West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-05-17
OUR washington LETTER
And Now The Department Of Justice
Is Going 10 Take a Whack al
The Drug Trust.
UNDER THE SIBERIAN LAW
The Geological survey Is Finding VAL
liable Minerals In The Black Sand
Banks.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

WAsHINGToN May ~, 1906. =
Rather late but still in time to be
interesting, the Department of Jus
ticc has COTTON busy with the Drug
Trust. Whether the American peo-
pie dose themselves too much or not
as some foreigners claim, there is
no question that the practice, in
which they have a perfect right to
indulge If they want, costs them an
outrageously unnecessary sum.
There are three companies involved,
each of them powerful and extending
over the whole country. First there
is the association of manufacturers
who make all the patent and pro-
prietory compounds. Then there
are the wholesalers who dispense
these medicines to the retail trade
and again there is an association of
retailers who supply the general pub
lie. Everyone of these retailers,
including the corner druggist with
whom you and deal, is forced to
membership in the ASSOCIATION and
is prohibited under all sorts of pen
alties from dispensing drugs and
medicines at less than set figure.
Is he does, the wholesalers refuse to
supply him. And therein is the meat
of the conspiracy. The Department
of Justice t h nks Il S
enough information to pro.
ceed against three companies under
the Sherman Anti. Trust law as a
conspiracy in restraint of trade,
which it unquestionably is; and the
first case is to come up for a speedy
hearing. But all three of the COM
panies keep representatives in Wash
ington the year round and they are
prepared to fight any attempt to
prosecute them with an abundance
of money and all the legal talent
that money can hire so that the pro-
liabilities are that the cases will end
in smoke and there will be no prac-
teal result. The only practical re-
suit would be the lowering of the
price of drugs to the householder
who wanted to buy them. And that
is a consumation too good to be
attainable.
OF much more than ordinary in
terest is the decision Of the Geologi-
cal Survey 10 establish on the Allan
tic Coast a plant for the examina-
ton of "black sand" similar to the
one that has been working for the
benefit of the Pacific Coast for
three years past. The average citi-
zen of course does not know what
black sand is. But it may be brief
ly explained that in distinction from
common white or quartz sand, it is
the heavy sandy sediment left after
the lighter sand and soil carried off
in hydraulic mining. There are
many natural deposits of this sand
also in the river beds and on the
sea coasts. The Pacific coast is
spotted with them and there arc
many deposits inland also.
Now the practical value of the
black sand, which was only guessed
at five years, is that it IS made up
almost wholly of minerals. And
some of them are very valuable.
The Geological survey in its recent
work has examined over 900 sam
pies ranging from couple of pounds
to ten tons. II has been found thai
the bulk Of the most common black
sand is magnetic iron ore. In fact
there is enough Of this finest Of all
iron ores on the Pacific Coast tc
supply that section of the country
with steel for years to come. There
are also in most of the sands large
deposits Of chrome iron ore. There
are also rarer metals, mazonite from
which incandescent gas mantles are
made and of which there is no recog
nized deposit in this country, Ia,
world supply beng controlled by /;
German trust; zircon, which il
worth S2oo a ton and in some caset
gold and platinum. In fact 1t wa,
first a search for platinum tha
caused the Survey to investigate IN,
black sand. Then the other mineral
we're identified, and il was founC
that a simple concentrating tabl,
and little other machinery woulc
make mining from these previousl,
useless deposits both easy anC
cheap. Some of the sand which ha
therefore been thrown away by tn,
placer miners, runs as high as 81, so,
ton in gold and platinum. Whil
this is an unusual amount, the who'll
investigation opens up an enhrel,