The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-12
MINING AND M~ErALLURGY.
A Measure Before Congress That
Will Benefit Clemson Col

the News ana courier gives tne ioI- d,
information In regard to a bill ,
introduced by Gen. G~rosvenor, of Ohio, Z,
which will likely pass Congress at this
session /:
The House committee on mines and
mining has just taken action calculated
to place the study of mining and metal
lurgy on the same footing with agricul-
ture in those institutes in the various
States and Territories which receive
government aid.
The committee has, by a unanimous
vote, reported favorably a bill intro
duced some time ago by Gen. Grosve-
nor, of Ohio. This bill provides that
there shall be annually appropriated
from the money arising from the sale
of public lands certain sums to be used
for the establishment and maintenance
of schools or departments on mines and
mining in connection with the colleges
for the benefit of agriculture and me-
chanic arts. The bill sets forth that
there shall be paid to each State for
this purpose the sum of $4,000 for
the year ending June 30, 1902 with
annual increase of the amount of such
Appropriation thereafter for ten years
by an additional sum Of 81 700 over
the preceding year, the annual amount
to be paid thereafter to each State and
Territory to be $4,000.
Congressman Tate { the 9th dis
trict of Georgia, who IS 81 member OF
the, committee on mines and mining,
took an active part in shaping the bill
and as a result of his special activity
was paid by the committee the hand
some compliment of being requested to
make the report to the House. THIS
is a very unusual compliment to be ac-
corded a member of the minority. Mr..
Tate, however, expressed it as his be-
lief that while there is no politics what
soever In the bill, it would be better to
have the report come from a member
of the majority, and at his suggestion
it was made by Mr.. Scott, Of Kansas.
Mr.. Scott points out in his report
that the principle upon which the bill
proceeds is one which has long been
9 'tablished in our legislation, Congress
having IN 1862 committed itself to the
policy of extending Federal aid in the
way of grants of public and TO several
States for educational purposes. The
purposes of the bill now pending are
directly in line with the policy here.
tofore pursued. While the act of 1862
made no direct reference to the great
mining industry of the country and
carried no provision for research look
ing to its development, the pending
measure is intended to provide for this
deficiency. The policy :ursued by the
trainers of this bill is to strengthen
the institutions before established anC
previously equipped for the work in
stead of trying to build up new insutu
tions.
Mr.. Scott points to the great success
of the agricultural colleges and ex
pressed the opinion that this Grosveno,
bill will do for the mining interests O.
the country what has been so well don,
under the original act for our agricul
tural interests. Z" 1t is a matter of com
mon knowledge" said he, /" that, not
wi%thstandin9 tie great value of OH
mineral product, amounting in the yea
of 1900 to the ~stupendous aggregate o
$1,07O, Jos, 1888, there is an enormou
waste IN the present process of extract
ing both precious and common miner
ais. There can be no doubt that scientific
research, investigation and eXperimen
will eventually develop methods an,
processes by which a large part of thi
waste can be avoided and the aggre
gate wealth of the nation thereby vastl,
iuClCdoCu. liz COuSlucTS IL ~ we
recognized fact hat the science an,
art OF agriculture have been revolu
tionized through the agency of tn,
agricultural experiment stations, an,
expresses the belief hat il is the RICH
and duty of the Federal government t,
extend aid toward the development O
u untold mineral wealth as we'll a
toward agriculture.
The amount appropriated by this bill
for the forty-eight States and Territor
les for the first year is $3.50, 900 and a
the end of ten years will be 100000
annually. 1t this expenditure should
result in increasing by only one-tentl
of L per cent our annual mineral pro
duct the country would, in the opinion
of the committee, be more than repaid
IN the direct increase of intelligence
and skill; for it is argued that every
dollar of mineral wealth wrested from
the soil ID new wealth, which goes into
general use, permanently increasing
the volume of metallic circulation and
contributing ready material for the
arts, the sciences and the cOnveniences
of civilized life.
The bill provides that this appropria-
ton shall be expended only for in
otIuCIlou, TcScdGCu anu experiment In
mining, mining machinery, mining
engineering, mine exploitation, metal
lurgy, chemistry, geology, forestry,
agricultural engineering and road
making, irrigation and irrigation en-
cheering and branches of learning per-
tanning to said subjects.
The bill provides at length for the
administration of the fund. The dis
bursement is made to the different
States and Territories in the same way
it Is now made for the benefit of land
grant colleges. In any State or Terri
tory where a school of mining has
heretofore been established by specific
Act of Legislature and is a separate
institution from the college for the
benefit of agriculture and mechanic
arts, one-half of the sums to be APP
%propriated shall be paid II such school
of mines and the other half to the col
lege for the benefit of agriculture and
mechanic arts, but in Upstate where no
u separate school of mines has been
established, but where there is q State |
university maintained in whole or in
part by income from grants mr. concea.