The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-06-21
WILEY KEEPS up
HIS FIGHT
Undiscouraged the Jersey
Congressman Urges the
Extension Of Geological
Survey Tests
URGES HIS AMENDMENT
IT PROVIDES FOR AN APPRoPRI-
ALTON BEING INCLUDED IN
THE sUNDRY CIVIL BILL

WASHINGTON, June 20, 1906
Representative William H. Wiley, of
New Jersey, is very much in earnest in
his efforts to secure an amendment to the
section of the sundry civil bill making
appropriation for tests Of fuel and build
ing material by the Geological Survey
which will permit of tsets being made
for private interests. As it stands the
section provides only for test being made
of government property and materials.
The Jerseyman made a fight for the
amendment in the House the other day,
and Chairman Tawney, of the Appro-
priations committee, with whom Mr..
Wiley had personally disagreed on the
bill, with the result that there is not the
friendliest of relations between them,
beat the amendment by raising point
of order.
Il have not abandoned my amendment
at all, said Mr. Wiley today, ''but am
endeavoring to have it inserted in the
Senate, and hope to be successful" He
continued
'aThere is a great injustice here in sew
eral ways. For instance, the govern
ment contributed $4,000 for the fuel
plant at st. Louis and outside interests
and corporations contributed 100000,
so that, in point of fact, the government
has contributed one-third and vet those
who contributed two-thirds are deprived
from having tests made by the amend
ment from the Appropriations Commit
tee. As you will see my amendment sim
ply asks that these people shall have
the privilege of the tests providing they
pay the cost.
'There is more in this than would
seem from first glance, for it not only
adds to the information of the engineer
ing fraternity in general over the world
but is of great value to the government
itself, because government tests will sim
ply apply to such material as comes
from the government lands, whereas the
general tests will apply to material from
all over the United States"
A recent editorial in the London
Times gives the view taken by British
critics of this scientific test work Of the
geological survey, which is somewhat
different from that taken by the cheese
pairing economists of the House, who en-
deavored to kill this work by cutting off
the funds. The "Times" said on the
subject
''The series of tests carried out by the
United States Geological Survey upon
the various kinds of coal. found in that
country is remarkable for the extent of
the area comprised by the investigation
and for the rapidity with which the re-
search has been brought to practical
issue. In an article which we publish
today summary is given of the scheme
of operations and the author suggests
that the Board of Trade and the Colonial
Conference might with advantage CON
slider the ability of applying similar
tests and a similar system Of co-ordina-
tion to the fuels and coal measures of
the British Empire. With the assistance
of those Immediately interested in the re-
search the $4,000 appropriated by Con-
gress appears to have sufficed to finance
the undertaking in the United States
and there is every reason to believe that
with the cooperation of the Admiralty
and the mercantile services for the trans
port of specimens, proportionately mod
crate sum would go a long ways toward
enabling the suggestion to be put into
effect. The advantages to be derived
from briquetting a sa means Of convert
ing certain refractory specimens into fuel
were, of course, well known, but the
United States report is valuable as indi-
eating which of the varieties lend them
selves best to the purpose. And Of still
greater moment are the tests relating TO
the use of various Goals and lignites for
producing gas. To cite one case near
home, such results increase the hope that
means may ultimately be found for util-
izing to better purpose than at present
the peat Of Ireland
The amendment for which Mr. Wiley
is fighting is to permit the department to
make any tests required by private indi-
| viduals or corporations. all private tests
to be paid for by a reasonable fee.
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