The Northern Miner, July, 1940

CHINS UP

“We shall never surrender,” declared British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. And never in all history has a more stirring battle cry gone out from the leader of a free people bent on the defeat of an enemy at its gates. Nine months of war have brought us face to face with the realities which we then foresaw so clearly. We repeat what we have been stressing: Either we win or down we go.

MINE CAMPS SPEED WAR EFFORTS

Mining camps of the North are buckling down to the war effort, including the so-called war “charities” (a gross misnomer) in a manner and with a will reminiscent of their proud record in the last great war.

From almost every point on the mining map comes word of intensified war activity — enlistments, organization, donations and — last but not least — a general weeding out of “fifth column” suspects from the ranks of the workmen.

At one mine, a survey revealed that about 22% of the workforce was of alien birth and about 12% had not become naturalized Canadians. In one or two instances at one mine, several men who had been outspoken in favor of Naziism were saved from summary justice by their fellow employees only through dismissal.

DRILL INTERSECTION BEST IN L.L.L. CAMP

Hundreds of thousands of feet of diamond drilling have been completed in the Little Long Lac camp, but last week Hard Rock Gold Mines set a new mark with the best intersection that has yet been obtained — a core length of 105.5 ft. averaging $12.53.

At Hard Rock, the original three holes showed a grade of about $10 for core lengths of 86 ft., 70.5 ft., and 48.5 ft., while at MacLeod one hole gave 72.6 ft. averaging $13.20 and another returning 54 ft. of about $10 grade.

GERMANY’S OIL SUPPLY UNCERTAIN

Germany fashioned a war machine designed to run on oil; in 1938, she imported more than 75% of her normal requirements and at the present time 90% of those import sources are shut off.

When does she run out of gas? That commonplace question, so often heard these days, has terrific meaning to us when it is applied to Germany.

Nobody can do more than guess, but readers may be interested to know that members of The Northern Miner staff who have been thinking and writing about oil and the Nazis for several years have guesses ranging between 150 and 300 days.

FORD PROPOSES 5,000 WARPLANES A DAY

Edsel Ford stated in Washington, D.C. that the Ford Motor Co. might be able to turn out 5,000 planes a day, rather than the 1,000 his father had mentioned, if a great emergency arose. Mr. Ford said the company contemplated using its Highland Park , Mich., plant, which has been closed for some years, if the company goes into plane production.

WAR BUDGET BOOSTS TAXES ON MINING

In brief, the budget does this: It hits the old, established gold mines by increasing their federal taxation rate by two-thirds. New mines will pay no corporation tax; rather, they will pay excess profits tax on increased price of gold. Expanding mines will pay the same increased rate on total net profits as established mines.

U.S. HAS JUST ENOUGH GOLD

A few people are concerned because the United States Treasury has more than $18 billion worth of gold. This sum astounds them and they believe it to be far in excess of American needs.