Arizona republican., 1914-02-15
South nf Phaenix.


 There is quite an activity ill the mountains nine to twelve miles south of town. The Max Delta continues development and there are many others engaged in opening up their prospects and to all accounts with eood results. Some of the ore is really high grade and some of the veins are of very promising appear ance and carry good workable val res. If these properties were 200 miles from any place. people would be tumbling over themselves to get to develop them.
 Radium.
 Since Madam Curie made the won derful discovery of radium the ele- ment has become Of immense inter- est and especially in relation to the cure of certain diseases and now the ccestion of rock containing the ele- ment and it's location in mining claims is becoming national aues- ton, and there is talk of withdraw ing all lands from entry containing radum. Secretary Lane has taken the stand oh behalf of plan to segresate radium bearing lands, the government to be the operator tp extract the mineral; or another plan was to divide up radium- bearing areas into tracts of 360 acres and allow the issuance of exclusive licenses to prospectors and when radium was found to retain 20 to p per cent for the government. His idea is that the government should not be confined to any single area hut that all lands should be with drawn and the prospectors told to go ahead and develop the mineral with the understanding that the gov ernment would buy the ore at fair ptice and extract the radium under it's own control With the aid of Chairman Foster, Mir. Lane said he was preparing a resolution that would give the right to the depart ment of the interior to buy all rad ium ores and to extract their con- tents. MT. Lane in addition stated that the number of demands made by hospitals in need of radium for immediate use was gieater than could be supplied from present re- sources and he considered something should be done to meet the situation Opponents of the plan protested against government withdrawal but conceded that the government might retain the exclusive right to buy the ere and develop it. In his testimony before congressional committee. Mir. Joseph M Flannery of Pitts LIrgh said that his company had spent in three years s650, 900 to pro- duce two grams of radium. This cost s4SO,O0O. he estimated. and brought in s24O,0O0. In April. he stated, the company would be pro- ducing one gram month.
 There is enough radium ore in Colorado to supply the world five times over" remarked MT. Flannery "Only 200 grams are needed for tha United States. I will undertake to deliver to the government in five years, from January 1. 1915. 200 price of $S0, 900 a gram This shows that the production of radum is be- ing well considered and it's extrac- ton becoming a thorough. practical business. recent statement an- nounced the fact that there were ] only 90 to 8 grams of pure radium bromide in the world. The largest source of radium at present in Amcrcia is the carnotite deposits of Colorado. The carnotite is found over rather an extended area. but is | cratic in its occurrence, but it is fully to be anticipated, in fact. al- ! most a certainty that other areas i than the present will be found. Talk ing all the facts into consideration i in connection with the mineral il would seem a very unwise policy for i the government to withdraw such lands from entry. The better plan would be to encourage prospecting and discovery and follow the sug 1 gested course of buying or treating 1 all the ore on a certain fixed basis. for who knows in this wonderful age might not be found to supersede cf new discoveries that something l ! all the use of it we can. for pros pecting over the world for radiun ] has only commenced In Arizona great interest has been aroused and
 many specimens of rock have beer forwarded to different authorities fol determination. but up to the pres cnt none has been found to contaif liidtum.e However. that.'dues' not i'm ply that it will not be found within
 the boundaries of this state, and il
 is hoped that persistency of research
 will vet reveaD it. 1 The following will be of interest regarding uranium. from Bulletin 70
 issued by the department of the in l terior: As a result of this investi- eation it has been definitely showr that, although the Austrian govern nent has conserved it's own re. sources of uranium and radium by purchasing the Joachimsthal' mines and, by carefully supervising pitch biende production the deposits ot radium bearing minerals in tn,
 United States are being rapidly de. | rleted by wasteful exploitation chiefly for the benefit of foreigr
 markets.
 Seemingly the country has beei luite unaware of the extent tt which uranium ores have been sen ! broad investigation has developed the fact that during the year 191: carnotite ores carrying 2S.S tons O uranium oxide were produced ant