The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-07-10

time zinc ore sold at around $l00 per
ton, and went as high as slS5 per ton,
and the zinc miners protited. But
there was no other market in the
world for the production Of the lead
and zinc mines of the world. Within
a short time immense importations of
zinc ore from Australia began to find
their way into the United States:
Mexico had started; the tariff was
gone there was no barrier between
the product of foreign countries and
the United States, and this country
was made the dumping ground of all
the zinc ore concentrates of the en-
tire world, with the result that for
the year ending June 80, 1915. there
was dumped into the United States
approximately $4,000 long tons of zinc
ore concentrates: in 1916 there was
imported $4,000 long tons; in 1917
262,O00 long tons; in 1918, 100000 long
$4,000 American tons of zinc ore
concentrates at the port of entry for
the years above. named was; $2277,
1922, $2S.57. $24.44. During all this
time 1t cost approximately $50 per ton
in the Joplin, Mo-, district to produce
zinc ore concentrates this because of
the double cost of production in
wages, steel, powder, etc.
Dump for Foreign Ore.
From the above figures it will be
seen that zinc ore was being dumped
into the United States from foreign
countries at approximately one-half
the cost of production in the United
long endure, without the destruction
of the mining industry An avalanche
was coming, but it could not be avoid
ed The war was on. The democrats
refused to consider tariff legislation.
An attempt was made to head off de-
|struction which was plainly apparent
in the spring of 1918 by putting zinc
ore among the list of articles that
could not be imported into the United
States in ship bottoms, and that was
done Committees from the Joplin
mining district went to Washington
and urged that shipments of ore by
rail be shut off as a war measure up
on the ground that the cars necessary
to bring zinc ore from Mexico and
H., al w, mo r
materials and necessary food stuffs in
the United States. The war industries
board recommended it, the transporta :
ton board agreed to put it into eff
feet, but the secretary of state multi
fled the order and Mexican and Cana
dian ores continued to come in.
The result of this was that 95 per
cent of all the mines in Jasper coun-
ty, Missouri, were closed down and
practically destroyed, and many OF
! the mills were torn down and the
ground filed with water. The county
that had produced nine-tenths of al
the ore produced in the Joplin dis
trict, at the present time produces
little or no ore One hundred mines
and concentrating plants have CLOSED
down, the destruction in value would
approximate $25,000,000; while ap
proximately 10000 men were employ
ed in. the mines in 1912, nearly all o
them are now out of employment.
Delegation Goes to Washington.
Tt is said that this punishment t.
the Joplin congressional district prob
ably was properly melted out to it. AT
ter the republican party throng
lCharles Morgan, republican, had Civ
en- the district a protective tariff an
prosperity, it repudiated the republi
can nominee in 1912 and elected
democratic congressman for two sue