Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULY 23, 1906. THE REVIVAL IN TIN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 201, 23 July 1906, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULY 23, 1906. THE REVIVAL IN TIN.

EFFECT ON CORNISH AND AUSTRALIAN FIELDS. IT will be remembered that several months ago the commercial cablegrams predicted that the world's stock of tin would run very low before many months had past. After the date the price of tin went up at first gradually, then rapidly, till it attained the highest level for many years. There tvas thei) a slight fall, but at present the 'quotation is still remarkable. Relatively, tin is a more precious metal just now even than copper, which also is more high-priced than it has been for several years. The mmediate effect of existing conditions has been to revive both worK and speculation in the tin deposits and mines in various countries. In Tasmania the industry of stream tin, which had been almost closed since the, eighties of the last century, has become active again; while in New South Wales a once desolate and almost deserted mining field known as Tingha W broken ouf. Into feverish lifo, reminding one of the old Ballarat days. It is impossible to say whether the demand for tin will continue on a basis justifying the revival of many of these old alluvial and other workings ; but for the present at any rate there js a "tin famine ' in the industrial world, and tyje t ni tljinsr i§ doing pettcr than his brotjiej- who seeks gold and silver, ' " * "'

### # « 9 Of especial interest to Britons, how over, is the effect of the revival in tin or the ancient and historic mines of Corn wall. In an articlo in tho ' London "Daily Mail," Mr J. Honry Harris gives some interesting facts and reminiscences regarding the re-opening oi many Cornish tin mines which had been shut down almost during the memory of the present generation. He also mentions several quaint customs connected vyith tjis Ijisfpry anfl traditions of tin-mining in Cornwall.'" Tne "article is headed "Cousin Jack's Smile," ai)d the introductory sentences are aB follows : — When tin booms Cousin Jack smiles, and he is smiling now. This time it has been a long smile, a continuous smile which commenced a year or so ago, t.roadeninK and deepening as the market moved steadily upwards, until now the smile is a sort oi permament fixture upon the faces of all sorts and conditlonij of ijien jjj £h() njining divisionCornish mjHers are" fiouqin stocks ail the world over, and -CotJein vTack v jiaknown what it is to smile before to-day] and then {9 Jjjjyg $§ smile cut short. But this time it seems aq though. the} smile were to be indefinitely prolonged, the world having come £0 the conclusion that it must have tin, cost what it will, and, moreover, it must have Corgi .h tin, if only to mix with tha importations from the Straits and Australia, and bring them up to the standard. To-day the , nrice in ingots isj about £179 Ppr _° 81 li fraction over one penny per ounce, or just three times as high as it was 1 not §0 very .long ago, when many mines were shut down -and Cousin Jack' Hid not smile." (It may b& fitted tfif. fta

price quoted at the date of the article (May 12), £170 a ton, has been considerably exceeded by subsequent quotations, although the present rate — £167 15s — is slightly below.)

• ••••.• . , Tin mining in Cornwall is as ancient as Britain itself — the industry existed even in prehistoric days. Tin was used in the days of Moses, and there is reason to believe that it came from Cornwall.

In an interesting book, "A Captain of Men," a Jewish exile is made to induce Hiram, King of Tyre, to make the first venture by the Phoenicians to the Cornish coast. This is perhaps historically true, for the earliest records available are those referring to the trade done between Cornwall and Phoenician craft. ' Long after the commerce in tin was established, whether by Jews, Egyptians or Phoenicians, the metal was so precious as to be available only for kings' uses. Some say the Phoenicians came in their ships and carried the precious metal away to Carthage ; and some say it was the first landed at some port in Gaul and thence conveyed by pack horses to a port in the Mediterranean, but the cost of transport must have been enormous. Within the last half century the mining operations in Cornwall have greatly diminished. But now, says Mr Harris, the blessed word "rovival" is heard on all sides. One of the familar sights to tourists in Cornwall is the large number of engine-houses in ruins still standing on tho hills and moors and in the valleys with huge heaps of "deads" around them and circular walls built about disused shafts, now filled with water. They are the pathetic survivals of former industrial life, when the toast of "Tin and copper" rang through the country, and speculators drank punch galore at the meetings held in the account houses, under the shadows of these ruins. "Counthouse punch" is only a tradition now; but there was something royal about these ancient festivities, and mine adventurers — not shareholders in those days — jingled guineas in their pockets in an atmosphere of wealth, From beyond Lisfceard down to the Land's End, mines, or "bals," gave employment not only to men, but to large numbers of young women, who wero employed on the dressing floors and in washing the ore after crushing. Tho mine was the centre of industrial life in those days, and working miners were "full of money," which they spent royally in the towns, and the "bal" maidens, working 'n the open air, were finely-developed specimens ' of humanity, thrifty and indepon lcn„

