The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-25
SAYS u. s. CAN MAKE ITSELF
INDEPENDENT IN MANUFACTURES
War Will Cause People to Realize to Greater Extent the
Value Of Mineral Resources, Declares Secretary OF
the Interior Franklin K. Lane.

country realize to a greater extent the
value of its mineral resources" said
Franklin K. Lane. Secretary Of the
Interior, in an interview recently. 1t
is entirely possible to so utilize these
resources and expand our industries
that the label Made in America will
become familiar in our own and for
eign markets.
"Of an importance second only to
that Of the food supply" said Mr..
Lane, lis the supply Of mineral pro-
ducts necessary to meet the reQulre-
ments of twentieth century civiliza-
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 wal are dependent
upon importation Of fOOdstuffs, ana
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 pos
session of essential mineral resources,
and hat the interference with manu-
featuring caused by interruption Of
the flow of impOrtations Of many ne
cessary raw materials, may be over
come almost wholly by development
of neglected resources in our w
country.
do you mean" Mr.. Lane was
asked, that the United States can
make itself independent Of the rest or
the world in it's manufactures"
VERY largely asserted the Secre-
tary. THE main difficulties to be
overcome are in the Encouragement
Of the distribution system necessary
to establishing this Independence.
Business is established along certain
well-marked channels, and usually
follows the line of least resistance. 1t
has been easier, and perhaps cheaper,
to import mineral products and ma
terials from other countries than to
go to the trouble and expense OF de-
~yeloping our own resources Of the
same nature. Forced to the latter
course by suspension Of
with other countries, l believe that
American enterprise and energy will
almost at once turn to the develop
ment of the native resources, rather
than permit production to lag and
supply to be diminished in any indus
try.
Fertilizers Are Available.
"For the maintenance of agricul-
ture, for in stance, we rely more and
more largely upon mineral fertilizers.
Uhe three essential plant foods are
potash, nitrogen and phosphorus. the
latter used generally in the form OF
= ~phosphates. 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 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 nov
before Congress to make these sup
plies available is enacted. Chile hold:
a practical world monopoly of tn
most readily available nitrogen in it.
great nitrate beds. and not only tn,
manufacture of agricultural fertilizer
but also Of kinds of high explo
sives. have been made dependent upol
the Chilean supply of nitrates. I
this supply should be cut off, a nev
supply would have to be found o
manufactures and agriculture wOul,
suffer. Fortunately this new suppl
is at hand. We can draw nitrogen
from the air and fix it with lime b
the use Of large and cheap electrica
development, as is done at Magyar
Falls and in Norway, and all that
necessary to pave the way to thi
electrical development is the passag
by Congress of the Ferris bill no'
pending, which will make possibl
h utilization of the great nus
water powers Of the Western State
The Southern States have fo
years largely supplied the world wit
phosphates. but because Of the distr
button system. a large part of tn
supply has gone to Europe, and niue
of the phosphates used in the Wester
states nave Deen imported across tn
Pacific. We have some 5000, 90
acres of phosphate lands in the We,
lying near the smelters from whiC
is produced the sulphuric acid nece!
sary to convert these phosphates I'M
form available for plant food, ar
still there is no law by which the.
phosphate deposits can be made con
mercially available, although a b
which would allow of their .imm
date development has been favorab
reported by the Public Lands con
mittee of the House of Represent
tives, and is awaiting the approx
OF the House and Senate" r.
Resources a Be Developed.
Will these resources be develop
ii these laws are passed." the Seer
tary was asked.
"Of course they will" he reptile
You can depend upon American e
terprise and ambition to make go