It will have been noticed that mines in Mexico are a peculiar species of property belonging to the government, which, without entirely throwing off its domain over it, grants the mines to private persons or corporations desirous of working them. Any intelligent person, by a little industry, and by the observance of certain prescribed rules, may acquire the ownership of a valuable property.
The mining industry has a direct and fruitful influence on agriculture. Miguel Velazquez de Leon, a very competent authority, urgently recommended it to the fostering care of the government. He favored its exemption from taxation, on the ground that its development naturally led to that of agriculture and other industries; arguing, moreover, that gold and silver were the only available articles of exportation of the central mesa, and it was expedient to procure foreign markets for them. A small mill yielding a gross amount of $4,000 provides labor for many men, not only in the works themselves, but in the field, road, etc. It consumes the products of agriculture, and feeds trade and other industries.[1]
Each mine in Mexico has an administrator or superintendent, in whose charge is the management of the whole business. He has several assistants, who, in their turn, have a number of subordinates.[2] Payrolls are covered every Saturday, the men receiving a portion of their wages in rations, and the balance in coin.
The ore once sorted is put in bales of 150 pounds
- ↑ It brings from abroad machinery and quicksilver; from the coasts, salt; from the sorting department, sulphate of copper; from the mints, coin; from the forest, wool and coal; from the soil, food for man and beast; and employs men in the transportation of its products as well as of the articles of consumption.
- ↑ There are a head miner and his under-miners, called soto-mineros, or pobladores; the rayador keeps the tally; the velador is the watchman. I:1 the patio, or amalgamation floor, there is an overseer who superintends the ore-sorters. The head miner chooses his barreteros or hole-drillers, tanateros or packers of ore in zurrones or tanates, limpiadores or quebradores, or pepenadores, who are the ore-sorters. If the mine is wet, he hires an achichinque, or man to pack water out; and at times an ademador or timber-man. Miners generally do their own blacksmithing and sharpening of tools.