When the slump in tin ca-ne the ' _*i!f were knacked," and the f-ital b'-nclns of broom hoisted over tlv engine -hi'- f-es told their tale of closing down, until t\ . tin-mining area contracted to it's present narrow limits, of wbieh Redruth, with Camborne, is the centr l^. Within this narrow zone the mining energy of the country is now mainly centred. The revival has infused hope into the hearts of the people, who talk and dream of tin and. copper, and of little else. In the light of events in South Africa tho successful reworking of some of the old mines known to be valuable when shut I down will be an immense bobn to Corni wall, whose industries have not for many years been able to support an increasing industrial population in comfort. South African piobleius eunccni t()p |n,du&trial classes in Tjnlatjd !#&!'. intimately than the outside world can know, says Mr Harris, and their settlement with due regard to commercial interests is the one '.hing wanting to make Cousin Jack's smile at the tin boom more radiant than aver. » • • • • • So far as Australasia is concerned, if the high, or even the remunerative, price of tin become stable, it will mean more in a way to thousands than all that Tuartz-mining for fcold will fcvur do. The average tin-field — stream tin and surface workings at least — are essentially tho poor man's Industry. In Tasmania the stream tin is simply screened and bagged, and tho miner is paid after the tare has been deducted. The Mt. Bisch- ._ mine in the past absorbed vast capital, paid huge dividends, and found employment for many. It maintained for years an assay and smelting depot of its own (i$ Launceston. Alining and commission agents wgi'fc kept gojng in the "eighties principally by the traffic in tin at both Hobart and Launceston The minor would como in with a fewbags of stream tin, sell them to the agents, whose clerks were kept busy calculating and deducting tho "tare" or waste, take the cash to tho stores, and buy their requisites, have a good time in town, nnd return to the rivers or coast for more tin. Then the slump came ; and scenes of industry became desolate wastes once more. Similarly, the once mournful Tingha, in New South Wales — the last resort of the dead-beat "hatter" and the fossicking Chinaman — was once a busy centro, and is again burgeoning into joyful development. Where recently the crow croaked over a solitude and the dingo chased the lost sheep weekly race meetings are now being held, all because tin Is at famine prices and Sydney mmmg 'agents are deliriously buying untared tin as fast as the miners can bring it In. Of course there is land speculation too, on a boom scale that threatens a "bust," as usual. But, given stability in tho demand for tin, and both Tingha and the Tasmanian mines and alluvial workings may solidly support th ou §. T) d sof toilep for many years to eon... The rich, of course, wiil gain tho most ; but it should bo also the poor man's prayer that the price of tin may keep up.

In tho Supremo Court at Wellington on tho 6th inst., tho Chief Justice, on the application of Mr E. D. Moore, granted probate of the will of Thomas Adolphus Howden, late of Wakefield, deceased, to Louis Treacher Bowtfen and Walter Ellis Jlowden, the executors pained in tho will.

Mr John Glen, ou behalf pf the Babbit JsWd <JW P]i}i,lipg Committee, notifies it/fiat .11 whp h-ad i>romised to assiut in the planting of trees on tho island, will assemble at Hammond's Corner, Appleby, at 8 o'clock on Wednesday mornmg. The assistance also of sympathisers will be welcome.

