The copper era and Morenci leader., 1921-04-15
RAILROAD MEN [ \ VISIT IT ROCKY
 POINT

Douglas, April 12-Last week . party of officials of the Fl Paso < Southwestern railroad consisting of Arthur James, Walter Douglas and T. M. Schumacher, president of the Southwestern system, accompanied Col. John C. Greenway, general man. ager of the Calumet & Arizona and the New Cornelia Mining companies, l to Rocky Point, the gulf terminus or the proposed new road to go from Ajo, distance of 100 miles.
 MT. James this morning talked ol this trip to representative of the Daily International. He said that the survey was thought real desert prac- tically level all the way and covered with the usual desert growth. Speak ing of the new proposed enterprise he said that he regarded it as one that would come to realization some time in the future, though he thought the present would be bad time to- offer railroad bonds to the public for any new railroad construction, no mat ter how feasible the proposition might be. MT. James said that he regarded the condition of the railroads in this country as worse than the condition of the copper industry. He said that it was generally agreed that freight rates are too high, but said that so long as the present wages are con tinued to the men operating the lines less rate might wreck the entire industry.
 Speaking of the proposed Ajo line MT. James said that if it is built, it would be an accomplishment which would greatly increase the possibility for refining and manufacturing cop per into finished products in the west where the red metal is produced. He said that much of the expense of the new railroad enterprise would be found in the matter of building load l ing piers on the gulf and protecting : them. There is no harbor at Rocky
 Point and the only reason for making
 that the terminus of the road is the
 fact that rock is available there for
 breakwaters and ether necessary pro
 tections for the loading and unloading
 of vessels One of these breakwaters
 he said, would be fifteen hundred feet
 long Another problem to be solved
 St3IU MT. JaMSS iS bGdt Ol WdlCI Sup
 ply recurring for. the construction ct
 the railroad and it's terminal eonnec
 ton with the gulf A well was bored
 several miles from Rocky Point anc when water was encountered it wa: found to be salty and further that the water rose and receded with the ac , tion of the ocean tides. Other well' ; are now being bored along the line ) and it is hoped that fresh water ma.
 be developed somewhere along tn, line.
 1 - Forty Years Making Copper } Mr. James said this morning il , connection with the action Of tn Phelps Dodge corporation of whicl ) he is vice president and director, i ' stopping the production of copper l that the first copper produced b
 this company was smelted at Bisbe l. Al years ago and since then ther s had never been a stoppage in pro y duction. He expressed his sheer t regret because this course was no' l. found to be the only way to mee e the conditions of the copper marke r He said that the surplus is enormou = and that no man could say whe
 there would be real demand for pr'
 duction of the red metal. He hope s the shut down would be short bl T. that nothing definite could be sai
 as to that. He said he had gres r. faith in the future of the copper il
 dustry and did not believe that tn a country or the world was in an
 reparable state; the world cannot pr y gress without copper and he expec
 to see this country and the world r
 sulhe it's progress within the ne, g. few years. The trouble is not alor n- in this country, said MT. James, tl
 whole world being more or less di IT, turbed Il account of the wounds
 the world war which have not healt m as rapidly as had been hoped for.