Show 1 CO COPPER CON CONFERENCE FER EN CE CEIS IS ON TODAY IN WASHINGTON Belief Belef Is I Expressed Tat That Price Will Wil Be Advanced to 25 Cents The conference ce arranged some time ago between copper producers and re refiners re- re finers and the war Industries board beSaS began began be- be re-I re I gan SaS In Washington Wednesday Belief l Is expressed r by some that a U the e price of copper p will rt be e bial raised to o tr 25 cents e I Ia I Ia I I a pound but more conservative c copper V men have their doubts as to any In increase in- in I crease at 11 I I V It I Is declared by the Boston News Newa Bureau Bureau Bu Bu- Bu- Bu reau that more th than ihn n 95 per cent of the American output can be very profitably produced at 23 cents per pound While the output just Jov now is behind that of the same period ow a year ago the problem Is not so so much inability to produce at present selling price as It is one of ef efficient efficient ef- ef labor bor abo In sufficient Quantity One difficulty Is with wih the refiners Costs of refining copper have risen sharply In the two years jears and many refineries to today today to- to day are treating copper on the basis of I contracts made three and four tour years ago since Ince which time labor supplies fuel etc have more than doubled In price It Is believed therefore that at the coming meeting the government may I make some advance as constituting a alere basis basic lere for settlement l m m bebi between producer I f and refiner erSt that will be fair to both This however would not take care of the high cost cos producers whose costs have risen in some cases to as high as 30 cents a pound but who are operating on a reduced scale in order to keep their mines and equipment in good condition and not demoralize their thi-lr working organizations organ organ- About fifteen of these companies companies companies compa compa- nies with an aggregate capacity of 75 pounds of copper annually have formed a committee and are to present their case at Washington This committee commit commit- tee takes the position that with wih the American and allied aled nations struggling for every pound of copper they can obtain ob ob- ob- ob tam tain here is a production that unless something is done will wi shortly be cut t c off of altogether N. N I. I I. I Amster president of the Shannon Copper company is chairman of the c committee |