Mr H. J. 80-ttany (jr.) has .shown us the plan of an ingenious invention of his o\Yi) \vhicfc he pro - i^-PL... Sh ?"', t he ' Christchurch &>-) $ a \ i? of an automatic taeumatic tyre filler, a n dYt wpuld bfc inlerpstiMg to see a model at Jn o^ The , PURI P w °"' d bo placein the region of the crank axle of Smm1 C> .u°* and tuboa communicate with the roar and front tyres conaccting with the ordinary Yal've of the mncr tubo. A governor automatically shuts off the pumping action when the tubes are fiiWwfth ™i-X?u V° uantit y of air to make the tyres hard, medium, or soft can be regelated Jjy a eprhu, and worm-whoe) %Uap|i, l _.„ t .'« t ' $J «Wi.,ow to tse ffovfcrndi'.ttero jY? Safety valve near the head of the bicycle, and it can be turned in a moment by the rider. A further safeguard is an emergency brake which is also useful on br^narv Phe de n gr. r>rpvk oy j Qr ball _eariivg throi^outh arid 'fepeffi jS& rfcqlarod the invention TC <S h»S«Wo apd a valuable 9 & v ?ovl ment. nis claimed that it ca_ be applied to motor cars, . VotS? waggons, and, in fact, to Vl. V °W_i? US 'J? K „ the P«™mo«c principle All Wish Mr Douaby aufloSw . _& an automatic tyre-filler WO uld bo a boon and a blessing to all who use motor cars and bicycles. H r Bcttany has also shown us the Plans for a patent spring straight ™ PPa Thn S f0 '' ( the USe of brick! lajers The contrivance will wind up automatically ty moai-js 0 i 1 spring over joi) y/.rds of Una and additional tension. The nlnno _._ admirably drawn and Xt 'c^lt on Mr Bettany, who is a s °lftaught young man.

J The Rev. D. H. Dillon, spring /nt nn immirciee feathering in connection with the Oram., celebrations hold in Sydney recently, said m spite- of what had boprj said t« ifc Umt „an eh " r <* "£ ™tx'„ ho Rat < s(^ that she was making a determined effort for pow!Ll n _^ U - tr f !ifll ._ Ho cantended h„ i *?° fc *E. Binco . the Reformation *° f . En P' a «d reeeivod Such a deliberate insult as it did £-,-" w° conv «'sion tof Princess -.__;• i l I? _^ fi '"O* onfi t»f those ?,_ -_f T* 1 j n. ministers not taking part In politics, an_ he fntetid»«i to take n hand in the comity -wi! ons _ |wl "" n he h °P° d that those who ww HstenlTTe. to him would see that clean men, honourable men, and true men wero

A special meeting of the Nelson Labourers' Union will be hold this evening at 7.30.

Mr J. A. Maude, tho well-known Australasian poultry judge, was in Nelson to-day, on his way to adjudicate at West Coast shows.

A musical and literary entertainment, under the auspices of St. John's Young Men. Bible Class, will be given in the Methodist Schoolroom to-morrow evening,, commencing at 7.30.

Tho Anchor Company did not launch their new steamer "Koi" this morning, the" tide not being Considered high enough. There is every prospect of a much better tide to-morrow, and it is expected that the launch will take place at bctw;!>n 10.30 and 11 o'clock in tin morning.

In the Supreme Court at Wellington on Friday last, before Mr Justice Cooper, on the application of Mr Arthur Maginnity, probate of the will of the late Jane Sarah Townson was granted to William Thompson, one of the executors named in the will, leave being reserved for the Rev. F. W. Chatterton, the other executor, to come in and prove.

The success of the motor waggon in Wellington in hauling heavy weights with facility has raised the question of the advisa'bleness of the State coal depot utilising that means of transit and delivery of its coal. A comparison of .the cost of ordinary horse delivery and that by steam waggon is considerably in favour of the latter, both iv regard to speed and expense.

Two Moors, n cobbler antl a woman seventy years of age, nccussed of murderin X'K ' thirty young women, the object being: robbery, were driven round Tangier on donkeys in a hall-naked state and publicly flowed. They loudly confessed their guilt. ' Thirty headless l}oitlie_. h_d oeen found buried beneath a room in the cobbler's house.

