Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-08-23

benefit to the United States from the
European war Will be its effect in max
ing the people of this country realize
to a greater extent the value of its
mineral resources" said Franklin X.
Lane, secretary of the interior, in an
interview. ut is entirely possible to
SO utilize these resources and expand
our industries that the label Made in
America viii become familiar In our
own and foreign markets"
"Of an Importance second only to
that of the food supply" said Mr.. Lane,
lis the supply of mineral prooucts nee
essary to meet the requirements OF
twentieth century civilization. One OF
the first effects of the war has been
10 make us realize the nterdependence
of nations in the matter of food sup
ply Most of the countries now at
war are dependent upon Importation of
foodstuffs, and 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 indie
pendent in the possession of essential
mineral resources. and that the inter-
ference with manufacturing caused by
interruption of the FLOW of inporta-
tons of many necessary raw materials,
may be overcome almost wholly by de-
velopment of neglected resources in
our own country"
Can Be Independent.
DO you mean" Mr.. Lane was asked,
shat the United States can make itself
independent OF the rest of the world
in its manufactures?
Very largely" asserted the secre-
tary THE main difficulties to be
overcome are in the arrangement Of
the distribution system necessary to
establishing this independence. Bust
ness is established along certain we'll
marked channels, and usually follows
the line of least resistance. 1t has
been easier, and perhaps cheaper to
import mineral products and materials
from ether countries than to so to the
trouble and expense of developing our
own resources of the same nature.
Forced to the latter course of suspen-
sion of commerce with other countries,
believe that American enterprise and
energy will almost at once turn to the
development of the native resources,
rather than permit production to lag
and supply to be diminished in any in
dustry.
For the maintenance of agriculture,
for instance, we rely more and more
largely upon mineral fertilizers The
three essential plant foods are. potash,
nitrogen and phosphorus, the latter
used generally in the form OF phos
pilates 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 de-
posits of potash in California reserve
which can be Immediately opened anc
develored If a bill now before congress
to rake these Supplies available is
en-, ed. Chile holds practical world
monopoly of the most readily available
nitrogen in its great nitrate beds, ant
not only the manufact of agri-
cultural fertilizers but also of many
kinds OF high explosives, have beer
made dependent upon the Chilean sup
ply of nitrates. II this supply SHOULD
be cut off, a new supply would have
to be found or manufactures and agri'
culture would suffer Fortunately thi.
new supply is at hand We can draw
nitrogen from the air and Ak it will
lime by the use of large and cheal
electrical development, as is done a
Niagara Falls and in Norway, and al
that is necessary to pave the way t,
this electrical development is the pas
sage by congress of the Ferris bill nov
pending, which Will make possible tn
utilization of the great unused waite
powers of the western states
Expectation of Phosphate.
The southern states have -or year
largely supplied the worl~ with phos
pilates, but becauso of the distribu
ton system, a large part of this suppl
has gone to Europe, and much Of tn
phosphates used in the western state
have been imported across the Pacific
We have some 5000, 900 acres of phos
phate lands in the west lying near tn
smelters from which is produced tn
sulphuric acid necessary to CONVEX
these phos pilates into form availabl
for plant food, and still there IS no la'
by which these phosphate deposits ca
be made commercially available, al
though a bill which would allow {
their Immediate development has bee
favorably reported by the public land
committee of the house of repres enta
tives, and is awaiting the approval {
the house and senate"
will these resources be develope
if these laws are passed." the secre
tary was asked.
"Of course they will" he reptile,
lyon can depend upon American er
terprlse and ambition to make goo
when it Is given an opportunity 4
present these deposits and resource
are locked up out of use. To ope
them to use when the supply froi
other countries is cut off means
make American Industries using thes