Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-09-24

would suffer. Fortunately this new
supply is at hand. We can draw nitro
gen from the air and fix it with lime
by the use of large and cheap electri-
cal development, as is done at Nj
agara Falls and in Norway, and all
that is necessary to pave the way to
this electrical development is the pass
age by congress Of the Ferris bill now
pending, which will make possible the
utilization Of the great unused water
power of the western states.
THE southern states have for years
largely supplied the world with phos.
pilates, but because Of the distribu-
ton system a large part of this supply
has gone to Europe, and much of the
phosphates used, In the western states
have been imported across the Pacific.
We have some 100000 acres of phos.
phate lands in the West lying near
the smelters, from which is produced
the sulphuric acid necessary to con.
vert these phosphates into form avail.
able for plant food. and still there is
no law by which these phosphate de-
posts can be made commercially avail
able, although a bill which would al
low Of their immediate development
has been favorably reported"
Manganese ard Other Metals.
What other Industries are there
now dependent upon the products Of
other countries, which can be made
independents" Mr.. Lane was asked.
The steel industry, for one" he re-
piled. Manganese is Of large impor.
lance to this industry, and the largest
supply of ore comes from Russia and
-ther countries with which commerce
Is now paralyzed. There are large C.
posts In South America which have
not been developed, but 1t is not neces-
sary even to 90 50 far away as that.
We have great stores Of manganese
In this country which have beer largely
untouched because it is somewhat In
ferior in quality. To bring this home
supply into use means merely adop-
ton of methods for its publication,
which are known and can be success
fully used, and then we can continue
making manganese steel without re-
gard to foreign wars or sources of ma
terial. There are other international
contributions, though, in the steel il.
dustry. We have depended largely
upon the island Of Ceylon for the
graphite used in the manufacture Of
the crucibles in which crucible steel
for edge tools and small firearms is
made. Or to take another metal,
European smelters, using in part Chi
nese and Mexican ores, have in late
years furnished much of the worlds
supply Of anthony, which is used in
the manufacture OF type metal, and
also incidentally. War has paralyzed
the production Of antimony in England
lat Newcastle), and prices have gone
up. Anthony, however, is easily ex-
tracted from many low grade ores
which we have in great quantities in
at least sever states, and there is no
reason why we should not make this
extraction and be independent of other
countries both as to supply and prices.
Similar conditions hold in the case Of
arsenic.
"A large tonnage Of ferromanganese
alloys comes from Germany and Eng
land. 1t is only in the last ten years
that we have freed, ourselves from
Sicily's monopolistic control OF the
sulphur supply. Flint pebbles are CON-
mon and the supply large enough in
the United States, but for such an ap-
parently unimportant product as this,
used In the fine grinding Of cement
and ores, we have been depending upon
the chalk cliffs Of England, Denmark
and France. Ores and mineral freight
depend almost wholly upon the tramp
steamer, a carrier Of foreign parent
age. Now the tramp steamer has taken
to cover, and all kinds Of ocean
freight, especially low grade freight,
will be held up and it's carriage al
most entirely suspended during the
war"
interruption for Industries.
Will this suspension mean disaster
to our industries? ?"
Not disaster, but inevitable inter-
ruption to some, extent" replied Mr..
Lane. 1T means that suddenly ma
upon which great industries de-
pend must be obtained from other
sources: Importers, consumers and.