Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-12-29
SUSPECTED RADIUN
LANDS WILL Be
WITHDRAWN
BY LANE
Secretary of Interior Would
Conserve Precious Mineral
from Speculation by Private
Interests.
UNCLE SAM MAY
HAVE CANCER CURE

lBy bcascd Wire to Evening Herald.
Washington. Dec. a. Secretary
Lane proposes TO withdraw an lands
on the public domain suspected of
containing radium, that these precious
deposits may 0e secured for the gem
oral good and not become the subject
Of private speculation.
MIR. Lane outlined his plan today In
"a letter 20 Chairman Foster OF the
house mines committee, urging lmme-
diato passage of joint congressional
resolution TO empower President Will
son 20 make the Withdrawals. Invostl-
gators of the geological survey have
located public lands believed To- con-
tain the precious substance. now so
invaluable In medicine
By the terms Of the proposed reso-
luton the secretary of the interior
would be authorized "to conduct cx-
plOrauons and researches with "a
Yiew 70 determining the practicable
ity OF developing from such ores "a
supply Of rndium and To provide for
tho mining and treatment Of radium-
bearing ores In such manner as would
best secure a supply of radium for
the use Of the government OF the
United states aud the hospitals of this
country"
Mr. Lane points out that there are
only two grams Of radium az present
in the nitcd states. n is valued at
$l2O,O goo "a gram Al has been pro-
cured from Europe
Three -fourths OF the rodium pro-
duced In the world during the year
1919" says Secretary Lane. came
from American ores. yet wc have up
20 this time, taken no steps Wh9teVer
10 preserve FOR our people this IN
valuable metal and our physicians and
hospitals are dependent on European
laboratories FOR such supply as they
can procure and are subject Go what
over monopoly charge tho European
laboratories demand for their pro-
ducts"
In view OF the known effectiveness
OF radium In the treatment OF cancer
and tho difficulty now experienced In
obtaining u, Secretary Lane says that
as one person In every ten in this
country more than nifty years OF age
suffers from cancer. "it Is dlfncult to
ovorestimatc the necessity for secur-
ing Immediately as large "a supply as
possible Of this mysterious remedy"
Continuing, the secretary says
Radium is found ia ores carrying
uranium and vanadium, which are
used extensively In the arts, ana pro-
cessos by which IL Is eXtricated are
secret 4 process has hcon invented
by the chemists N our bureau os
mines which promises. from the lab-
oratory experiments thus far made
TO he successful Under the cndow-
ment OF two Americans q building is
now being erected In Denver (Which
with its equipment viii be opened for
work In the coming February, Ia
which an EFFORT viii bo made to prove
the commercial possibility of this
American process n successful, this
process VIII he given to the world
and All OF the radium secured over
and above a small minimum viii be
the property Of the United states and
viii he put into tho hands at the
United states public health service for
public use
Under an these circumstances it
seems 60 me that the only prudent
course that the United states can fol-
low Is to withdraw such OF us lands
as are supposed to contain radlum
from public entry. This win Puard
against these lands being takon up hy
those who would not put them to their
highest and most beneficial use. 10
would be- inhuman to deprive other
nations OF access 90 our radlum de-
posits " they alone are masters of the
secret hy which this mineral could
be secured, aud d. believed there ~
sufficient amount OF caruotite and
pitchhlende already in private owner
shin in this country tu permit of cou-
tinueG European experimentation ana
production Tho people of the United
states, however, would bee entitled 90
protection against the exhaustion OF
this resource and ita exclusive control
by the scientists of other lands"