The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-11-23
MINING, MARKETS AND METAL

| the heat of the sun may be stored
| from day to day in sufficient quantity
for continuous power development;
but the suggestion has as yet toe
indefinite a basis to permit of its
serious consideration in the present
connection. Indeed, the sum of all
these possible substitutes in the
nations supply of heat and power
and light can not now be expected to
seriously lessen the rate of increase
in the nations enormous demand for
fuel, and we must revert again with
renewed emphasis to the necessity OF
| lessening the waste and increasing
efficiencies in the utilization of our
coal supply. These fuel resources
should be conserved, because their
supply is limited. At the present
their early exhaustion is certain. II
this rate of increase continues the
better part of the fuel supply of the
country will have been consumed by
the end of the present century.
1.-The exhaustion of the mineral re-
sources is a permanent exhaustion.
One years wheat crop, when con-
sumed, is replaced by that of the
succeeding year. The forest re-
sources of one period when exhaust
ed, under favorable conditions may
be replaced by succeeding forest
A water supply of one day or of one
period, under favorable conditions,
may be continued indefinitely by
natures own processes; but when a
deposit of coal, or oil, or iron ore,
or similar mineral substances, has
been exhausted this exhaustion is
permanent.
1.-The mineral resources of the
country belong to the future as well
as to the present generations of men.
They should be used, but not wasted.
The creation of these deposits re-
quired thousands or millions OF MIL
lions of years. Their present So
called owners had no part in this
creation of resources and have no
real rights to them beyond present
urgent needs. Let us not forget that
these mineral fuels, which we call
our own, represent in concentrated
form a storage battery of the suns
heat and light, accumulated during
countless ages that passed before the
human race came into existence.
Let not the men of the present gem
Grafton commit the objectionable sin
of wasting the necessary birthrlght
of the generations yet unborn. This
nation must have great future as
well as great present.
1.-The fuel supply of the country
will be sufficient for both present and
future needs if we stop their waste
and practice increasing efficiency in
their utilization. There can be no
suggestion looking to the curtailment
of present needs; these needs Will
increase in proportion as the nation
grows in population and in the eX-
tent and diversity of it's industries.
And while the present generation has
right to use the fuel which it ac-
tually needs it is bound by every
principle of right and justice not to
waste, but properly to conserve for
their future use the birthright of the
generation yet unborn.
"The people of the United States
consumed during the past year about
415,OOO,000 tons of coal besides
large quantities of oil and gas and
wood. The total cost of this fuel in
the furnaces Appropriated $2,0O0,-
100000. The future growing scare
ity of wood, gas and oil and the in
creasing cost of mining the coal as
the surface beds are exhausted and
deeper ones must be reached will
naturally increase the aggregate eX-
penditure for fuel even faster than
the tonnage increases, but the wei
fare of the nation demands not only
that the future has coal supply, but
that the cost of this supply be kept
as low as possible. We cannot con
ttnue this enormous consumption OF
our fuel resources and at the same
time perpetuate the supply of cheap
fuels. The only solution of the
problem is that we must learn to use
our fuels more efficiently We must
stop this enormous waste.