Show SOLVING COSTS the mining and smelting smelling sm elting operators of utah have sent letters to salt lake business men and to dealers in utah mining camps explaining the decline in the market price of copper and lead following the armistice of M making aking and eap exp expressing the determination living cost of a strenuous effort to reduce the in g to their employees as well as the cost of supplies for their own use the letters state that the sudden slum in the quotations for the two metals mentioned mining great burden upon threw a to some and smelting smelling sm elting companies forcing and an IO n huspen suspend d and all to curtail production product to 1 cut of from 75 cents necessitating a curtail but while these curtail per day in wages been be havo have ments and reduction of wages supplies made the cost of living and all mining milling and in basis have remained on a war the companies some instances higher w the have therefore determined to investigate relief situation first hand and if ge general in cannot be obtained it is clearly that further suspensions in may ay be necessary ner essary list ill 1 accompanying the letter is a price regarding prices pa which information is asked this paid for food in 1915 1918 and 1919 1916 peas butter list includes flour rice sugar ham bacon string beans tomatoes eggs pork beans etc concluding the letter to the business men the operators say the only two items of expense over which the metal mine owner has any control are payroll and supply accounts and he must look to these for relief if he is to continue his operations wages have come down other costs must come down or the mines will close and if the mines close the smelters shelters sm elters close we have been unable to ascertain that those who furnish supplies to us and necessaries of life to our employed emp loyes are making efforts to reduce the cost of these comm commodities odil unless action along this line is taken at once and substantial reductions are made many more mining properties will close down in the near future this would cause great distress to our men and their families and injury to the commercial and manufacturing interests of the state as well as to the mining industry we have determined to act in the matter ourselves rather than to remain acquiescent and see our own business crippled with consequent bad effect on the state as a whole our preliminary inquiries disclose that costs of supplies and necessaries in salt lake city and the mining camps are as high today as they were last july we propose to extend our inquiries as far as possible and to take such action as will best serve our welfare and that of our employed emp loyes your operation cooperation co is invited to solve a situation which if not corrected in the immediate future will seriously injure your business as well as ours we are collecting data from all sources and ask you to assist by supplying us the information requested on the accompanying blank together with anything else you believe would be of value in the premises the mining industry has borne all of the present burden it can stand others interested must assume part of the load unless they are prepared to sacrifice at least a considerable portion of the benefits they have derived through mining activity and through the patronage of those who gain their livelihood from mining in this state the letter is signed by irner imer pett general manager bingham mines company and eagle and blue bell mining company chairman C E allen alien manager of mines U S smelting smelling Sm elting refining and mining company fred cowans general manager utah copper consolidated mining company C F jennings assistant purchasing agent utah copper company F J westcott secretary silver king coalition mines company and J B 13 whitehill ore purchasing agent international smelting smelling Sm elting company |