Show congressman leatherwood STR STRIVES TO SAVE SALT LAKE ASSAY OFFICE OFFIC F according to advices advises from was washington ll ington the department treasury appropriation bill reported to the makes no house anthe on the appropriation for continuing tile the salt city assay office after june 30 the committee lake lak e to insert this appropriation but having failed rather having foll followed recommendation of the budget bureau owed the leatherwood will will prepare an amendment representative making the appropriation for the g customary salt lake office ce and offer his amendment when the bill comes for house up consideration in the the appropriation last sess scission sion was Leathe amendment will ask that this and mr be appropriated to keep the office open for the same coming amount amoun fiscal t year beginning july 1 the report of the appropriations committee does not disclose the reason for refusing an appropriation for the salt lake assay office the hearings on the bill however show that R J grant the new director of the mint beconi mended abandonment of the salt lake office because he said the receipts last year were and the cost of the office mr grant also told the committee that closing the salt lake office would not occasion any considerable inconvenience to those having business there as they could operate either through the san francisco or denver mints pie he said in his judgment the small revenues did not justify continuing the office after june 30 mr leatherwood er I 1 has aas figures za from the mint bureau showing that the salt lake office is operating today at less loss to the government than most assay offices which it is proposed to continue and lie he has hopes his amendment will be adopted mr leatherwood Leathen argued before the appropriations appropriation ns committee before its report was made that abandonment of the salt lake assay office offic ewas was a gross injustice to the mining in interests of utah and could not be justified from the standpoint of good government administration for he showed that the salt lake office has made a far better showing and entailed a iauch smaller loss to the government than some other offices where it is proposed to increase appropriations he also showed that abandonment of the salt lake office next july would come at a time when the office is showing a remarkable increase in business giving detailed figures from the mint bureau mr leatherwood showed that where the salt lake a assay office in the first eleven months of last year handled only in gold it handled worth durin during 3 the first eleven months of this year and silver increased in the same period from to he further demonstrated with official figures that while tile the salt lake assay office listed for abandonment don ment entailed a net loss to the government of for the last fiscal year offices which are to be retained en tailed a much aluch heavier loss these losses he lle gave as follows boise helena new orleans carson so city and seattle on this showing alone he argued the salt lake office should be the last and not no the first to be abandoned and protested against singling out tile the salt lake office when none of the others can make so creditable a showing he also pointed out that in face of oi heavier losses than at salt lake tile the budget had beconi mended an all increase at boise from appropriated this year to bind and at helena an increase from to approaching his subject from another angle mr leath erwood told the office ornge lies ne committee the salt lake assay in the heart of the greatest mining district in the united unit states none of the other offices is so centrally located locate a regards rich il mining lining territory he dwelt on the advantage advani advant ag a to the mining industry of utah ito have this office contil luedy had j saying it was helpful to the prospector tile the man ano 0 ho discovered what today are the great mines and the ganv man must male make the discoveries of the future r the furthermore he pointed out how development of 0 itself mining industry is beneficial to tile the government 1 had nearly every large building in salt lake city he be sa id been built from the profits of the utah mines and a TJ large tah part of the income and corporation taxes collected ln it ing comes from the t e anit men and corporations operating gion ion properties the greater the encouragement and andexl expand of the mining will irethe be rn gov industry he said the greater appealed ern ments revenues this argument particularly v mat to members of the committee interested in J re favorably bably and there therL had bad been dav was indication that th they ey in b e impressed with the justice of bf the claim put for forward ward half of tile the salt lake city office |