The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-08-21
SECRETARY LANE STATES
VIEWS ON RESULTS
OF WAR

"A direct benefit to the United
States from the European war will be
its effect in making the people of this
country realize to a greater extent
the value of its mineral resources ="
said Franklin X Lane, Secretary of
the Interior, in an interview Aug, Is.
1T is entirely possible to so utilize
these resources and expand our in
dustries that the label Made in
America" will become familiar in our
own and foreign markets"
"Of an Importance second only to
that of the food supply" said Mr..
Lane, "is the supply of mineral pro-
ducts necessary to meet the require
mentS of 10th century civilization.
One of the first effects of the war has
been to make us realize the interde-
pendence of nations in the matter of
food supply Most of the countries
now at war are dependent upon i'm
portation of foodstuffs, and we have
cause for self-congratulation in the
United States that we are able to feed
ourselves. What we possibly have
not SO fully realibzed is that we are
nearly as independent in the posses
sion of essential mineral resources,
and that the interference with manu-
featuring caused by interruption of
the flow of importations of many
necessary raw materials, may be
overcame almost wholly by develop
ment of neglected resources in our
own country"
do you mean" Mr.. Lane was ask
ed, that the United States can make
itself independent of the rest of the
world in its manufactures
Very largely" asserted the Secre-
tary "The main difficulties to be
overcome in the Encouragement of the
distribution system necessary to
establishing this independence. Bust
ness is established along certain we'll
marked channels, and usually follows
the line Of least resistance. 1t has
been easier, and perhaps cheaper, 10
import mine al products and materials
from other countries than to go to
the trouble and expense of developing
our own resources of the same nature.
Forced to the latter course by sus.
pc. sion of cJ1imcrcr wi'h ..!rei coun-
u'ts, | believe that Amer, an ente :
prise and elcrgy will almost at one
II. n to the IcvcloImc:,t If II native
resources, rather than permit produc-
tic" to lag AMI supply t. |: dimin,-
I'd in any industry.
F. or the maintenance C. agile IL
tire. for ins:'rte, we rely more ali
n.ole large,y UPON mineral fertilizers
TIc Tree eSse ltial pllm foods are
pc'aSh, nitr " l and phosphorus, tine
later used generally in the i, rm of
Of sDhates We have denended with
the rest of the world very largely
rrcn the mines Of Germany for our
StLl ly of d; :is'l salts, and var hes
cut off this supply, but we have large
deposits of potash in a California re-
serve which can be Immediately
opened and developed if a bill now
before Congress to make these sup
plies available is enacted. Chile holds
practical world monopoly of the
most readily available nitrogen in its
great nitrate beds, and not only the
manufacture of agricultural fertilizers
but also of many kinds of high ex-
plosives. have been made dependent
upon the Chilean supply of nitrates.
If this supply should be cut off, new
supply would have to be found or
manufactures and agriculture would
suffer. Fortunately this new supply
is at hand. We. can draw nitrogen
from the air and fix it with lime BY
the use of large and cheap electrical
development, as is done at Niagara
Falls and in Norway, and all that is
necessary to pave the way to this
electrical development is the passage
by Congress of the Ferris bill now