to
figure that, while 1t does not prohibit
mining, makes condition Of uneasi-
ness exist when there is no reason Tor
it.
Third-There are q lot Of knockers
In the district who would shame An
anias. They are telling that there is
NO ore in this field and that, in this
mine and the other, spreading lies
through ignorance or premeditatedly
until many believe that there is moth
ing here in the face Of the reports OF
the enormous sales that are being
made.
FOurth-There has been so much
validating and blue-skying in the
field that it is believed by many that
there are no honest mining companies
here.
The first condition exists but it also
exists all over the land with the pos
sible exception of vicinities where
Government work is being carried on.
The second also exists, but 1t Is
the belief that the Government VIII
take a hand and force the smelter
men TO pay the price that should be
allowed when spelter is at the price
Il Is.
The third condition should be rem
s,sied by depOrting every lEnOcker from
the district, for there is no knock
Gaming. 1t is true that not every in
dividual mine in the field is fabulous
" rlch, but II IL not true that any Ot
tl.e hSlds ere lean or worked out f0F
itlIsy are al wonders.
he writer Is acquainted with every
nine b ths ssIa Ena be Knows Of few