The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-01-01
a.AME WOULD HEAD
OFF FORMATION or
RADlUM MONOPOLY

Washington. Dec. 30-Secretary
G1ane proposes to withdraw all lands
Of the public domain suspected OF con-
faining radium. that their precious de-
posits ma be- secured for the public
good n nos become the subject Of
private speculation.
Mr.. Lane Is having prepared a pro-
ytsional resolution to mpo Prest-
dent Wilson to make the withdrawals.
xey have located public lands believed
to contain the previous substance. now
30 invaluable In medicine.
Conduct Exploration.
BY the terms Of the proposed reso-
luton, the secretary or the interior
would be authorized TO conduct ex-
ploratiOns and researches with q view.
60 determining the -practicabllity Of
developing from such ores a supply Of
Tadium q % provide for the mining
and treatment OF radium bearing ores
A. such manner as would best secure
2 Supply Of radium for the use OF the
government Of the United States and
che hospitals Of this country.
Mr. Lane points out that there are
only Two grams Of radium at present
! the United States. 1t Isl valued al
100000 4 gram. All mas been procured
from Europe.
-Three-fourths Of the radlum pro-
duced In the world during the year
1914. says Secretary Lane, came
rom American ores, vet we have, up
60 THIS time. taken no steps whatever
90 preserve for our own people this ine
valuable metal and our physicians and
hospitals are dependent on European
laboratories for such supply as they
q procure mi are subject to what
over monopoly charge the European
laboratories demand for their product
.HHNlHM 49, LF.IEA-
Powerful Metal Needed.
In view OF the known effectiveness
OF tadium I'm the treatment Or cancer
and the dtffteulty now experienced in
obtaining II, Secretary Lane says. as
one person In every 10 In this country
more than 30 years old suffers from
cancer. ut Ii difficult to over-estimate
the necessity for securing immediately
as large = supply as possible OF this
mysterious rerneay."
Continuing. the secretary SAYS.
-Radigm Is found In ores carrying
uranium and ~vanadiun1, which are
used extensively IN the arts and pro-
Gesses by which IL Is extracted are Sc
cret. A process has been invented by.
the chemists In opr bureau of mines
experiments thus far made to be sue
ccssfuI, Under the endowment OF two
Americans. a. building is now being
erected in Denver (which with its
equipment Will be opened for work I'm
the coming February, in which an ef-
fort will be made to prove the COM
xnercial possibility OF this American
process. n successful this process win
be given TO the world and all OF the
raium secured over and above a small
minimum viii be the property OF the
United States, and will be put into the
handg OF the United States public
health service for the people.
Prevent Private Monopoly.
ssUnder the circumstances It seems to
me that the only prudent course that
the United States could pursue vas to
Withdraw such OF its lands as are sup
posed to contain radium from public
entry. This will guard against these
public lands being taken up
by persons who would not
develop them to their highest and most
beneficiai use. It would be almost I'm
human to deprive other nations access
70 our radium deposits II they alone
were masters of the secret by which
this mineral could be secured and IL is
believed there Is d sufficient amount OF
carnotte and pitchbiende already IN
private ownership In this country 70.
permit OF continued European expert
snentatjon and production. The people
OF the United States, however, should
be entitled to protection against the ex-
haustion or this rcsourc and its
elusive control by the scientists Of 9TH
AZ landa $3.50 @ 44#% tTsE