Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-09-05
FRANKLIN K Lane, SECRETARY OF Interior, SEES
Large BENEFIT TO UNITED STATES THROUGH WAR

a
neglect the opportunity to make our
| industries safe from the interruptions
of war We are now experiencing"
What other industries are there
now dependent upon the productions
of other countries which can be made
,, independent" Mr.. Lane was asked.
The steel industry, for one" he
replied Manganese is of large i'm
portance to this industry, and the
largest supply comes from Russia and
other countries with which commerce
is now paralyZed. There are large de-
posits in South America which have
not been developed, but 1t Is not neces-
sary to go so far away as that. We
have great stores of maganese In this
country which has been largely I'M
touched because IL 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 maganese steel without regard
to foreign wars or sources of material.
There are other international contri-
buttons, though, in the steel industry.
We have depended largely upon the
island OF Ceyion 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 smell
tiers, using In part Chiness and Mex
lean ores, have in late years furnished
much of the worlds supply of anti
mony, which is used in the manu-
facture of type metal, and also medi-
cinally. War has paralyzed the pro-
duction OF anthony in England tat
|Newcastle,) and prices have gone up.
Anthony. however, is easily extracted
from many low grade ores which we
have in great quantities in at least
seven states, and there is no reason
why we should not make this extrae-
ton and be independent of other
countries, both as to supply and prices.
Similar conditions hold in the case OF
arsenic.
"A large tonnage or ferromanganese
alloys comes from Germany and Eng
land. 1t is only in the last 10 years that
we have freed ourselves from Sicily's
monopolistic control of the sulphur
supply Flint pebbles are common and
the supply large enough In the United
States, but for such an apparently I'M
important product as these, 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 its carriage almost
entirely suspended during the war"
"Will this suspension mean disaster
to our industriesT
Not disaster, but inevitable inter
ruption to some extent" replied Mr..
Lane. 1T means that suddenly mater.
falls upon which great industries
depend, must be obtained from other
sources. Importers, consumers and
manufacturers are making anxious in.
quiries as to where they may nnd in
the United States supplies OF crude
materials to replace the foreign sup
plies now shut OF. This is the oppor.
tunity of the United States to free
itself from dependence or its indus.
tries upon other countries, and bust
ness men are awakening to this fact
They look to the government for aid
f, in finding new sources OF material
with which to keep the factories open
and In operation. When they have
i, found the domestic supply and begun
its use, they viii not return to depen
dence upon the foreign supply, and
thereafter good or bad times in the
United States, so far as the mainten
ance of industries is concerned, will
be more independent of foreign com
| plications."
What is the government. doing to
aid industry In these matters"
"All it can under present laws
replied the Secretary. "The nations
greatest natural resources are part
of the public domain, and under the
charge Of the Interior Department
The annual reports on the mineral
resources of the United States pub.
lished by the United States Geological
Survey for the last thirty years, con.
tain not only statistics of yearly pro.
duction Of all commercial minerals,
but also useful facts regarding the oc-
Icurrence, exploitation and application
in the arts and sciences of the miner
al wealth of the country. The Geo,og.
ltcal Survey has been instructed to
furnish upon request the addresses of
producers from whom buyers can
supply their wants IL the mineral is
produced at all in this country or In
formation regarding the localities
where reported deposits are undevelop-
ed. In some instances large deposits
remain undeveioped simply because of
the fact that distance from market has
given to the foreign sources of raw
material with the lower ocean freight
an advantage over domestic producers
shipping by rail- /.
What immediate effects upon min
eral industries may be expected from
the war;" Mr.. Lane was asked.
Already the copper industry has
felt the Injurious effect of war he