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MINERAL RESOURCES.
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The zinc ores and the lead-zinc ores rarely contain more than 3 or 4 ounces of silver per ton and yield practically no gold.
Tables
showing the extent of concentration will be found in many of the state
reports, but it is not yet possible to compute a general table
illustrating this for all of the Western States.
The
first eight months of 1907 were most prosperous for the mining
industry. High prices for the metals continued and development work was
in progress in all districts. The scarcity of labor, however, continued
and its efficiency in many places decreased. Strikes interfered with
the work in Alaska, California, and South Dakota. The freight
congestion on the railroads of the previous year was somewhat relieved.
A number of smelting works were built or projected in Arizona, Utah,
Idaho, and Washington. Great mills were built and put in operation in
western Nevada at Goldfield, Tonopah, Bullfrog, and other places.
Concentrating mills on a very large scale were built for the great
low-grade deposits at Ely, Nev., and Bingham, Utah. It is regrettable
that such general activity in mining is always accompanied by the
organization of a great number of more or less fraudulent enterprises.
The three last months stand in strong contrast to the rest of the
year. The financial difficulties of October led to the closing- of a
great number of smelters and mines throughout the West, but
particularly in Montana, Utah, and Arizona. In addition a strike
interfered with the work at Goldfield during the end of the year.
Little relief from these conditions was experienced up to the end of
the year.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE GOLD PRODUCT OF 1907.
The following table shows the source of gold in the United States in 1907, by kinds of ore and by States:
Source
of gold in 1907 in States and Territories, as reported from the mines
to the United States Geological Survey, by kinds of ore and by States,
in fine ounces. «
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