The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-08-25
war WILL SHOW
GREAT VALUE OF
OUR MINERALS
Secretary Lane Says United
y States Is Independent of
the World.
RESOURCES ARE NEGLECTED.
Raw Materials for Fertilizers and Steel
and Other Industries, Hitherto I'M
ported, Are TO Be Found With
In Our Own Borders.

4
Washington.-.'A direct benefit to
the United States from the European
war will be it's effect In making the
people of this country realize to q
greater extent thevalue of it's mineral
resources said Franklin K. Lane, sec
rotary of the interior, in an interview.
1T is entirely possible to SO utilize
these resources and expand our indus
tries 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 is the supply
of mineral products necessary to meet
the requirements of twentieth century
civilization. One of the first effects of
the war has been to make us realize
the interdependence of nations in the
matter of food supply. Most of the
countries now at war are dependent
upon Importation 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 realized 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 nee
essary raw materials, may be over
come almost wholly by development of
neglected resources in our own coun-
try"
do you mean," Mr. Lane was asked,
that the United States can make it
self independent Of the rest of the
world In its manufactures?
Very largely" asserted the secre-
tary. THE main difficulties to be over
come are in the Encouragement of the
distribution system necessary to es-
I-tablishing this independence. Business
is established along certain we'll
marked channels, and usually follows
the line of least resistance. 1t has
been easier, and perhaps cheaper, to
import mineral 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 suspen-
sion of commerce with other coun-
! tries. l believe that American enter
prise and energy will almost at once
! turn to the development of the native
resources, rather than permit produc-
| ton to lag and supply to be diminished
in any industry.
As to Mineral Fertilizers.
For the maintenance of agricul-
ture, for instance, we rely more and
| more, largely upon mineral fertilizers.
The three essential plant foods are pot
ash, nitrogen and phosphorus, the lat
ter used generally in the form of phos-
pilates. We have depended, with the
rest of the world, very largely upon
the mines of Germany for our supply
| of potash salts, and war has cut on
| this supply, but we have large depos-
| its of potash in California reserve
which can be Immediately opened and
developed if bill now before congress
to make these supplies available is
enacted Chile holds practical world
monopoly of the most readily avail
! able notrigen in its great nitrate beds,
and the manufacture not only of ag-
ricultural fertilizers but also Of many
kinds of high explosives has been made
dependent upon the Chilean supply Of
nitrates. If this supply should be cut
of, new supply would have to be
found or manufactures and agriculture
would suffer. Fortunately this new
supply is at hand We can draw nitro
gen from the air and fix 1t 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 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-
plate 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 thera Ia
no law by which these phosphate de-
posits can be made commercially avail
able, although bill which would al
low Of their immediate development
has been favorably reported
Manganese and Other Metala-
What other industries are there
now dependent upon the products OF
other countries, which can be made
independent" Mr.. Lane was asked ~
/ The steel industry, for one" he ~.
piled Manganese is OF large impor.
lance to this industry, and the largest
supply of ore comes from Russia and
other countries with which commerce.
ID now paralyzed- There are large de
Poor Board Would DO.
Guess won't have to worry abou
suitable boarding house this sum
mer."
why not?"
slrrrr -