The substantial increase shown in the Auckland gold returns for the first half of the present yeap as compared with thos for the corresponding period of 1905 is a, gratifying indication of the steady progress which the ((old mining industry continues, to make, says the Auckland "Herald.", The total yield amounted to £600,000, as against £427, 000 last year, and there is evory likelihood of this proportion being maintained, if not exceeded, during the ensuing six months.

The law governing local bodies' elections must have been slung together when tho legislators of this fair land were in a hurry to pet away to tea or to play golf (says the "Press"). At any rate, there is on.c most glaring omission in its provisions. According to evidence heard during the election petition at Christchurch recently, there is noth ing. to check double voting. "A man may voto in half a dozen different places, ana we should have no check on him. in the ordinary couiJe," says Mr G. W. Hulme. He added that the matter had been brought before the Municipal Association, with a view to securing a re medy.

A report recently Issued in London shows in a most striking manner the gerat development of Great Britain's trade in recent years. British trade(imports and exports) increased fron: £877,986,391 in 1902, to £972,616, 444 in 1905, or no less than £94,986,391 in tht short space of three years. Of this enormous increase £26,250,000 was in trade with the colonies, and £67,750,000 in trade with foreign countries. Import; from tho colonies increased by £21,250,---000, and. ssporlii to colonies increased by £5,.0O;CfoO ; Yn.'pofls." from foreign countries jncreaspd by £15,000,000, and exports to foreign countries increased by fib-.asQ.oog.

Booming morrily on Tuesday next — "The Arabian Nights," at 8 p.m.*

The Taranaki ''Daily Sows" says : — There is a well authenticated, story that for very many years thp settlement in t[io Pttrnngi district, in t}ic back blocks from In-fi-—wood, baid been unable to produce a fomalb child. So peculiar a physiological fact naturally interested prospective parents, and. Ihe subject in time became the main topic of social conversation. After many discussions, the settlers at length put their heads togvt he r, ajjd decided to offer a trophy to the first fiil'l born in the settlement, That, wo are* informed, was 12 years, but until last week, male babies alone contimioil to reward the settlers' enterprise. At last, however, a girl baby has appeared as a claimant to the silver goblet, and rejoicing is universal.

Tho sun shines on "The Arabian Nights '—Tuesday «*-_ Wednesday next,*

The real facts about the recent scare caused by the rumour that King Edward had died suddenly in Paris, says the London "Tribune," have only just leaked out. Many persons of course jumped to the conclusion that the rumour was Spread, by people interested in sending the prices of government _oek down on the stock exchange, but the actual facts are as follows. A businers man named Joseph King, who is fairly wel! known in Paris and London circles, dropped dead in the French capital from heart failure. His friends at once wired his agents in London the word, "King died suddenly this afternoon." The lady clerk who opened the telegram at once told every one in the office that the king was dead. The rumour spread in an incredibly short time throughout the business quaiter, and the next morning there was almost a panic in the newspaper offices and a distinct slump on the exchange. Those facts were gathered at the earnest request of the king himself, who was very much disturbed about the matter, and insisted on knowing how the report had arisen.

Two events worth rememberfcngWodnesxlav is Arbour Dav, Wed nesday night "Tho Arabian Nights' at tho Theatre Royal at 8 p.m.*

Have you <j cough, cold, 01 weak throat! Tuss_ura is' the king of all throat and liing remedies, obtainable 3t G. F. Hings^op.*

AVh.oro « bi? " hums—At the Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, "The Arabian Nights,"*

Cleans.- the system from ail imparities, making good _".. h Hood by taking Dr Ensor's Tamer Juice, obtainable at G. F. Eingston.

The secret of good health Is obtained by taking Dr Ensor's Tamor ,)uice, ob tainablp af f}, F, Binssfco'ri." Have you a aore that won't heal. If so try Witch's Herbal Ointment— a mighty healer.--G. F. Hingston, Agent >j I. yidM