Show A MINING MENS association I 1 we are heartily in sympathy with the i attempt now being made to form an asso elation of mining men for the state of utah we most certainly need it it is not necessary to repeat the arguments for it which we have reported briefly elsewhere in this issue certain of the points brought up are worthy of further attention however perhaps the need is best emphasized at present in the lack of any representation at washington in connection with the proposition of the secretary of the interior and the committee on mines and mining to withdraw the uranium canad ium aum lands from entry the publicity alone which would result from proper i i representation would be of the great est benefit colorado is advertising to the i world its radium resources but who hears j of our own I 1 operation cooperation co is indeed needed we our selves have always urged it and we again do so the mining men must get together to combat the misinformation regarding the various sides of mining which is now so general we are and have been doing our best to bring to the attention of the world great creat possibilities not only in the well known metals but in the rarer sub stances but we need the aid of an agan argan which will still further pross the matter home one of the subjects upon which the public is grossly misinformed by the representations of those with axes to grind is the ques question tion of smoke in fact this misinformation has gone so fa far that even in high places the idea is held that ia it nas has a great deal to do with the local smoke nuisance the farmers are always eager to land a blow on the smelt eries erie without whom and the mining industry in this valley they would be in a greater desert than smoke will ever make lack of water causes crops to fail the remedy is not more water but a demand on the smelt ers for damages tenfold ten fold any loss they could possibly cause education of the public is sadly needed here and we can but emphasize the statements of prominent men that utah owes all to the mining industry yet some of its misguided beneficiaries would do all they can to ruin this industry and harass with smoke suits unjust taxation and burdensome requirements organization alone can successfully c combat this ignorance at the recent meeting there was j t hint of an intention to admit anyone interested in any way in mining this would of course include every resident of the state we agree with one of the speakers that ne ane organization should be limited to mining men other organizations have lost n efficiency fici ency by admitting to membership men of varied interests let the organization be compact through compactness it can gain efficiency as in no other way too many cooks spoil the broth is as true here as elsewhere we want and sadly need the operation cooperation co of the bankers and of the merchants but is there any reason why they should join the association as such we venture to say that most of us are inter ested in the growth of the wool industry of agriculture of banking but is that any reason why we should join their assoria eions we cannot overemphasize this point to admit every one means an un wieldy organization which can but be in efficient confine the organization to min ing men and then operate cooperate co to the ut most with the bankers the merchants and others through their own organizations we should by all means aid prospecting I 1 by advocating better protection to the cocat or AS we have pointed out before one of the methods which would have most salutary results would be to protect the discoverer of a mineral claim against ad verse claimants it if he has located and complied with the law with due diligence and in good faith let the government de fend him from onslaught and not put the burden as now upon the locator the most flimsy complaint at present will serve to put up difficulties which the locator must combat with time and money why should he do it let the government do it we ask for no paternalistic government grub f staking the independent prospector ctr does not lot need it does not desire it and what is more will not have it all he asks is a de cent protection in his natural rights he does not seek charity chanty here is a grand chance for a wideawake wide aw awake ake organization utah stands to its disgrace as a mining state as the only western state with without out either a state mineralogist a geological survey or a metal mine inspector tn in fact it practically stands alone east and west for outside of new england only two other ither states louisiana and delaware have failed in this matter and two of the new england states are equipped with geological surveys arizona has a mine inspector california has a state mineralogist colorado a mining commissioner who is at washington in colorados interest and a state geologist idaho a state mine inspector who has done much for publicity for mining resources montana has a state mine inspector and geologist north dakota a state engineer and geologist oregon a state bureau of mines south dakota a state mine inspector and state geologist texas a state mine inspector washington a state geologist and wyoming a state geologist we have a state coal mine inspector only we should have an official state geological survey with all our reio resources arces we are almost exceptional in our failure to provide such a bureau even connecticut and vermont have state geologists As to publicity for mining that can much better be gained by a state mining association through organization forcing through the state legislature a bill incorporating either a state mining bureau or a state geological survey preferably the latter with some of the functions of the former this bureau would best gain and compile the necessary information through the employment of technical mining men and geologists there is always danger in statistics and records furnished by others as witness the recent effort of the local commercial club to call the attention of the world to resources while leaving out one of the greatest resources of san juan emery and grand county counts namely the uranium radium vanadium ores A perusal of the information given out would lead the inquirer to suppose that we had no ores of this kind again last year the same organization sent out a beautifully illustrated booklet detailing our resources and listed among the active smelt ing plants several which have been dead for years what must be the opinion of the investor who comes here to verify these facts and finds them so absolutely wrong it is not our intent to criticize the commercial club it is doing a great work for this state a more or less thankless work we just wish to emphasize the fact that it is impossible for any private or semipublic semi public organization to fill the requirements as would a state institution devoted entirely to that industry and candled by men qualified d by training to sort the goats oats from the sheep we think then the that the organization of mining men can be most efficient not by running a publicity bureau which may be regarded with suspicion elsewhere but by seeing that a branch of state government be established for this purpose let us do all we can to promote a state organization of mining men but let these be our principles 1 membership in the organization shall be limited to mining men 2 investigation of and records of our resources shall be gathered and a n d compiled by a state geological survey with technical men in charge and let the organization work for this rather than try to compile the information from inaccurate clippings subject to no discrimination or analysis 3 cooperate co operate with others interested in mining through negotiations with their own organizations 4 for the legal phases of the situation let a specialized mining attorney be appointed with a good retainer to handle such matters one whose practice is practically limited to mining 5 in addition to the mineral exhibits in public places there should be arranged under competent technical guidance with proper classification a state collection in the new capitol in connection with geological survey any other kind of a collection collect iou may become practically worthless when the novelty wears off |