| Show REAL ROMANCE ROMANGE OF RED REO METAL oJ While Production Is on Increase Demand Is Assuming Enor Enol Enormous Proportions COPPERS USE IS UNIVERSAL lug NOt lint l nUIt Countries An ZI Von nn nii About Special Correspondence Aug JU 5 tim tho ro no roo of copper much linn iman been writ written ton ten electrical engineers u throughout the world have In tho time two or three years earll discovered dl n jI Brent about Its stern reality That is is s why wh tIo the drop In III tho the price of ot time the metal la is s regarded hopefully among tile tho th men who wh have havo to a II long way ahead on in probable cost CaNt of construe construction tion tn If It copper should get hack to 20 rents a IL 1 pound and 1111 1 stay there thero every American city oily that has hns to pay Imy for trio trie service servie will havo reason for tor re no rejoicing jot SOME THINGS KNOWN KNOW Almost everybody knows in a n gen gon general eral 11 vay tho the story tory of or aristocratic arl In Investments vestments In mining tho useful Indus Industrial trial metal mob In Boston Doston long the lend lead leadIng lendIng Ing lug American center canter of or copper speculation lation elderly mIll men still sUIl babble of or days clay when whon they might havo bought and buy Calumet If coin for tor 31 S 1 1 a II share sharo to sell soli out a 0 generation later at a II share shuro lute has heard how families tam Illes of ot the time New England city elly during the tile lust last half halt of or tho tim nine nillo century gouged moro more than tima si In out of tho the Michigan peninsula alone Then Thon there tharo are aI tho the familiar romantic facts fact re no regarding garding the tho greatest of ot copper camps Butte Hulle Montana originally designed to tu tobo tobe bo be a center of Dr gold gall butt but moro lately building Its prosperity almost entirely upon tho the production of or the tho best betit 11 of ot electrical conductors Most youth rou th have havo read rend fascinating stories of at tho copper mines of at Cornwall push lUsh lag ambitiously under tho the sea sen to points where tho the beating of ot tho the waves can Call ho hI heard heird through tho the thin crust cru t which preserves the tho chambers front from I nt ga torn cities have havo seen scan not mint a little of ot copper Icings kings of ot Most Mon Montana I tana tUla Arizona and Mexico who now I their riches In Now York and Washington building ragtime palaces p acos that thu make the luo architects laugh lau h with glee aunt and tho thio public with derision PRICE HIGH Not everyone however appreciates imo ho closely the stern reality or of tho the copper situation has hns In tho the Immediate past touched ordinary Americans In their every day activities For FIr some somo sometime time copper has been boen retailing at about 25 5 cents a u pound That Is a n avery avery very velo high hight price Many can remember when the tho Junk dealer offered otT 8 or 3 9 cents a pound for fol the bottom of ot moth mothers mothers ers leaky If boiler There Thre havo hao been beon all II 11 sorts of at variations variation clue due partly to supply and ond demand and partly to the manipulations of or the market since 1861 1801 when whon copper coppe actually touched 0 G cents down to 10 1894 1304 when the market irice was wan 9 3 cents It look looked looked ed cd as ns If it an un inflated would bo be put upon the tho th metal for to somo some to como come when the thc celebrated French of ot the time tate Into eighties under tinder undertook tuck took t l to control time the entire output of at the timO world But Jut the syndicate begat began its wash wark to too l early oarl The Tho era ero of tho time present Immense electrical develop development ment was waK then only starting The rUe rUea syndicate a became overloaded because everyone with any IllY new now or old copper to sell rushed rushell In to get the benefit of high prices offered Presently there therefore tore fore tor thero timera WM wn n a drop droll and tho the syn syndicate syndicate leato landed Inn ed underneath The Tho prices were too numerous to pick up SUPPLY SERIOUS QUESTION What for some somo years has Imas been troubling tro ling the thc engineers who have to estimate for tor a long time tinie ahead almead the time cost of giving ing various forms of ot electrical service such as ns lighting traction and tho the tele phone has hns been lie en the uncertainty whether er en there will be he enough copper to go around That Is 19 a a 0 serious matter Tho average man roan does docs not understand that tho the length of at the tim ride rille that ho he gets on tho time trolley for tor a IL nickel el tho the nico he Ite pays IIII per kilowatt hour for electric light in isis hIs house or em ti amount which tho the telephone company charges him for tor his 1 il contract on ona onit a it party line lino or Dr a II single lino IIno Is 11 depend dependent ont ent more upon the tho cost of copper than of ot any one ono factor NO 0 SUBSTITUTE KNOWN Suppose copper tIme the metal for exam example pie should advance III In price up to the tho point reached after tho the Civil ly l I GO CO cents No Nm available n nl I 0 substitute has over been licen found for tor copper Is liy by y yar tar far ar tho time heat best of or electrical Any of ot time tho other editor metals whoso condus Is Iii high belong In the precious of ot class cluss and mire not available ble ide An All advance of ot per pOl cent over present prices of or lh time the metal would mean that between I on centres of population on omu lines would have havo to tolie he lie collected not perhaps twice n ns as often