Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-22

Only by the Improvement of sanitary
conditions, both in the factory and In
the home, say the health officers, can the
public expect rapid progress IN the night
against tuberculosis.
The governments study in Cincinnati
will not be confined simply to the invesu-
cation OF conditions, but 1t will provide
for instruction of both workers and en-
ployers on preventive measures and
methods of improving health conditions.
With both the state and municipal au-
thorities cooperating with DR.. Robinson,
public health officials believe that the
Cincinnati investigation will bring results
which will be of intense interest and
value to the people in every section OF
the country who are interested in anti
tuberculosis campaigns.
y
Many inquiries have been made of Sec
rotary Of the Interior Lane recently by
persons who are anxious
Radium to know what has be-
r.~;s,.+;o, come of the administra-
Aes1SlaIloA' tons plans for insuring
an adequate supply of radium for cancer
treatment and for use in hospitals Of the
United States. Months have passed since
the country was awakened to the great
value of radium in cancer cure and also
on the need of the conservation of the de-
posts of carnotite ore from which the
precious element is extracted.
Much publicity was given to the hear
ings held by the House committee on
mines and mining and somewhat less TO
those held by the Senate committee. Sec
rotary Lane is glad that the Senate COM
mittee has completed its report and Is now
ready with a bill to be considered for pas
sage. That men in Congress as well as
men in the departments interested in "a
dunn legislation are somewhat irr1tated
with the unusual delay in getting action
on the radium bill is indicated by Sen
ator Walsh, in his report on the proposed
bill. In urging that no time be lost by
further delays. Senator Walsh says:
LAS indicating the Importance OF prompt
action in this matter, it may be stated
that since the introduction Of the legisla-
ton now being considered the representa-
tives of the foreign purchasers of radium
ores and Of the two radium extraction
plants in the United States have been
radium ore field in Colorado and Utah,
and have been locating every area Of pub
lie land on which there was evidence of
the. occurrence Of radium- bearing ores.
LAS tho situation now stands, the pub
lie lands containing this resource Of Pc
culiar Importance to the people Of this
country are being taken into private
ownership In such manner as seems ike
~ to bring the control Of the radium sup
d
whom the hospitals of this country must
pay eXorbitant profits. In addition, the
fact that the extraction of radium is car
ried on by secret processes lends itself
to and facilitates the establishment OF
monopoly"
The bill now reported to the Senate
gives the government the exclusive right
to purchase and receive carnotite ores
from deposits on lands belonging to the
United States, and also provides for an
IS frr he
and equipment of building for radium
extraction and for a further appropria-
ton of $4,000 for necessary expenses
connected with the purchase and treat
ment Of radium ores.
One feature of the bill to which OBJ
jections have been made and which may
have rough shedding OH the floor of the
Senate is an amendment which provides
that if the United States shall refuse to
purchase radium ores at any time these
ores are offered the governments prefer
entail right to purchase the ores from
the claim from which they were mined OF
from other mining claims contiguous
thereto shall he forever lost. Under this
amendment the owner Of rich carno-
tito claim might offer his ore to the gov
ernment at q time when he is sure there
is no appropriation to purchase his
product and in this manner he would be-
come exempt from being compelled to
furnish the government ore at any time
to sell the misunderstanding ores to foreign
and domestic monopolies. The object Of
the radium legislation proposed by Sec
rotary Lane and others was to prevent
monopoly, and there is some fear that the
amendment, suggested may 1egalize.
rather than prevent. the private control
of the country's carnotite output by ra-
dunn trust.
= 3
in Montana the government for the first
time has planned to
New Use of substitute electric.
Cl.o4,,;. p. ity as a power to
replace steam in all
large machines used for excavating, tho
operation of derricks. and for the other
equipment necessary in the construction
of the large Pishkun reservoir and the
Sun river canal.
According TO reclamation engineers, this
method of canal excavation, by cleo
tricity, marks a radical departure and
great advance over previous practice.
The United States has contracted with
a Montana company to transmit and de-
liver electrical energy from the Great
to three substations on the Sun river
project, the farthest away from the
plant being seventy miles.
The government has driven close bar
gain in buying this electrical energy,
which it will get for little less than
1 cent per l1iIowatt hour, delivered. Per-
sons who are not familiar with the cost
of electric current will appreciate the
economy made possible by the rates given
the reclamation service, when it is known
that the cost of electricity per kilowatt
hour. the unit of measurement for cleo
trio power, runs from 6 to 10 cents in
the average eastern city. The govern
ment is getting the same amount of
power for 1 cent and in section Of the
country where. in many instances, the
cost of development of power is very
much higher than it is in the east.
The substitution Of electricity for
steam power in running the engines and
other equipment necessary in the con-
struction of the large irrigation reservoir
is expected to make for u large saving
of money. Steam power would have been
very costly on the Sun river project. be-
cause Of the fact that coal for the gen.
Grafton Of steam would have been COM
PEELED to be shipped long distances at
great cost
Tho United States has constructed a
distribution transmission line along the
canal line which has a total length of
forty-four miles, and the contractor for
the canal work, also the contractor for the
structures, will take the electrical energy
from the distribution transmission line at
any point desired. The energy is being
utilized by the government for all Of its
work on the project, including the con-
struction of the Sun river diversion dam,
and is available for the use of the con-
tractors who are driving tunnels, and in
n ,t-,n- hniv, g..