The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-09-30

domestic market for lead anC
zinc presents an object lesson il
tariff protection that should no
be overlooked in the discussion of the
campaign issues. OF course we are
aware that the democratic candidate
for president has scoffed at the mere
mention of the tariff, claiming that the
schedules are now fixed by a commits
sion, which has removed it from the
field of politics. Nevertheless the
people of the Occur d'Alene district
who are dependent upon the lead and
zinc mining industry, even at the risk
of being classed as reactiOnaries, still
contend that the tariff is a political
issue and insist upon knowing how
the candidates who seek their votes
for the senate and house stand on
this to them vital question. So far
as the republican candidates are con-
cerned, their attitude is known, for
the republican party has ever stood
for tariff protection as one of its fun
damental principles and has reaf-
firmed it's adherence to that principle
in its platform adopted by the ma
tional convention in Chicago. With
equal consistency, the democratic ma
tional convention at San Francisco
reaffirmed it's traditional policy of
tariff for revenue only, which in prac-
tice means free trade. No doubt Sen
ator Nugent, when he speaks here
next Saturday evening, will assume
the position taken by Governor Cox
to
issue but this will not satisfy the
people here who know that their pros
perity depends under normal condi-
tons upon a tariff sufficiently high to
keep lead and zinc produced by cheap
foreign labor out of the domestic
market and they hope to hear Sena-
tor Nugent define his position on
this question.
Condition, Not Theory.
1t has been many years since Sena-
tor Nugent lived in a mining camp,
and since taking his seat in the SEN
ate, and particularly since the nation
al convention, he has doubtless been
occupied with matters of such press
ing Importance concerning his politi-
cal future that it is hardly to be eX-
pected that he has kept in touch with
the condition of the metal market For
that reason the Miner desires to call |
his attention to the effect foreign i'm |
portations of lead and zinc are hav-
ing upon the domestic market for |
those metals, the two chief products |
of the Occur d'Alene district The En-
gineering and Mining Journal, of |
New York, a publication whose metal
quotations are accepted as a basis of
settlement by mine operators and
shelters throughout the west has this
to say of the lead situation in its mar
ket review for the week ending Sep
TENDER %:
Lead is definitely weaker; the
foreign importations have had a
decided effect 1t is not generally
understood to what extent Eng
lish metal has been coming into
this country In the first 20 days
of this month, 500 tons of pig
lead came into this port alone,
from London Adding to this 1850
tons from Mexico and $50 tons
from other countries makes 1900
tons. a not inconsiderable amount,
especially under the present mar
ket conditions"
If American lead producers are now
feeling the depressing effects of lead
imported from the surplus stock in
England. what will be their situation
when lead, in ore and pigs, begins to
move across the Rio Grande, as it will
very soon with the more settled con-
dition in Mexico, the home of peon
labor?
Zinc Duty Free.
The condition of the zinc market
has been very unsatisfactory since
the close of the war on account of
large surplus stocks on hand and the
slow process of readjustment which
a return to normal con-
sumption Regarding zinc and the
effect of importations, the Engineer
ing and Mining Journal says:
conditions are unchanged.
business is very dull indeed and c
the price seems fairly constant at
current levels for all deliveries
though the little demand that ex- c
lists is for September or October. |
About 1000 tons of European zinc :
is reported in the harbor here, the I
importers expecting to enter it {
duty free. There is little doubt, III