Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1922-12-01
MINES AND, RAILS
 LEAD DEVELOPMENT
Cooperation of S.P With Mines Increases
 Business and Population

The vast, wealth.laden territory west of the Rocky Mountains owes its development primarily to two agen' cies-Mming and Railroading.
 The attention of the world was first attracted to the West with the. an, nouncement of the discovery of gold A great influx of people followed and the tales of the resources and possi bilities in the West spread to all parts of the globe.
 The one great obstacle in the way of development was the lack of trans. portation facilities. The long, peri lous voyage around Cape Horn ip "windjammers' mitigated against any considerable interchange of commerce,
 Fortunately there were captains oi industry and finance possessed oi broad vision, courage and sufficient faith in the future of the West to con. ceive and bring to completion great systems of transcontinental railways. Among these the Southern Pacific were the first lines.
 For many years there were nothing but main lines of railroads through the mining territory and the ores and rich minerals were transported to the railways by mules, donkeys and horses from mines far back in the mountains. The placer mining camps of the early days were about the only ones located adjacent to the railroad:
 In the last twenty-five years the greater mining development on the Southern Pacific has been in Nevada and in Arizona and New Mexico. Op. erations in these districts have re. suited in very heavy movements ot mining supplies such as concentrating, smelling and other treating machinery, explosives, timbers and fuel. ..
 There also has developed a very heavy outbound tonnage of bullion and other finished or contemplated mineral products from the mines.
 8. p. co-operates
 The policy of the Southern Pacific always has been to cooperate in the development of these properties. In doing so 1t has followed the plan of publishing reasonable freight rates on the materials and supplies used in the mines and in the treatment of the products of the mines, with low rates on the ores or on the manufactured products out of the smelters. -rl
 In the adjustment of rates on the products of the mines it has been the policy to establish schedules based upon the values of the product. The principle has been recognized that a producer of ore worth $100 a ton can afford to pay a higher charge than can the producer of ore valued at $20.
 This has been done in recognition of the fact that the great bulk of the ores transported would be of ofIlesser value and with the view of encourag. ing the greatest possible production of low grade ores, so that in the aggre. gate would be transported sufficient volume of tonnage to afford a reason able return on the investment.
 F The company also has encouraged to the fullest extent the treatment of minerals at the point of produc tion. r-. These policies have resulted in the maintenance of the closest possible feeling of cooperation between mine owners and the railroad, bringing about constantly increasing popula. tion in the mountain and desert re gions, with development in the thriv. ing industrial cities, where only few years ago there was nothing but struggling mining camps. :. 't ~s.,!
 Twenty-Five years ago both mining and railroad development in Arizona were in their infancy. Then the as, sessed value of all railroads operating within the state was less than $3,000,. 900, while the assessed value of min. ing property of all description was less than $2,ooo,0oO. "
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