The Seward gateway daily edition, and the Alaska weekly post., 1920-11-18
MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
stamps dropping in March 1914, W;

stamps dropping in March 1914, was 494. Today only 40 stamps are in op- eration. In Tuolumne Co. there were 300 stamps in commission in April, l9. IA. Today not one mill is operating. Similar conditions exist throughout the entire State.
 The reason is simply described; costs of equipment, supplies, labor and living have more than doubled; tn. selling price of gold remains where it always has been fixed by law. Other industries solve the problem by rais- ing the price of their product to that commensurate with operating costs. The gold miner, alone of all men, can take no such action, and he is being forced to the wall.
 If gold were a non-essential product there might be little need for thought upon this subject, but gold, as has al- ready been stated, is more essential than any other one thing, for the maintenance of the business structure of civilization .
 4 means of relief has been found. The plan was embodied in the "Mc- Fadden Bill" introduced, but not acted upon, at the last session of Congress. This plan provides that an excise tax of $l0 per ounce be placed upon, manu- factured gold in order that the gold producer may receive from the excise tax 30 collected. a premium of SIG an ounce for newly produced gold. More gold is now being used as commod- would in no way affect our monetary ity than is being produced today. This with other industries. California's sv- system, and it would give the miner a on more or less of an equal footing fighting chance to continue operations craze. annual gold production for the decade previous to 1917 was s2o, ,0Oe,- 000- 2S to 30 per cent of the output of the entire United States. This drop ped to sl7,335, 100 in 1919, and the outlook for 1920 is most discouraging production will be about $15, ,O00.0 900.
 The McFadden Bill, or some similar means of assisting i'll the restoration of our gold output, should receive the active support of everyone not as philanthropic proposition, but from cold blooded selfish standpoint. The gold reserve of the United States hss reached the danger mark. What will happen if the time comes when the greenback is no longer redeemable, on demand, in gold coin Constructive sc- ton in a matter such as this is quick ly taken by Congress if public opinion is loud in its demands. If the people of the Nation remain disinterested Con gress naturally is inclined to turn its attention to other affairs.
 The Sate Mining Bureau is of the opinion that the Gold Question" is vitaily important. Such small DOT tion of the total population is advised of the true situation that nothing has been done to avert the disaster which threatels.
 This means is taken with a view of 1 assisting in the dissemination of the facts in the case. Californians should be foremost in supporting any honest and patriotic measure of relieving the i,gold situation, as Califirnia would saf- fer first with the rest of the Nation should the gold reserve sink too low; and second on her own account partic- ulariy through the Wiping out of an in dustry which has brought wealth and happiness to SO many thousands of he1 l CCaatinnned botten Ath CotanIa)