The Washington times., 1915-12-18

foreigners who write Of our country
often engage in facetiOus II not scuru-
ful comment upuon our bolnbastic man
ner of telling the story, OF our CROWN
and of the things achieved or possessed. go.
They fail unfortunately to see Tar
enough into the secret of our prluc.
TO have taken the prize for the largest
pumpkin at the county fair, or 70 nave
milled more ore IN day than any oLler
mine. or to have built the highest dam
IN the world-such things arc to US Hd-
ventures. which make tho game CI
opening new country worth while.
Learns of Assets.
"Some months since l sought 10 learn
what could OF the assets of this coun-
try as they might be revealed by this
department; where we we're in point
Of development, and what we had with
which to meet the world which was
teaching us that war was no longer set
contest between more or less mobile
armed forces but an enduring contest
between all the life forces OF the con-
testing parties. their financial strength.
their industrial organization and adapt
ability, their crop yields, and their min
eral resources, and that II ultimately
comes to a test of the very genius Of
the peoples involved. And out Of the
reports then made these facts stand
out:
"The United States produces every
mineral that Is needed i'm industry, and
this can be said of no other country,
We produce 66 per cent OF the world 4
output OF petroleum, so per cent of its
copper, 40 per cent Of its coal and iron,
and 80 per cent Of its lead and zinc. Tin
in small quantities is produced in Alas
and California, manganese in Virginia,
Georgia, Arkansas, and California but
of these latter minerals, as of nickel
and some others of less Importance, our
l.. tan o.
consumption. We can build a battle
ship or an automobile (excepting the
tires), a railroad or a factory entirely
from the products of American mines
and forests.
TO replenish the soil we have phos-
phorus in abundance, potash is known
to exist in the deposits of Searles Lake,
California. which, however is not vet
commercially available. and in, alunite
and deposits of which are found in
several States and nitrogen can be ex-
tracted from the air BY cheap hydro
electric power, as is now done in tiN.-
many, Norway. and elsewhere. So that
we can feed the earth and keep it sus-
tained.
Climate Aids Growers.
our soil and climate are so varied
that we can produce all the grains
fruits. vegetables. and fibers known to
the tcmp0rate zone, and some found In
the semi-tropics.
And to crown all these. we have
water power that can be made to gen.
crate perhaps as much as $4,000, ,OOJ
horsepower.
The Territory of Alaska. containing
perhaps 4Oo,OO0,0OO acres. Ia now the great
body Of public domain. 1t Is heavily
mineralized and is a land OF unknown
possibilities. One gold mine there has
aracfad N t,offI ~ G mn tn,,s IA;
capacity, with ore in sight to rrn this
nil! for fifty years.
The waters that flow idly to the sea
could be made to support not less than
", p,OQO,0n people II turned upon the land
that otherwise will remain nasture land
or altogether worthless. The demon
stration has been given that tho lands
OF little rain can be made more fruitful
than those where the rainfall is abun-
dant. Land and water we have; the
problem of bringing them together Is
one only OF money.
Saves Gas Supply.
When the war in Europe shut of Ger
tain chemical supplies, one OF our chem
lists. Mr. Rittman. found a new process
which has been given to the public b,
which benZol and toluol. the foundation
OF aniline dyes and explosives. and gaso
line may be made from crude petroleum
Mr.. Parsons and Mr.. Moore have de
vised and proved a process for the re
duction of radium from carnotite ores
An oil expert. Mr.. Pollard. was put Il
the task OF saving the billions Of fee
of gas wasting daily into the air from
the oil wells of Oklahoma. and was sue
cessful. Mr.. Cottrell has devised
method of taking solids and LIQUIDS on
of smelter smoke. such as sulphurit
acid. arsenic. zinc. and lead.
During the past fifty wears the peopl,
Of the United States have uttered two
thirds of all the revolutionary epoch
making inventions Of the world. rang
ing from the telephone and the incan
descent lamp to Wright's aeropane ant
high-speed steel. Each day we issue al
average OF 200 letters patent to Ameri
can inventors. and the number OF inven
tions is increasing with the years.