Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1903)
Wednesday, February n, 1903 SUGGESTIONS ON MINING LAWS Idah 082,000.00 Montana 0,710,025.00 Michigan 3,440,000.00 Missouri 345,000.00 Moxlco 2,035,000.00 Nevada 44,210.00 South Dakota 1,130,000.00 Utah 5,709,000.00 Oregon 12t,500.00 )fffff'f'fff'f'f'f'f'f'f'f'1'f't't'ff'(j Victor Mining Co. : APPOINTMENT OF MINING COM MISSION IS THE BEST METHOD. THE SUMPTER MINER Conditions at They Now Exist in Oregon Require the Enactment of Liwi Gov erning the Mining Industry Aggregate of Output and Dividends Should be Known Mining Needed. Inspectors Badly It Iiiih coinu to Tiik MiNKit from a fairly rolinlilti soiircu Unit thuru will hu nn effort Hindu to UiihIi any iuiuiiii l('Kinliitioii which Iiiih, or may heroaftur eoinu iH'forn thoiiKKUiubly now in cession at .Siilmu. Tim iroM)H'd method is to indefinitely (iHtinn consideration of such hills, ami allow them to die a llnneriiiK hut lestul death. This is considered the, most oxieditious method of KL'ttiiiK rid of u ntiuiher of features which aru olmox lous to many. In lieu of the measures, the proposi tion is to havu a law enacted wherehy u milling coHimiHsiou will he apH)iuted. This body t draft a hill covering uvery point necessary, and inbuilt thu sauiu to the legislative assembly at their sen sion two years hence. Should this scheme be carried through, us its progenitors appear to desiru; except that a commission will bu ul work framing u law, the mining laws of Oregon, to use a legal phrase, will re main in statu ipio. Although the measures now before our law makers have called forth much adverse criticism, and are more or less faulty, yet they aru legally tieforo either the senate or housu of representatives for disciiHsien or amendment, and each constituent of every member, has the glorious American privilege of entering his protest, if ho has any. Tiik Mi.hkk has expressed its views and made its criticism on these hills us they exist in their present form. How they will apH'iir after issuing from the committee room, or what resemblance they will have to their originals after being considered by the committee of the whole, is beyond thu human range of vision to forsee. There is no iiiestion of doubt, how ever, but that the state of Oregon needs mining legislation, and needs it badly; Ulid it is to I hi hoped tlliit ll mod I lied form of the Itohhius bill, for instance, will lie passed at this session, even if a mining commission should be appointed which would make recommendations to thu next legislature. In the llrst place, there should be tin act whereby the output of the mineral production of the state should be known. The public ueeil not be made aware of the amount produced from each mine, but the aggregate of all metals, miner als, clays, building stones, abrasive materials, etc., produced. Next, it should be known the amount of dividends that have been paid by metalliferous mines. To give an ex ample; for the year UR1-, mining journ al arc publishing the dividends of thu in. lies in different states uud territories in the United States, British Columbia iii.il Mexico. To make this oint much pi. uner, tliev are hereby given us totals, tin' names of the mines being left eut: A ..iska 000.000.00 A ion 110,115.00 i lisli Columbia 452,000.00 t ifornia 1,017,774.50 t orado 3,281,212.00 Grand total 27,555,022.10 It may hu as well to statu that the Oregon dividend was declared by the Helena Consolidated Gold Mining com pany, whose property Is located in thu Bohemia district. Not thu name of a single eastern Oregon mine appears on thu above list of dividend payers. Does not this fact make some legislation necessury? Another matter which urgently re ipilres thu passago of n milling act at this session, is thu great need of onu or more mining inspectors. Several acci dents in mines havu incurred in thu Siiiiipter district during the present year. Although no doubt some of thesu mishaps were entirely unavoidable, yet doubtless one or more would not have occurred had u mining inspector thor oughly examined the ground. Can any one bo so bereft of reason us to claim that mining insjiectors aru not ubso lutely necessary when, according to re ports ut hand at thu time of writing, 200 feet of thu main shaft of u prominent Sumpler district mine caved in after the last load of human freight had been hoisted from thu depths? It is far better not to load down our representatives at thu state Capitol with too many suggestions. It is far easier to give advicu to others than to apply thu same rule to ourselves. But there lire other regulations which might bu adopted that would bu of benefit to thu mining industry. Onu is thu qualifica tion of ussayers, for instaucu. Those who engage In this iniortant brunch of business should, in a measure, bu hedged Hround by rules similar to those who follow other professional occupations. In thu opinion of thu writer, thuru should bu an examining Isiurd Itofnru whom all ussayers who do custom work should npieiir, and on passing such examination would bu granted n certillcate. In this manner an honorable and responsible profession would bu protected, uud only those who hud thu requisite knowledge would bu allowed to perform work for thu public. Of course prospectors or mine owners who make tests for themselves, would not come under thu provisions of such u law. It is presumed that thu members of thu statu legislature, or ut least those who aru from thu mining districts, havu sutlicieiit knowledge of thu needs and requirements of their respective con stituents, and are endowed with plenty of stamina so that they will have passed some enactment which will lietter min ing conditions. No matter what blame can bu laid at their doors for thu bills already introduced, they should lie given credit for one wise move; they shut out place hunters from drafting bills to a considerable extent. Thu suggested establishing of n mining bureau, and all appointments coming from that source effectually covered this point. It is uu absolute impossibility to cre ate u statute to cover every point which may come up; hence some laws are general in their nature. Therefore, give the people of Oregon a law which will, in u general way cover come of thu . defects now existing, and we can follow i the rule of U. S. Grunt. If it is bad wo can have it rewaled ; if good we will have its benefits. Only the best brands ot liquors and cigars at Duuphy'a "The Club." THE FIRST BLOCK OF TREASURY STOCK IS NOW ON THE MARKET LOCATED IN THE RED BOY DISTRICT THE PROPERTY HAS BEEN WORKED ON FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS VALUES RUN FROM $50 TO $300 PER TON IN GOLD AND SILVER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ADDRESS G. M. Rockwell 5c Co. 701-702 Herman BIdg. Milwaukee, Wis. WM. II. TIBBALS, President. SEYMOUR II. BELL, Manager. 3aM - -F - - -ar aLAKaAXaAMaAAiaSijlaali avaf-BABk S Vk WHEELER & S. BANKERS 32 Broadway, Now York FISCAL AGENTS FOR BLUE BIRD MINING CO. AND VALLEY QUEEN MINING CO. Write for Prospect us. Mention No. 00 and wo will send you a copy of "OREGON'S RESOURCES," nn illustrated pamphlet on Ore gonV famous gold mines, and a three months trial subscription to the NORTH AMERICAN MINER IF YOU WISH TO EN VEST IN mKSg"I Either to buy Gilt Edge Stocks, a Prospect that is "the Making of a Mine," or one that is already made, write me what you want and permit me to submit a proposition. ADDRESS rE.SSDERSONSr5TH SUMPTER, MINES AND MINING STOCKS OREGON i