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>Subject: For moderation - Re: Reading material >From: David J Killick <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Sender: [log in to unmask] >Status: > > Robert Houston's novel "Bisbee '17", originally published in 1979, is now >back in print as a paperback from the University of Arizona Press (ISBN >0-8165-1939-0). It is based upon the reminiscences of miners who >remembered the 1917 strike of the "Wobblies" (International WOrkers of the >World) against Phelps Dodge, owner of the Bisbee copper mine, and which >culminated in the deportation at gunpoint of several hundred IWW miners, >who were dumped in the desert in New Mexico. A review cited on the cover >calls it "..a slashing attack on deceit, greed and other human frailties >..the best Southwestern novel of the year". > >More on Arizona copper. A terrible year for the industry ends with massive >consolidation. When copper prices dropped to 60 cents per pound, the >Australian conglomerate BHP closed both its Arizona operations, which it >had acquired only two years before by purchasing Magma Copper for 2.5 >billion dollars. Cyprus Amax then entered into merger talks with ASARCO, >but Phelps Dodge waged a massive media campaign to pursuade Cyprus >shareholders to vote instead for a buyout by Phelps Dodge. In this they >were successful, but they failed to make a clean sweep of the Arizona >copper industry when the board of ASARCO spurned their offer, and voted >instead to sell the company to the Mexican conglomerate Grupo Mexico, >which owns the Cananea copper mine in northern Mexico (scene of a very >bitter strike this year). ASARCO will keep its distinct identity; Cyprus >is being merged into Phelps Dodge. Copper prices have since recovered to >above 80 cents a pound, but it remains to be seen whether Phelps Dodge and >Grupo Mexico overpaid. "Rationalisation" (read: layoffs) are promised. >3000 miners were laid off when BHP shut up shop. How many more will go >remains to be seen. > >---------------------- >David Killick >Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, >University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0030. >Phones: office (520)621-8685; laboratory 621-7986; fax 621-2088 >[log in to unmask] > ______________________________________________ Peter Claughton, Blaenpant Morfil, Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE. Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 07831 427599 University of Exeter - Department of History School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies E-mail: [log in to unmask] Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list. See http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/mining-history/ for details. Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/ _____________________________________________ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%