The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1914-09-21
WAR TO CAUSE
An INCREASED
COAL DEMAND
SECRETARY LANE EXPLAINS
HOW CONFLICT WILL
AID US.

D. G on august TO- fiailNiih N
Lane secretary oil the interior o.
the 'hlled states eNpidiHeu no" '"'
war III Europe VIII eiieet THIS cum
try IN an lhdus'rIai way anu a"ioii1
other Things ne ueciaied mat '"'
war VIII create demand aOioau iol
American codI.
AS 9eclelar! Lane Is eHtHuSldS''
/ II Is quite certain mat ne VIII nov
more IMAM ever pelole' ieal'"e '"t
necessity OF developing TIE coai bed7
! OF TINS territory
MI. Lane interview. IN part Is
as follows:
y direct benefit to the thl'ed
states from the European war viii
be its effect in making the people
of this country realize to greater
extent the value of its mineral re-
sources. 1t is entirely possible .
! so utilize these resources ana eA-
pand our industries that the label
Made in America will become fam
! liar in our own foreign markets.
of an importance second only to
that of the food supply, said Mr.
Lane, is the supply of mineral pro
duets necessary to meet the require
ments Of Twentieth century ciVillza-
/ ton. 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 possession of essential min
eral resources. and that the inter
ference with manufacturing caused
by interruption of the flow of i'm
p0rtatons of many necessary raw
materials, may be overcome almost
wholly by development of neglected
resources in our own country.
While the United States leads in
coal mines. the six European ma
tons now at war happen to be the
six next largest coal mining coun-
tries producing together over half
= e worlds coal. Interference with
both the mining and the commerce
of these nations must necessarily in
crease the demand for our coal az
least in the neutral countries of the
world. And coal is our one resource
about which there need be no pres
ent anxiety The United States is
now producing 40 per cent of the
worlds supply of coal, and the re-
serves yet to be drawn upon exceed,
so far as known, those of all tho
rest of the world combined
1T is not generally known, however.
to what an extent we have been
depending upon Europe. principally
/ Germany. for many of the chemical
products derivable from coal, and
which we have been permitting 10
90 to waste, in the most reckless
manner. Coal tar obtained in the
manufacture of coal gas. and of coke
| Iin retort ovens) is capable of pro-
ducing hundreds OF chemical pro
ducts. but the chemical industries
dependent upon coal tar as a raw
material have had little development
| in the United States. Our imports
of coal tar products in 1913 We're
valued at $11.OOO,0OO at initiating
points and when they reached the
ultimate consumer probably cost dou-
bile that amount. If the present war
continues any length of time the
American consumer will have to
do without aniline colors and dyes,
certain drugs, and numerous other
coal tar products or the American
manufacturers will undertake to sup
NV these essential commodities
which have hitherto carried the la
bel Made in Germany
"The Panama canal is opened in
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