The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-08

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 in- creasing efficiencies in the utilization of our coal supply.
 These fuel resources should be con- served, because their supply is limited. At the present their early exhaustion ia certain If 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.
 The exhaustion of mineral resources is a permanent exhaustion. One years wheat crop, when consumed is replaced by that of the succeeding year. The for est resources of one period, when ex- hausted, under favorable conditions may be replaced by a succeeding forest. A water supply of one day or of one period, under favorable conditions may be con- tinued indefinitely by natures own pro- cesses; but when a deposit of coal or oil or-iron ore, or similar mineral sub stances, has been exhausted, this exhaus- tion is permanent
 'The mineral resources of the country belong to the future, as well as to the present generation of men. They should be used but not wasted. The creation of these deposits required thousands or mill
 
 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 tuels. 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 generation commit the unpardonable sin of wasting the necessary birthright of the genera tions yet unborn. This nation must have a great future as well as Q great pres ent
 Must Stop Waste.
 "The fuel supply of the country will be sufficient for both present and future needs, if we stop their waste and prac- tice increasing efficiency in their utliiza- ton. 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 extent and diversity of its industries. And While the present generation has right to use the fuel which it actually needs 1t Is bound by every principle ofN right and justice not to waste but to property conserve for their future use, the birth right of the generations yet unborn.
 The people of the United States con- sumed during the past year about 4l5,000- 900 tons of coal beside large quantities of oil and gas and wood. The total cost of this fuel in the furnaces approximated $2OO0,0O0. The future growing scarcity Of wood, gas and oil and the increasing cost of mining the coal as the surface beds are exhausted and the deeper ones must be reached, will naturally increase the aggregate expenditure for fuel, even faster than the tonnage increases; but the welfare of the nation demands not "a ftft hoe that the cost of this supply be kept as low possible.
 We cannot continue this enormous con- sumption of our fuel resources and at the same time perpetuate the supply of cheap fuels. The only solution of tho problem is that we must learn to use our fuels more efficiently. We must stop this enormous waste.
 Modern Experiments.
 "The recent Investigations conducted by the geological survey indicate great possi- hlities in this direction. It has been demonstrated that the low grade coals, containing high 50 per cent ash, which. In our coal mining of the past 50 years have been left under ground and wasted because they could not be burned in the ordinary furnaces, can now be used advantageously for power and heat ing development by means of the gas
 
 been shown that with this new form of equipment the better coals can hereafter be made to yield from two to three times the amount of power that they are now yielding in ordinary steam furnaces lit has been demonstrated further that the quality of many of these dirty, inferior coals can be improved by various wash ing processes
 "A study of coal mining conditions is demonstrating the fact that in the min ing operations a much larger percentage of coal can be brought to the surface than was formerly believed to be practice able. Further investigations along these lines indicate possibilities in the way of waste prevention and increasingly effi- cient use in connection with the utiiza- tion of our fuel supplies. Upon the pro- gross along these lines depends the future welfare of the whole people of the country.
 Tn every civilized country the conserva- tfon of fuels and other great resources, or public utilities, is properly coming to be regarded as a national problem, be- cause in every country these fuels serve as a basis of national welfare The in dividual citizen looks to the present He sees little beyond his individual interest of today. The nation while helping the citizen today, must safeguard the welfare of the citizen of tomorrow by a judiciou5 conservation of these resources, which. in reality, belong not to the individual but to mankind" W. s.
 NAs <houcoud fiat of f,,r on