The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-22
DECREASING COAL SUPPLY
Experts Say Half Is Wasted While
Being Mined

OCluH
Should the consumption of coal in
crease at the same rate that it has
during the half century that it has
been extensively mined in the United
States. the easily accessible supply
will be exhausted by the year 2O4O
and all coal by the middle of the TWEEN
ty-first century is the estimate of the
experts of the United States Geolo-
gical Survey. These experts have re-
Gently concluded Investigations rela-
tive to the exhaustion of the mineral
resources of the United States and
they bolster up the position of the
National Conservation Commission,
whose report for 1903 showed the
reckless manner in which the natural
resources are being wasted.
Coal is considered first and it is
SHOWN that waste in mining loses
about one half as much as is market
ed. This half is either left in the
ground in thin beds or in the shape OF
pillars to support the roofs. Coal has
been extensively mined in the United
States for not much more than half q
century but the consumption is in
creasing enormously. 1t will of
course not continue at such rate for
the increasing scarcity will raise pri-
ces and check consumption. Water
power. too, will largely take its place.
With regard to petroleum, the stu
alton is a good deal more serious. Pc
troleum has been used for less than
fifty years and 1t is estimated that the
supply will last only about twenty-five
or thirty years longer. If production
is curtailed and waste stopped il may
last till the end of the century The
most important effects of its dlsap-
pearance will be in the lack of lubri-
cants and i'm the loss of illuminants.
Animal and vegetable oils will not be-
gin to supply its place. This being
the case the reckless exploitation of
oil for fuel should be checked
In natural gas the waste is enor-
nous. One billion cubic feet are es-
timated TO be wasted into the air ev-
cry twenty-four hours. The gas sup
ply will last about twenty-five years
about as long as it has already been
utilized.
Iron is very abundant in nature but
usually is found in ores so poor that
it can not be extracted at any reason
BILE cost. The best ores are being rap
idly worked and it is estimated that
within thirty years they will have
been exhausted and that il will be
necessary to resort TO ores that can
not now be worked at profit. This,
Of courca t,,aonc bighor nrioac uuIaGS
new and much cheaper processes shall
have been invented
Gold. silver and zinc are all so
abundant that the supply is likely to
last for centuries. Copper is also
abundant, but is largely in low grade
ores, which can not now be profitably
worked. At increased prices however
the supply will probably be abundant.
For lead, however, the outlook is
much less favorable. It's production
in the United States is still increas-
ing slightly but decreasing every
where else in the world and this des-
pite a marked increase in its price.
Probably the worlds output has al
ready reached maximum and will
henceforth decline.
The phosphates it is estimate, will
be exhausted in about twenty-five
years and the farmer will then have
to look elsewhere for fertilizers.
Fresh supplies of all these materials
may Of course be found but Except
for gold it seems unlikely that they
will be great enough or valuable
enough to materially affect the esti-
mates.