Show THE SMELTER FUME PROBLEM in the last issue of the mining review the leading article was devoted to the smelter fume problem copying extensively from a contribution on this subject to mining magazine the writer being no less a personage than A W warwick the eminent mining man and metallurgist in the contribution trib ution alluded to mr warwick makes the statement that in colorado alone 50 men are directly dependent upon the mining industry which in turn is dependent almost completely upon the custom mills and smelters shelters sm elters this statement we are led to believe is a most conservative one as it is safe to assume that an equal number in utah rely almost solely upon the mining industry for occupation and a living and it is not an exaggeration to say that were the market to be cut off which is now sustained by the mining and smelting smelling sm elting industry the operations of nearby farming communities would be practically fruitless because of this lack of ready market for the product of their farms the mines of bingham according to all available statistics give employment to 2500 men while more are employed in various capacities about the camp which has a daily ore output of ivr r tons and a monthly payroll of over to say nothing of the number of men employed the daily output and the monthly payroll of the numerous other big mining districts of the state and these figures should be borne in mind when considering the suits for damages which have been filed against the smelting smelling sm elting companies operating in salt lake valley the defendants in these suits in their answers to the same call attention to these conditions and being willing to pay for all damage actually done because of smelter smoke or fumes it appears as if blood money or blackmail were really the demand and oba object act of the plaintiffs instead of a just and equitable demand for loss and damage incurred by reason of blight and devastation caused by reason of smoke and fumes the united states smelter alone employs 1000 men in its smelter and mines and over in other departments and the number of persons actually dependent upon the company for support is placed at but this is not all for when the number of other companies who sell their ore to this company are taken into consideration it is found that the number of persons relying upon the operations of the united states company for support is increased to over 13 and this is only one of the big smelt ing plants in salt lake valley the smelter of the american smelting smelling Sm elting refining company gives employment to more men and therefore in the aggregate is the means of support of a larger number in proportionate ratio the bingham consolidated directly and indirectly gives employment and means of support to a large number of men the utah consolidated employs men and has a payroll in excess of 56 pe per r month while hundreds of other mining companies employing a great number i of men and paying out manya man thousands monthly in the way of wages are largely dependent upon the smelters shelters sm elters for a market for their ores and upon the success or failure of these companies depend the hopes and sustenance of many thousands and also the welfare of the state for the mining industry of utah is the backbone of the prosperity of the state ask any resident of the valley if he would like to see the smelters shelters sm elters close down and he will give you an emphatic no to close the smelters shelters sm elters would imperil the welfare of the valley they have created a ready and cash market for almost every farming product of that locality without this market this product would be virtually valueless the farmers do not wish to have the smelters shelters sm elters closed down excepting in a few instances they are not willing to settle at a fair valuation for the damage actually done but claim thousands where in all justice a few hundreds would be equitable return for all injuries sustained it would be unpleasant to state in cold type what the aim and intent of the complaining pla ining farmers appear to be but the thinking public will have no difficulty in reading between the lines in forming its opinion of what ter term m night might well ba applei ei to r them ta |