Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-01-24
NATIONAL WEALTH AND NATION
Al WASTE,

Some of the figures presented by
President Roosevelt in his report on the
resources of the country and their
waste, as discovered by the national
conservation commission, are worth
more than passing attention. Some of
the details and figures OF the report are
as follows:
The mineral production of the United
States for 1907 exceeded s., 900, 00O, 900
and contributed IS per cent of the total
freight traffic of the country The
waste in the extraction and treatment of
mineral products during the same year
was equivalent to more than $500, 900, :
900.
The production for 1907 included
1876, 200, 900 tons of bituinous and 85,-
600, 600 tons of anthracite coal, 1861
900, 600 barrels of petroleum, As, O0O,-
600 tons of high grade and II 900, 900
tons of low grade iron ore, $500, 600
tons of phosphate rock, and 1863, 0O0,-
900 pound of copper. The values of
other mineral products during the same
year included clay products, $162, 000,-
900; stone, 81, 900, 900; cement, $780,
900, 900; silver, $37, ZOO, 900; lead,
$50, 900, 900 and zinc $40, 900, 900.
The available and easily accessible
supplies of coal in the United States ag-
gregate approximately 1,40O, 600, 0OO,-
600 tons. At the present increasing
rate of production this supply will be
so depleted as to approach exhaustion
before the middle of the next century.
The known supply of high grade iron
ores i'll the United States approximates
2,84O, 900, 600 tons, which at the pres
ent increasing rate of consumption can
not be expected to last beyond the mid
die of the present century.
The known supply of petroleum is
estimated at $4,000 ZOO, 900 to x, 900,
600, 900 barrels. The supply cannot be |
expected to last beyond the middle of |
the present century.
The daily waste of natural gas is
over 1000, 900, 900 cubic feet, or
enough to supply every city in the Unit
ed States of over 100, 900 population.
Phosphate rock, used for fertilizing,
cannot long withstand the increasing
demand.
The consumption of nearly all our
mineral products is increasing far more
rapidly than our population In 1912
no coal was used; now the consumption
is over FIVE tons, and the waste is near
ly three tons per capita
While the production of coal is in
creasing enormously, the waste and loss
IN mining are diminishing.
Peat is becoming important; it is es-
timated that IA 900, 900, 900 tons are
available in the United States.
The uses of all our mineral products
are interdependent. This is especially
true of coal and iron.
The building operations of the coun-
try now aggregate about 81 900 900, 900
per year. The direct and indirect losses
from fire in the United States during +
1907 appropriated $450, 200, 600, or
one-half the cost of construction. Of
this loss four ffths, or an average of
81 ,0o0, 900 per day, could be prevented.
There is urgent need for greater safe
ty to the miner.
The national government should ex-
crcise such control of the mineral fuels
and phosphate rocks as to check waste
and prolong our supply
The total land area of continental
United States is 1900, 900, 900 acres.
We have nearly 5000, 900 farms; they
average 146 acres EACH The value of
the farms is nearly fourth the
wealth of the United States. There are
more than 200, oo0, 900 acres of public
grazing land. The number of persons
engaged in agricultural pursuits is more
than TO, 900 goo ~ ~.
We grow one-ffth of the worlds
wheat crop, three-ffths of its cotton
crop, and four-ffths of its corn crop.
We plant nearly so, 900, 900 acres of
pileat annually, with an average yield Of
about a bushels per acre; LOG, 000, 900
acres Of corn, yielding an average of
Is bushels per acre; and 80, 00o, 600 I