otten as nl now but certainly much that JIS 18 telephone tele service would have to tobo toI bo I advanced not perhaps to Sli 35 or 10 but bitt certainly to moro moose 20 Great Client KB liS time the economic are arc that ran can ho he Iroc practised Practised tiRed by nn arm Industrial corporation corp whon It has hns to In do un no bore thero t are limits hum I t a and it nil of ot mill all persuasions 1 are nrc convinced that high priced copper COPIer Is la time the limit PRODUCTION ON INCREASE Figures I arc notoriously dry reading but Jut there thoro are sonic nomo statistics In connection tion with vitis copper production that tho t are fairly encouraging nt it tho the present time when the tit average O man who vimo IH Is paying II III from rout 25 to tu pun pOI clInt cant more Inane for tor all nil tho tile of ot life than ho ito had to pay a arow afew tow row years ngu migu relish the time Idol hlo of hiving to pay pa bigger light and telephone lillie hills Time Tho worlds pro liri production of copper Ins hiss increased from year to year In accordance with time the Eel fol following lowing table ISO 1605 16 18 J 5 toco e mw lOI 1001 1902 1002 1903 1093 1 01 1005 GUI NI W Olf That In is 1 mund thorn In is Ini ff i very likelihood mi st experts expert nay aim lint Hint till timi growth will New ew fields for to ol the lw met iam ut of c muse lire in i mig up mill eve IT yells 1 4 I thin t ii is now gives given he tip un moru inure thun half I of the Iho ito world output IU it 11 ru IU t V no 1111 ugh of nt c ox ima mist 10 n nOn On In the Ito I suite lIlu of or a f iI Ic II for p tx x 14 i m qua n t I I N of lit if tho lie t metal ad been taken nicest out omit Ailleo time tho I lie fortIes the tue older oilier mines ton con on tinus In to t yield a II number I of ones will nih soon hooi bo lie I oler 1 lIr I t III hEr r YI yield I ng more lanue und and m II in Then Is III a it vent loll ant only partially 1 of or Ft ru In is 1 4 liti ii ml y in mid only to 10 Iho lii C i i 11 Hint In lii output 1 I Ihl III III II I i rrt l lri tf it If H I II I America UI havo JIMI hardly been touched touch u limo Tho ho aro uro ti y In itt Sunlit which have imaO made mn 1 the third copper pro lint producing country of ot thiC th world Siberia Is known to 10 have hl grout nORt possibilities lee lell Aus Australia Is III to lii have havo copper mines OB us well ell ns rill gold guM FAST PAST Tim rite rh only DulY for Cor lon has hns hn lulu In iii time tho tact fact that Hint while each years of at eipper Id I it tho I last the time worlds great grent electrical In lit have IIno been boen po eo pomuch much faster aster that It has hea bc ii hard to 10 flee how there could be lie to 10 go An R n things any nT the time Bell Uell system Is 1 s lri to be tIme the th largest single user uS of copper coppel In the world 1 amid nud the timi lip telephone utility I It genot iii Ie making BUll likely to t continue to tu make loll Upon the available of the time rod red metal The rite Bell companies now havo mote than I h 11 In Ism tine Ulle these Ihu telephones being connected e by hJ b bhone moro hone tItan than 7 miles oC ot o wire TELEPHONES Erl BIO 1110 PHI III In forecasting tho time demand for fa I cop Clip copper per 1111 In tim tho time future the telephone engin engineer m eel eer must take Inko lute Into account not only llio 1110 t In ism tho tue Hull Bell but those Iho e not lint connected with It Accord AccordIng Ing hI to 10 0 estimate timer thero Ihl about telephones In the United Stole Then In T rule there an mur now telephone and time tho Ih moro moore lo i if t nIl lire to tn their past paRt deficiencies with A f several severn I of Cit thorn Lire are now showing a it growth which Is IB almost In It Its rapidity Out Outside side of ot Norh America J ml Europe r 10 only about telephones an are in iii u Ut i lint hut there lire signs that limo si sl silent silent lent sullen ullen races are to the advantages of or the utility which an mm annihilate spare space nd time RATES ARE AFFECTED These circumstances of the practically ally extension of their util utility ity It have havo made telephone engineers In particular wonder jut Juat where they are coming out Time The recent high price of copper It Is III WI well ell known hits has already cu ed ninny many of the time independent In com companies panics of the tho United States Stales to taco face the time alternative of at either olther raising their rates or or at going Into bankruptcy Some of ot these started In III with wHIt an III honest belief bellot that they tile the could coull gIve 11 va service at ut a low price hut but their estimates were nide at nt time the th time when whon copper caliper was selling elling for tor 16 or IC 16 cents leut Bell companies havo not hot generally been beon obliged to Increase their rates but 25 I cent copper hila time the lem of ot keeping them down u II very tory dlf dif ono one COPPER USED EVERYWHERE Electrical engineers In ln the employ of ot street railway and am righting corpor torpor corporations lure lra said mild to ho be having hall tho time same Hassle experience Miles Ues of at track of ci 01 the time trans transportation companies of ot this timis country for example Increased loin In itt 1530 1100 1 0 to In Itt II lUO and time the ex ox tension lon of the lines hues Is going on with mith unprecedented rapidity mp I li Lighting are I re being ox ex expanded and old time the various minor electric ul ill 11 enterprises sine Ul using copper Ev Et Everywhere g the time ha ho been felt or giving hll service nt at prices which are reasonably Iea remunerative copper was WI soiling at It I 15 II l |
