The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1926-03-12

Machinemen ---------------- 0.0U 40
Muckers --...--..--.---------- 5.OO 80
Cage Tender ...-.............. 5.75 5.25
Common Labor -..--.- Ats 4.25
The Menace for Foreign Competition
Whenever the men ask the manage !
ment cf the Anaconda Company for
a raise in wages to correspond with
the increased cost of living and the
prevailing rate in other camps they
are told that the present price of
copper does not justify an increase
at the time. The facility with which
low cost copper can be produced in
South America is always pointed out
to them. The Anaconda Company
now owns vast storehouses of copper
in South America where enough met
al to supply the United States can
be produced at low cost. The Conn
pany's Chicicmata mine in Chile IS
the greatest proven ore body IN the
world. The deposit is estimated at
nearly 7O0,0OO,OO0 tons. The Anacon-
, da also owns the Andes Copper Min
ing Company consisting OF $500 acres
of good grade cheaply-mined copper.
Over a million pounds of metallic
: copper, or over double the prOduc-
| ton eff the Butte mines, can be mined
, in the mines in South America every
year by cheap labor where the Peru
Wan "CholO" is paid S1.00 per day
! In the matter of transportation II
4 costs Montana metal $3.50 to go tC
S New York, SIC per ten from Great
5 Falls to Europe and $3.50 per ton t.
i even reach Chicago. South American
It copper can travel to either Baltimore
d New York or Europe for four dollar
L (S400) per ton.
Company Don't Want Copper Tariff
Il 1t can, therefore, readily be seel
= that the Anaconda could make none
II while it shut its Montana mines dow
y and starved its striking miners int
= subsection by operating its Sout
= American mines at full capacity. Lik
10 the independent copper producers
who see themselves menaced by tn
e foreign mines controlled by John |
= Ryan, forward looking miners an
~ others in Butte lock to a copper tan
. iff as their only bulwark against tn
y whims of the masters of the AnacOT
II da. They point out that the preseT
~ non-tariff system is bound to resu
III in the greed of the Company in GU
IL failing its Butte production in fave
u of its more profitable, steam shove
South American mines operated
peOn labor. While there is increa
Is ing talk in the streets of Butte abol
d a copper tariff as the only safegual
l against shut downs and low wages
10 Butte in the future, the men on Il
cn sixth floor and in the editorial room
d of the copper press are instructed
ny put the soft pedal on the tariff tai
we The company don't want the Senate
whom they count on to vote again
Id; the copper tariff to be caused al
! 10 ~ embarrassment.
Clark and Anaconda Take Differe
,of Sides on Tariff.
oil The Clark Interests see thai wit
out tariff wall to keep out the che
,av product of the Anaconda mines
M, South America they will be at t
av- mercy of the giant trust. The who
nv sale dumping of foreign copper
he the shores of America would have
effect of shutting down the mines
Of independent producers in Arizona a
r,1e the west while the Anaconda col
set sit back and take profits and wait
HE the day when other copper intere
,st- would cayy on John D. Ryan and {
han him to take over their properties
his his own price.
CIV Clarks Look for Foreign Fields AL
Seeming this eventuality in the
far distant future, the Clark int
tho ests are now looking for low cost c
o,,v tper mines in the Belgian Congo.
;+b A. Clark III started for the Katal
ow- district in Africa about four mon
ion ago on the lookout" for proper
lots which can be utilized to meet the
tbsf eign competition of the Anaconda
civ is believed here that even though
E in Clark interests succeed. in acquil
,.ona properties in Africa it will be "
for before the production will be sucf
,,os- to offer competition to the Ana'
hon da's South American mines. Tn
- i+c fore the Clark are expected to
~ with the other Independent prOdu
ow. in demand that tariff be impt
onS on copper as it is now on alumni
= 10 tin and the other precious minel
,rast In this position they will have
~ support of large blocks Of vo
: ;s throughout the state because the
in erage Montana man does not '
n : the working population of the
tered cities of the state to be set up
= - competition with the Peruvian c
who works for one dollar per da
DIT, balak native Africa who is read
VI Il 4 -,oxrvo.- for. crnrTrlrT aol