Evening star., 1914-08-16
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

moEe serious to tho Interior Department
and public health service ofiiciais 70 tne
fact that the hospitals in this country
win be delayed for many months IN
acquiring an adequate supply Of radium
for the treatment Of cancer and other
dangerous growths. and that humanity
will have to undergo untold suffering
because Of the lack Of PROVISIONS Tor
the manufacture Of an adequate supply
Of radium.
Al the present time tho United
s1.ss: as bold. 1saa s 4Ss ss ho:
pitfalls have at their disposal approximate-
1y forty to flfty grams. Surgeon gen
erals Of the army and navy can uss
supply Of approximately ten grams Oh
and the United s4tes public health serv-
ice has asked for twenty grams for its
twenty-one hospitals.
Tho radium bill now pending In the
Senate and House provides for the con-
struction Of q government plant to ex-
tract radium from the ores which are
produced. and Secretary Lane ana DR..
Joseph A. Holmes, director Of the bureau
Of mines. believe that the government
can produce itS own radium at one
third Of the amount which 1t VIII cost
at present market rates. The govern
ment's chief mineral chemist. DR.. Charles
L Parsons. says that the proceeses whicn
have already been developed by the
government prove that this can be done
Tho present cost Of thirty grams OF
radium needed by the government nos
pitfalls alone would be approximately $3,-
100000. Onlcials point out that the pas
sage of the radium bill would not only
mean a saving Of two-thirds OF this
amount to the government In the pur-
chase Of manufactured radium. but would
at the same time give the miners ana
prospectors in the carnotite fields an
Immediate market for their ores.
As soon as there were prospects OF a
European war. inquiries began to come
in to tho United
Coal Supplies Of States seolosi-
Warning Nations. inc for ,nfor.
nation upon the coal supplies Of the
various countries which are participating
in the conflict. For some peculiar rea-
son. many persons apparently had the Inn
preston that some Of the nations might
not have a sufi1cient supply Of coal to
keep their nav1es going during . war
which might last over q period OF many
months.
Although the government has never
published Information on the coal sup
ply Of other countries. most Of the In
quiries were referred to DR.. Edward w.
Parker, the chief mineral statistician Of
the geological survey, and In most cases
he was able to furnish the desired In
formation from figures which had been
gathered by the International Geological
Congress.
Practically all Of the countries engaged
in the great war have a coal supply large
enough to run their navies for a hum
dred years and more, according to. gov
ernment statisticians, although the coal
deposits OF Europe are exceedingly small
compared with the combined coal re-
sources Of the United States and Alaska.
Among the nations engaged in the pres
ent war Great Britain has the largest
supply Of coal. The royal commission
estimates that the reserves of that coun-
try contained approximately 100000 O00.-
600 long tons or about 10000. co., 900
short tons. Germany's coal resources
are next in point OF extent, and this
leading foe Of the triple entente has
fields. Russia has 10000. 600 600 tons:
Austria. 1900. .0oo. 600; France. 1900. 900. :
900. and Belgium, $1,000 ooo.o0 Eng
land. besides having the largest coal
supply Of Europe. also has In Canada.
her possession. more than the combined
deposits Of the countries Of Europe. ex-
cepting Germany. The known coal sup
plies Of Canada are estimated at about
10000. 100000 tons.
Although these figures sound very large
to the reader. the amount OF coal In the
deposits IN all Of Europe b VERY small
compared with that Of the United States.
In the United States proper. exclusive Of
Alaska, It Is estimated that there ara
500 Oo0. .0O0. 600 tons. or more than twenty
times as much coal as there Ia In Great
Britain. which has the richest coal fields
Of Europe. or more than eight times az
much coal as there is in all the countries
Of Europe combined.
During the past two weeks. while the
immense armies Of Europe have been mo-
bllised for battle,
Fighting Plague the warfare which
.~~ American public