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Show IFI1 GOLD MIS' PIPERITUSCEO Industry Which Furnishes Half World'3 Precious Metal Unprofitable. Majority of the Properties Either Lose Money or Barely Make Expenses. The unfortunate Mtuahna in v. hirh many Ani'-rican ;'ol miur.y have h'-u p!a'ei through thfi ('orbimi of var Has boen a matter of H'.'Hous eonM'l'-rat ion uy tbn own'Tti of mining property, ami the gravity of this cou.litiou has not been relieved by the report, of the commission com-mission appointed to inveatigatn the Hituation ami bue-a remedies, aeeunl-in(f aeeunl-in(f to the liuKiuerinx and Mining Journal. I'raetically no relief was surest od, ( and the American gold miner is left, to work out his own salvation. Perhaps even more serious is the condition iu .South Africa, where nearly all ot the, ore is of low grade ami where the nNirgin of profit was narrow even before be-fore the war. The output, of I ho South African mines iu llilfj was $ 1 7'!,0l)U,ilUU, compared with the tolal world's production pro-duction of approximately $377,31)0,000. A material reduction in the Transvaal output means a curtailment iu the world's production, and if some remedial reme-dial steps are uot taken soon the output, out-put, for l?)19 will be seriously curtailed. cur-tailed. The New York Times of July o ipiotes V. S. Malan, acting prime minister, min-ister, as reporting that on tne Central liand six mines out of sixteen were worked at a loss for three months ended February, 1!) I !). Statement Made. " Theso six employ C271 Kuropeaus, and the shortage amounted to $1 10,UOU. while the. expenditure, in wages and stores amounted to if 12,3S7,940 for the last year," says Mr. Malan. "Out of thirteen mines in the Near East Kami, five had losses iu the throe mouths amounting to $J 45.000. They employ LlolS Kuriipeans, and last year they expended ex-pended $13.9o:),5i;o. of "inn mines on the West llanJ, five worked at a loss -wbieh aggregated $153,700. The profit of the other four was $ 172,775, leaving a credit balance of $13175, which,., of course, is insufficient to meet capital expuuditure, interest on debentures, taxation and other charges. The unprofitable un-profitable five employ 115b' Europeans, and thoy expended iu wages and stores last year $15,976,810. "The grand totals show that forty-six forty-six mines on the Witwatersraud employ '2,035 Europeans. Thirty mines mado profits aggregating $8,173,775; sixteer. snowed deficits amounting to $14.8,540 during tbreo mouths, and tho total expenditure ex-penditure on stores last year was over $125,000,000. Of course, tho figure of working profit is not all distributable, as out of it. bas to eomo interest ou debentures, loans, capital expenditure, government taxation, aud to a certain extent, miners' phthisis contributions. Tho eight richest mines, which are on the Ear East Rand, show- a workiug profit for tho threo mouths of $5,905,-240." $5,905,-240." Officials Ask Aid. Sir Evelyn Waller, president of the Transvaal chamber of mines, in a letter let-ter to the acting prime minister, complains com-plains of the failure of the government to take action to avert Vbc impending crisis, despite repeated urgingu and warnings. Even a request to recruit an experimental number of native laborers labor-ers from north of latitude 22 degrees south that is, iu tropical Africa with a view- to offsetting iu a measure the great shortage of labor resulting from tho war, has not .been acted upon, aud Sir Fvelvn says: "Tho "pob'('ou foreshadowed by the chamber so many times is now at hand, bo far as -wo can see, nothing can now prevent ft number of important mines, employing a large number of Europeans, and upon whoso operations the prosperity- of a considerable section of the Wit-watersrand Wit-watersrand depends, from ceasing pper-atious pper-atious in the next few months." Mr. Malan continues: "Tho menace of tho grave problem -which the unemployment unem-ployment and distress that this shutting down -would involve moved the government govern-ment in replying, through the secretary of .mines and industries, to urge, should the closing down become unavoidable, that this be done with the maximum possiblo interval between the dates selocted for this action by tho different mines. "The government also considers that tho appointment of a small commission to report ou the reasons and necessity for the closing down of each mine before be-fore the date of cessation of operations would have a valuable effect and would tend to keep public opinion inf'AmcJ as to the causes which are operating in connection with the industry. Such a commission should, iu the opinion of the government, be composed of a government gov-ernment representative and one or more representatives of the ckatuber and of the workers." Boston, Stock Quotations. iKeiwtM by -t. A. Hy;tp y re.) 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