Show mining after the great way war BY DON our american industries began to be affected by war demands and war prices late in the year 1914 zinc lead copper quicksilver tungsten manganese antimony plumbago tin iron and platinum at once advanced in price and by the end of 1915 the values of the above metals stood higher than at any time within fifty years with a shortage in the supply of each mining men of our country having then well developed mines of any of the above named metals reaped harvests of profits surpassing any period in the experience of american miners these conditions continued until the spring of 1917 when the united states entered the war at which time the demand for metals became even greater and prices for silver copper and platinum continued to advance until silver reached 1 per ounce copper 28 cents per pound and platinum ran up from 20 to per ounce all other metals continuing at high war figures until we now find ourselves in the first days of november 1918 during the years 1915 1916 the profits of the american mining industries were great but just as soon as the united states entered the war in april 1917 labor prices advanced and as the organization of our armies drew men from every walk of life six months after our entering the war game the costs of mining increased to such a degree as to cut down profits and the scarcity of mine labor caused still greater advance in in wages and as time went on the scarcity in the volume of mine labor available became still more and more pronounced to these features we may add the increased costs for explosives timbering iron steel and all other mine supplies until now there is is little used around a mine that does not cost the mine owner twice or three times what he had to pay for the same material in in the spring months of 1914 economies practiced during these war days in pushing the work of every mine the aim of the owner has been to bring to the surface a as 1 s much ore as possible with the least possible expense comparatively little new development since we entered has been done especially the war each month has seen advanced costs for every ton of ore produced until now it is a question if the average mine outside of those producing antimony silver copper and platinum returns as much real profit to the owner with the same output of ore as in june 1914 has been upon strain the for four yea years rs the industry of mining in every part of the for the industry higher world of most ores allowed prices for the output and cost of production for the increase ogan utah mineralogist a geologist ilia and save in the single exception of gold which has remained at the old price of 2067 per ounce and as a consequence gold mining suffered until many of our greatest american gold mines are now at the point of shutting down and the same may he be said of gold mines in almost all other parts of the world As war conditi conditions ons now are it may be said that at the outside this greatest of all wars ever waged must close inside of fifteen months and so uncertain are the conditions that it may close within fifteen lays days or even before this article goes to press in which event the mining industries will be much affected some metals will fall in value but most of them will remain at high figures for several years new life for the world when this world war ends most countries will take on new life some old nations that hitherto cut but small figure in the world will enter the ways and works of civilization as never before in their history asia south america and africa as well as the regions of Oc eanica will become the scenes of active bom commerce merce and cultured life and as all else advances so likewise is there an advanced ratio in the volume of metals made use of by each country it is absolutely certain that silver is going to enter into greater demand as metallic currency than it has at any time with w ith in the last fifty years china india the balkan states africa and the countries of even more advanced civilization are already demanding it so that it is safe to say that in our own time we may expect to see silver remain at not less than 1 per ounce which fact will greatly stimulate the work of mining silver in our country as well as in mexico and south america with the return of peace labor will be in great demand the rebuilding and reconstructing of europe will call for great armies of workmen should the war end tomorrow it will require eighteen months to repatriate our armies now in europe or to return them to the fields whence they were taken which fact will keep labor prices up to where they are now upon the return of peace upon the return of peace to the world there will at once ence come a call to begin work where we left off four years ago in the work of nation building at home our coun cou I 1 i arys area within the united states porto rico other islands and alaska calls even now for about ten thousand miles of new railroad lines cur ocean and river trade associated with our navy calls for new vessels fifty thousand of our count rys highways are to be reconstructed so as to meet the bequir requirements cements of auto ger and freight service within ten years after the war closes ten thousand new steel and cement bridges will be constructed in the lands over which the stars and stripes wave twenty five thousand new business blocks will be constructed within the cities of our country within five years one million new homes will be added to our household numbers and the coming ten years will add twenty millions of increase to our population new railroads to be built in the united states 21 mexico exico central and south america within fifteen years from the close of the war fifteen to thirty thousand miles of new railroad will be built one half of which will be well equipped electric lines balance will be standard gauge modern steam lines now all of the above national and world improvements will fall within the allotted work that we as a nation may be expected to carry out and for all of these there will be required on our part an increase in the production of iron steel copper lead antimony tin and manganese our inerd increased ased foreign trade will require every ounce of silver we can lay hands upon from all the mines of our country after four years of world war american homes from the atlantic to the pacific will need repainting which call will demand thousands of tons of zinc and lead whiting and within ten years two hundred and fifty thousand miles of copper wire will be required in the new electric lines within our national limits the coming ten years will demand more oil coal natural gas wood gold silver copper iron steel zinc nickel antimony tungsten and manganese than we ever made use of in the same period of time since our nation took birth and the greater part of these metals and mine products must come from the underground measures of the united states and mexico canada will furnish us limited quantities of metallic wealth but as she is going to go forward also in the greatest period of her history she will not have much of her metallic wealth to spare save it be nickel the boom for mining we thus see the boom that looms ahead for mining in the united states the demands for american agriculture will call as never before for an increased volume of phosphate rock for fertilizer and this in turn calls for the increased manufacture of sulphuric acid from our hitherto neglected mines of pyrite and within ten years every district within the united states where lie measures of oil shale will come to its own as a heat and light producer feer second or beyond what our oil districts have hitherto been in our past history our people have decorated their persons with gems and jewels mined and cut abroad our sideboards and tables shone with glass or porcelain ca cast st and nd cut in germany england or france these things henceforth are to come from the products of our own country topaz garnets crystallized quartz opals jasper turquoise malachite jet onyx sa balite chriso phrase diamonds and various colored tour malines will be mined from our mountain ranges and fashioned into jewelry in our country for american men and women as also for our foreign trade and the output of our kilns kalns and potteries will compare with that of any other country under the sun and calling for the mining of our porcelain clays and the mining of glass sands from a thou and of our river shores the increased demand for cement for street and road building and also in use for building in city and country for bridges and cu lverts will call for ten times the volume of cement required in any similar ten years of our history A period of prosperity the above are but a few reasons why those who go down into the earth for metals or coals or oils or or for jewels should take heart and realize that we are about to step into a period differing from any that has gone before in the worlds history these facts are patent to any observer for which reason we can say to anyone having coal areas or oil lands shale lands cement clays phosphate rock m ures pyrite veins or good clay banks hold on to them for the tinie time is about here that will enable him or her to realize from abe them as never before mines of gold silver lead copper antimony manganese or tungsten will do more to enrich the owner than they could have done at any other time in amert can history not only at home will ameri I 1 can miners and mining men give new ze life to american industry but young americans returning from european and asiatic war TO fields filled with life and ambition will go out to open new fields of the mining world beyond the confines of our own country in great numbers they will go down into mei ala ico out over all the states of central Centra led aid south america complete the explorations for mineral stores over all alaska then cross into siberia and prospect the vast tat hitherto uninvestigated mountain areas d 0 china it is simply our dest destiny inyl our duty our mission and we are not only waitis for the smoke to clear from the ba battle fields of europe asia and africa the deai dead to be decently laid away the wounded prok erly cared for good government establishes where disorder and tyranny now reign qa armies repatriated and then look out for the opening of the worlds mining boom 13 was never before known it is coming and coming with a roar |