The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-03-20
Mine Inspection in ldaho---Bell Reviews
Fourteen Years of Active Service--His
Practical Mining Experience

Tn0 ONCE OF the state AuSPectoE
mines was created at the Legislative
session of 1893, as an elective office
and for the remainder Of the term wa
filled by appointment. the successiv,
appointees being honorable e. II
Dewey, now of Nampa; l. T. Peterson
Of Silver CITY, William 8. Haskins. o
Wallace. Ben F. Hastings Of Silve
City was first elected and served IL
1S97-1S9S; he was succeeded by A. ]
Czizek of Warrens, Idaho county. II
1S99-19O0, who was succeeded by Mar.
tin Jacobs of Blaine county, who serv-
ed until 1902, at which time the pres.
ent incumbent was elected and served
by reelection in 1904 and 1906 and un-
: til 1908, when he stepped aside for q
Shoshone county man, F. Gushing
Moore. republican and competent
practical mining engineer with 8
number of years. experience in the
big mines Of the Occur d'Alene dis
trict
Mr. Moore was elected and served
during 1909 and 1910, but firing of the
duties of the Office In 1910, personally
suggested that the writer get back in
to the game which he did, and has
since been reelected on the republican
ticket five times, and to the end of
December. 1918, has filled the position
for IA years under six governors, two
of whom waro damncratc NV nrodo
cessors included democrats or coalition
candidates with silver republican and
populist Affiliations, except Mr.. Moore,
republican. These elections have in
variably given the writer a large ma
jority of popular votes for this posi-
ton, regardless Of the variation of the
political fortunes Of the two dominan.
parties, tribute of confidence on the
part Of the voters at large. very highly
appreciated. have never taken any
conspicuous part in my own success
during the election campaigns beyond
the bare announcement of nomination
and have usually left the political fea-
ture open for my opponents.
Salary and Duties Of Inspector.
Originally the Office carried a salary
of 800 per month with very limited
appropriations for travelling and Office
expenses. 1t was later raised to $3.50
per month and in 1899 to $500 per
month, at which figure the salary has
remained; at the last raise a provi-
cio,, woc o1So noodo FOR n norp,opont
stenographer at SIS per month. The
law requires the incumbent to main
tain an Office at the capitol in Boise
as headquarters and in addition to the
travelling expense, Office expense and
printing whose maximum provision
has never exceeded $1,000 per year. No
provision has ever been made for
deputy except at the legislative ses-
sion of 1917. when through my single
handed effort an additional appropri-
alton was asked for and allowed by
the legislature for the employment of
a resident deputy in the Occur d'Alene
district at the same salary as the in
spector, but for reasons of political
economy" this effort to obtain assist
ance in the work was vetoed by the
governor without protest from the
employees.
The statutory duties Of the office in
this state are conflicting and impossi-
BILE for single handed compliance, es-
oil II, ri 10 ha Inv tiurof ion
of accidents when they occur, by rea-
son Of the extreme and costly travel
ing distance to be covered between the
different mines of the state and the
capital at Boise.
In addition to the inspection of the
mines for safety purposes, the inspect
or is required by law to virtually act
as substitute state geologist in the
compilation of an annual report CIV
ing not only accidents and metal pro-
duction statistics, but also review OF
operating conditions and equipment
that would involve useless repetition
and an annual printing bill equal to
that Of the Idaho codes. Also the in
spector Is required to cover all sta
tistical and "other information" CAL
culated to exhibit the mineral re-
sources of the state and to promote
the development of the same" The
financial provisions for these duties
have always been totally inadequate
and discretion has been used to make
the best of this and other conflicting
features of the law and still supply an
annual report that would prove as
timely as possible at the expense OF
accuracy after the close of each year,
in which connection my efforts have
been favorably recognized by leading
mining journals and, in fact OCCASION
ally convicted of some germs of orig
inality.
The first report / published, that OF
1908, was modelled after the work OF
Harry A. Lee, then chief metal mine
inspector of the state of Colorado. In
my report of 1905 published list Of
safety suggestions to miners on the
handling Of explosives, which, In 1905,
was copied verbatim, without ack-
nowledgment by the metal mine in
spector of the state Of Montana in his
biennial report, which was a decided