New-York tribune., 1913-12-30
Secretary of Interior Asks
Congress to Conserve
Ore Bearing Lands.
EUROPE PRACTICALLY
MONOPOLIZES OUTPUT
Plan to Stop Commercialization
of Cancer Cure Outlined
Quick Action Urged.
From The Tribune Bureau


Washington. Dec. 29-The Secretary OF
the Interior believes that all rsdiurh-
bearing ore lands that have not already
passed into private ownership should oe
withdrawn from entry, and this important
natural resource conserved. Secretary
Lane SAYS that one out of every ten per-
sons over fifty years of age suffers from
cancer and yet although most OF the
radium of the world has been produced
from American ores, there is not suinclen'
i'm the United States 10 permit of expert
rrcntation with view to curing deep
seated cancer. nor even enough to rea'
those cases Of superficial cancer whlch
present themselves and which are known
TO he durable by its rays.
Mr. Lane would have Congress author-
ize the withdrawal Of possible radiuih
producing lands, the extraction OF raoiuill
bv government experts and the deposit
with the Public Health Service of sum-
,ient quantity for both experimental anu
curative purposes To this end, he mas
addressed ? communication to the chair
man Of the House Committee on Mines
u
OF the necessary. legislation. In part nc
says;
The Secretary of the Interior IS au-
thorized TO conduct explorations ana re-
searches with view TO determining the
practicabilty or developing from such
ores a supply of radium, and is author
lied by lease or otherwise to provide
for the mining and treatment Of radiunl-
bearing ores i'm such manner as Woniu
best secure a supply of radium for the
use of the government of the United
States and the hospitals of this country
Europe Controls Supply.
There appears to he in the United
States less than two grams Of radlurn-
that is. less than one-fourth of an ounce.
This is valued at $4,000 gram, and all
of il has been procured from Europe
where there are i'm France, Austria, Ger
mauv and England Laboratories for its
discovery
"Three-fourths OF the rsdium produced
IN the world during the year 1912 came
from American ores, yet We have, up TO
the present time taken no steps whatever
TO preserve for our own people this in
valuable metal. and our physicians ana
hospitals are dependent upon European
laboratories for such supply as they can
procure, and are subject to whatever
monopoly charge the European laoora-
tories demand for their product.
1t is not possible TO procure at the
present time so much as an addltonai
gram of radium. One American physl-
clan informs me that after search OF
Europe he has been promised gram IN
the course of the next year. which was
the earliest time it was possible 10 secure
p promise Of even this slight amount,
..Tt appears 10 have been established
that rddium, when applied in time Is
cure for superficial cancer, and some OF
the highest authorities advise that there
IS no reason to doubt the effectiveness
Of radum as a cure for internal cancer
but that 30 far we have not been able 10
secure sufficient amount of the mineral
TO demonstrate how far within the booy
its rays will be effective.
Radiun's Scope Farreaehlns.
One Of the two expert medical author
tics in the United States upon this SUD
iect has said that with larger supply
of the mineral he believed It possible 20
reach anywhere within the body and et-
rectivcly eliminate the diseased cells.
Because. however. OF the small amount
Of the mineral available it cannot be
used in such experiments, 50 great is the
necessity for it I'm cases where cure is
known TO be possible
AT present those who have radlum aIe
forced to the awful alternative of select
ing between the patients on whom 1t Will
be used Inasmuch as authorities nave
ostimated that one person out of ten III
,ho United States over fifty years OF age
suffers from cancer, it would appear to be
difficult to overestimate the necessity for
securing Immediately as large a suppl
as possible of this mysterious remedy
and especially is this burden cast upon
this country, wherein thus far have been
round the largest deposits Of those min
erals in which it is borne.
"Radium is found in ores carrying
uranium and vanadium, which are used
extensively in the arts. and the processes
bv which it is extracted are secret. A
process has been invented by the chemists
in our bureau of mines which promises
from the laboratory experiments thus tar
made. TO be successful.
Under the endowments Of two Ameri-
cans a building is now being erected IN
Denver (Which, with its equipment, val!
Re opened for work in the coming Feo-
ruary). in which an effort will be maoo
10 prove the commercial possibility OF
this American process. II successful, TINS
process will be given 20 the world ana
All the radium secured, over and above
small minimum. will be the property
OF the United States, and will be put
into the hands Of the United States Hos
pita Service for public use.
Under all these circumstances. it seems
10 me that the only prudent course that
the United States can follow is to with
draw such of its lands as are supposed
10 contain radum from public entry.
This will guard against these lands being
taken up by those who would not puS
them to their highest and most beneficial
use"