Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-01-22
THURSDAY, JANUARY %, 1914.
Radium For Americans.
Secretary Lane Outlines Pur.
pose of Proposed Legislation
for Utilization of Public
Radium Lands.

IOI OllIlLdClOH VI uUAAS
Radium Lands.
Secretary Lane, of the Interior De-
partment, expresses himself in no un-
certain terms in his belief that the
American people will strongly sup
port him in the broad-gage policy
that aims to extract from lands now
in public ownership sufficient Ameri-
can radium for American hospitals,
in order that the the poorest patients
may secure promptly the treatment
now necessarily limited to the seIect-
ed few.
In reply to protest against the
proposed legislation allowing with
drawal of public lands known or be-
lieved to contain radium ores, Secre-
tary Lane states the issue as one
which is believed to be that OF life
and death to hundreds OF thousands
of Americans.
The apprehension seems to be, the
Secretary states, that vast areas in
amy part" of Colorado are to be
closed to entry ION suspicion" and
thus prospecting not only for radium
but for the precious and semiprecious
metals as we'll will be stopped. These
fears are not well founded. The dis
tribution OF radium bearing minerals
are now known in Colorado is fairly
we'll defined, and there is no inten-
ton in the Interior Department to
apply Withdrawals outside of the rel
atively small areas known to contain
these minerals.
The pitchblende of Gilpin County
is already entirely owned by individ-
uals and corporations, and single
American company now controls
more than 100 carnotite claims, the
radium product from which will be
sold to the highest bidder in any
country. The carnotite deposits
which it is now proposed to devote
primarily to the use OF the American
people are known through investiga-
tons Of the United States Geological
Survey to be for the most part con-
fined to particular beds of rock.
The official statistics of 1913 as to
our exports of uranium and vanadi-
UNI ores carrying radium, indicate
larger content of radium in the Colo
RADIO ores shipped to Europe than in
the somewhat greater tonnage of ores
treated or kept in this country. The
joint resolution submitted by the Sec
rotary for the consideration of Con-
gress contains authority not only for
the President to withdraw radium
lands from further private appropri-
alton but also for the Secretary of the
Interior to lease these lands or other
wise provide for the mining of the
ores so as to secure the needed supply
of radium for the Government and
hospitals of the United States. The
vigorous administration which such
law would deserve by reason of the
urgent nature of the matter would
demand that there be no delay in
opening the deposits to proposeful
utilization. The object of the pro-
posed legislation is not reservation
from use, but rather development un-
der conditions not only favoring but
even forcing the best use Of this val
liable resource, which has no value
except as it is mined and used.
The effort of the Federal Govern
ment should be, and Secretary Lane
states that he believes it will be, di-
rected to the promotion of all mining
OF radium ores in Colorado and Utah,
in any and every way conducive to
the protection of Americas interest
in the product. Early exhaustion Of
these deposits in the sense that we
speak of exhaustion of other mineral
resources is something which need
not be feared. The radium once ex-
tracted from the ore becomes avail
able for continued use without ap-
probable loss and becomes perma-
nent addition to the needed supply.
The same radium that is placed at
humanity's service to-day may be
used by our children for may gener-
atoms.
Whatever the percentage of Amer
lean ores now exported from mines
in private ownership and largely un-
der corporate control, it is, in Secre-
tary Lanes opinion, only equitable
and humane to assure America pref
erential rights to the radium on land
still in public ownership. 1t is for
control to this end that the legisla-
ton is proposed, and such control is
to be secured through the immediate
opening of mines and the prompt ex-
traction Of the radium from the ores
mined.