The border vidette., 1934-04-07
ARIZONA COPPER REvlvEs

ARIZONA COPPER REEVES
After three years of such de.
preston as seldom has been
known ia any industry Arizona
! copper is showing definite signs
OF reviving. Owing to complica.
tious and conflicting interests
drawing up of an NRA copper
code has been difficult task re.
quiring months of discussion and
study. At last one has been an.
nounced. 10 some ways it is not
ell that Arizona asked. But it
marks q definite step towards
recovery ia Arizona's leading in.
dustry. That it is 80 regarded
by practical mining N 9 is
shown by the fact that with adop.
tion of the code came announce.
ment that Phelps Dodge would
resume operations at the New
Cornelia mine at Ajo in July. II
is assumed several hundred men
would be employed at frat. al.
though no defiaite estimate has
been given out. Operations at
Ajo had been suspended since
April 1882.
Under the sales allotment Of
the code primary producers will
be allowed to sell 20, 500. tons Of
copper per month. This would
be about one third the amount
in normal times. but while q
decided decrease 1t is q big in.
| crease over what obtained in re.
cent months. The code com.
mitteee will have authority to
change the total allotment 90
conditions warrant. There is .
huge copper surplus piled up.
To prevent this surplus from
killing the market for newly pro.
duced copper the code would
invoke an executive order under
which blue Eagle" copper alone
would be used in government
buildings or 10 contracts financ..
ed by federal loans. 10 this way
a market will be provided for the
newly mined copper.
The code was drawn up by the
government. Some important
interests. notably the Anaconda
company, objected to the code,
but it was indicated government
pressure would be invoked to put
it through. Deputy Administra.
tor 81. 0. King addressing the
conference at which the copper
code was adopted said: "Iu eight
months. you have not arrived ct
an agreement on . method OF
controlling copper production.
Now your code simply asks for
permission to continue the nego.
tiations." This is q diplomatic
way of phrssinR it but under the
NRA it would appear tn .
government has ample power to
control production.
Arizona interests had request.
ed production allotment should
be made by states. Normally
Arizona produces about 40 per
cent of the domestic total. King
said, however. that allotment by
etates was not practical, but that
| Arizona would get its fair share.
It is estimated that under this
ruling production for this state
would be about 5000 tons
monthly or ZIG, 900. 900 pounds
annually. Even with eight cent
copper this would mean almost
$l7. 900. 900 annually,a sum which
would go far towards combating
depression ia Arizona. There is,
however, good reason to believe
sales will be possible at q higher
rate.
For Arizona adoption of the
code means dawn of q brighter
day. 1t is step towards real
reopening Of the mines. There
is much still to be done. Sen
ator Ashurst recently urged plac
ing of q ten ceut tariff on copper
aud purchase by the government
Of a store Of copper for use in
military defense and construc.
ton of government buildings.
Both measures are fair n d
practical. 1t put ia effect the
great copper industry. will be
we'll on it's way toward recovery.