New-York tribune., 1912-01-21

CCopyright 1912, by william l.. Altdorfer)
r1 HERE is an old but true saying
ITS an i'll wind that blows no
IL body good" and this was never
better illustrated than in the recent bitter
controversy over the potash question be-
tween Germany and the United States.
The dispute waged fast and furious for
a while. and appeared at one time as
though IL would bring on a tariff war be-
tween the two countries. Both nations were
thoroughly aroused. The American people
became so wrought up over the exactions
OF Germany and the exorbitant prices de-
manded by the German trust for its potash
that Congress decided IT was time to get
busy, and Immediately voted an appropria-
ton for Uncle Sans explorers to go out
into the bush and find potash. The result
IA the discovery of an entirely new and lu-
crative industry-the kelp potash industry
valued at more than 900 year, with
good prospects for an increase within
few years to 500 900, and even S2OOOOoOO
year.
The controversy between Germany and
the United States has waged for many
years, but II was not until recently that 1t
reached the acute stage. The cruX of the
situation was the action of the German
syndicate in constantly forcing up the prices
of potash thus increasing the price of
commercial fertilizer the world over. The
mines In Germany were, until Uncle Sam
took a hand in the game, the only potash
mines of any consequence in the world.
and the German syndicate, through the
German government, practically controlled
the output of potash for the whole world.
This syndicate therefore could easily raise
or lower the price any time II saw fit
the same way monopoles in this country
raise or lower prices whenever II is thought
desirable to mulct the people for moro
money.
An increase in the price of potash inevita-
bly, reacts on the consumer-on you and
me. We are ultimately forced to pay
higher prices for the things we eat because
It costs more TO grow these things. Fer
tilizer, and especially potash fertilizer is
now used by practically every farmer In
the United States. IT is an absolute ne
cessity to the truck farmer everywhere.
The men who run the large farms in the
West and the middle West, embracing
thousands of acres Of land in each farm,
are also compelled TO use fertilizer, al
though not so nearly dependent on it's use
as the farmer who furnishes the vegetables
for your table. When il Is realized that
practically all the arabic land in the world
at least, that part occupied by civilized
nations-used for the growing of foodstuns,
requires fertilizer, some idea may be gained
of the immense value Of the potash fertiliz-
er industry.
Within a short while after the Contro-
versy between Germany and America
reached the acute stage, Congress-because
of an overwhelming popular demand which
arose from all sections OF the country
passed an act requiring the Department Of
Agriculture TO undertake a thorough and
systematic search throughout the United
States and all it's territories for potash de-
posits Congress instructed the Secretary
of Agriculture to proceed at once with the
work. The result has been, even in the
few months elapsing between the passage
OF the act and the present time, the
discovery of an entirely new industry for
this country. and at the same time making
the United States absolutely independent CT
any nation in the world for it's potash
supplies
At the present time the United States, In
common with the rest of the world, de-
pends mainly on the potash coming from