OCR Text |
Show LEAD AND THE CARBONATE. Attack of the New York "Tims" on Miliar or the West. ; New York. Oct. 17.-The; Times prints the following editorial uqder the head line "Lead and Carbontate:" "The price of pig lead continues to advance and with it must rise the prices of many articles of necessity in the manufacture of which lead is used. The cost of lead pipe and of plumbing work, for example, will be increased. The selling price of lead is higher now by nearly 60 per cent than it was a few months ago, before the treasury department depart-ment yielded to the demand of the Colorado Col-orado carbonate ripg and restricted the importation from Mexico of the silver-lead fluxing ores that have practically practi-cally been excluded by the very high duty in the new tariff. Lead in its sev eral manufactured forms is not an article arti-cle of luxury. The increased cost will be felt by substantially all consumers. The exclusion of the silver-lead fluxing ores of Mexico has not only raised the price by reducing the supply of ore in this country, but it also appears to have had the effect upon certain branches of our mining industry that was foretold by certain opponents of the ring. The following was published yesterday by the Sun, in a dispatch reviewing the condition of the mining industry in New Mexico and other parts of the southwest: The smelter will now have to pay higher price for lead ores for fluxing and producers of dry ores will have to pay higher smelting charges. The purchasing agent of the largest snieliing works In New Mexico says that the snielters are not going to lose anything by having to pay hieh prices fo lead ores. Higher prices for smelting silver ores will mean a reduction re-duction of the margin of profit to silverm nera which tho advance in the price of silver gave them. This will leave the silver mining industry indus-try here ia about the same condition as for the thrse vears past. Mexican silver miners get the full benetrt of an advance of over sl cents an ounce on their product. which comes In free, wnile American miners have to pay higher smelter charges to ea-ible the purchasing agents of the smelters to pay a duty of I3U per ton on Mexican lead ti flux their ores, or a correspondingly hljiber price for the domestic product if a sufficient supply can be obtained. American mines have never yet been able to supply the demand for lead ores. This condition condi-tion of affairs may be disagreeable to the miners min-ers of dry ores and to ft majority of the smelters, smelt-ers, but it must be highly satisfactory to the ring that controls the carbonate mine of Colorado. Colo-rado. "The Sun has a correspondent to whose letters it has given the place of honor in its columns, and who has told in those letters at considerable length a story about the investment of large sums in the Harrison campaign fund two years ago by the owners of the carbonate car-bonate mines of Colorado. As this correspondent appeared to enjoy the confidence of some of these men and to be working in their interest with respect res-pect to the duty on Mexican ores his disclosures receive attention. We hope he will not overlook our contemporary's i report from the mining regions." |