Show AMERICAN MINING CONGRESS contributed manufacturers of mining machinery res cue and first aid apparatus and safety appliances ances are to be given an opportunity to display their wares before the mining mun mull of the country at a great industrial exposition to be held under the auspices of tho american mining congress in philadelphia pennsylvania the week of october this exposition the first of its kind in this country will be held in conjunction with the annual convention of the mining congress and the double attraction is expected to attract thousands of interested men it will be entirely national in scope the metal mining interests of the west to be as fully represented as the coal mining of the east in fact there is a tentative plan to have a gold mining camp in full operation with a mill crushing the ore horticultural hall the biggest place of its kind in philadelphia situated in the heart of tha city has been engaged for the occasion while the plans are still in embryo a number of the leading manufacturers have already been approached and have shown sufficient enthusiasm to lead to the belief that all of the space will be taken n a short time and that there may not be enough to take care of all who apply A number of the big coal companies that have developed the safety first movement at their mines are now negotiating for large amounts of space to show the mining men and the public what they are doing in behalf of their men these companies will send rescue and first aid crews and there is talk of exhibition drills between the various crews the united states bureau of mines will be represented by one of its safety cars and a picked crew of helmet men the state of illinois and a number of the big anthracite companies may send rescue cars for exhibition purposes this exposition will not only be of untold value to the mining men of the country said james P gallbreath Call breath secretary of the congress but it will also show the magnitude of the industry to the entire country we know that it is a gigantic industry second only to agriculture employing directly more than a million and a half men and with a yearly output of two billion dollars but the public has never given it the recognition it deserves the convention which will be held at the same time as the exposition will be the most important body of mining men ever gathered gath ored together the indUS industry tTy has been making great strides in the last few years bearle and a number of problems have arisen that are to be discussed straight from the shoulder although the convention is to be held in the east it will not be an eastern affair for the most troublesome topics are coming from the west and western men are coming many of them in special trains to discuss these questions as affecting the entire industry the convention is to be the first get together affair of all the mining interests of the country and an attempt is to be made to show the need of a stronger national organization that will represent all phases of the industry and lead to the placing of the industry in the important place it belongs perhaps the leading topic of the convention will be the new system of mine taxation recently put in operation in some states and being discussed in others at the present time the west can un unite I 1 te N with th the e east upon this proposition for colorado and arizona have new taxation laws for the mines and so has pennsylvania and michigan colorado mining men are claiming that they are doubly taxed and that their industry will suffer arizona is ds making similar claims and it is understood that michigan is very much dissatisfied an increase in the price of pennsylvania coal is threatened by reason of the neon new tax law in that state it is expected that the west will be insistent upon a definite policy toward alaska from congress and there will be a demand for quick action the west promises to be so ably represented in this that the active aid of the eastern mining men will be obtained the smelter fume problem which also belongs to the west will be discussed dispassionately with the hope that an amicable adjustment may be rea reached clied soon california has at the present time two commissions delving into this problem and montana one western men say that stat the problem should be attacked with more vigor and settled the disposal of debris from placer mining is another question that will be talked by western men they will declare that the placer mining industry of california has been nearly wiped out through drastic rules and regulations some of them imposed by the united states government at the present time the debris question is in charge of a coni commission mission of the united states army engineers and it is claimed that while they zealously watch tile the interests of tile the farmers they know nothing about the mine jj ing problem A demand may be made mad for the inclusion of a mining engineer on this board to see that the interests of the mines are protected the coal men of the east will be mostly interested the Sa lety in two problems of 0 first movement and the conservation the coal lands adjacent to the great east j ern era industrial centers this latter it itis is said has become a question of most serious moment it is fully realized by the eastern men that their coal fields are being used up at a tremendous rate and that when these coals are gone it will be useless to think of getting coal from the west for the commercial prosperity of the east depends upon a supply of coal at reasonable price and transportation charges from the west would be too great the proposed system of leasing mineral lauds lands will also come up for extended discussion cus sion the fact that the federal government some time ago leased coal lands in wyoming to a coal company thus making the entering wedge in this system of disposing of the governments mineral lands will undoubtedly call for considerable comment then there is the proposal for the revision of all the mining laws of the country A great many mining men are of the opinion that the laws are antiquated and cumbersome imposing hardships upon everyone who has to deal with them altogether the exposition and the convention promise to bring together the greatest gathering of mining men in the country and much abod is expected from its deliberations |