The Mining of Copper
The copper deposits, like iron ores, are found in great quantities
in different places. So the quantity of ores in each mine can be
accurately estimated before it is opened and its working generally
runs no risk. Thus, the mining of copper should be taken up as a
government enterprise, as was always the case in China, and financed
and worked by the International Development Organization. The richest
copper deposits in China are found along the border of Szechuen and
Yunnan on the Yangtze River. The government copper mine in Chaotung,
in the northeastern corner of Yunnan, has been working for many
centuries. Cash, the standard currency of China, was made mostly
of the copper from Yunnan province. The currency still absorbs an
enormous quantity of copper. Owing to the difficulty of transporting
the Yunnan copper, most of the metal for currency is being imported
from foreign countries. Besides currency, copper is very commonly used
for many other purposes and when the industries in China are developed
the demand will increase a hundred times. So the demand for this
metal will be very great in the market of China alone. I suggest that
production on a large scale should be adopted and modern plants should
be installed in copper mines. How much capital to be invested in this
enterprise should be decided by experts after careful investigation.