Evening star., 1915-02-28

been to make the United States geo.
logical survey a
| GEOLOGICAL SURVEY great clearing
Clearing House. apohsngs avcss s o, in.
mineral deposits who have in the past
carried on a large export trade with
foreign manufacturers and domestic
manufacturers who have depended
upon Europe for large part of the
raw materials which they use. The
looming of the war made it necessary
for the owners of large mineral de-
tposits to depend almost entirely upon
American manufacturers for business
land, in turn, American manufacturers
have been compelled to secure practi-
lcally all of their raw materials from
heretofore have been more or less neg
llected as a source of supply.
Steel manufacturers were among the
ifirst to seek information from the geo.
logical survey when the war shut off
THE United States has abundant depos-
its of this mineral, but notwithstand-
Ing this fact very little has been pro-
lduced in the United States in the past,
most entirely on foreign supply. An
idea of just how much the domestic
isupply of manganese has been neglect
led Is indicated by the geological sur
tvey statistics, which show that be-
tween 1000 and 1000 long tons Of man
Iganese have been the extent of the pro-
Iduction in the United States during
each of the last ten years. while the
imports from Europe have ranged from
10000 to nearly 345,000 long tons each
lyear.
| Manganese ore is found in many parts
or the United States and is particularly
abundant in the Appalachian and Pied
mont regions In the east and in the
southern Mississippi valley and on the
Pacific coast. Owners of many of these
deposits have written to the United
states geological survey requesting
Information as to probable markets
Tor their product and they have been
referred to the steel manufacturers who
have written to the survey requesting
Information on the sources Of supply.
Director George Otis Smith and his
assistants in the survey have managed
to bring owners Of other mineral de-
posfts and consumers together in vari-
GUS instances, and the flood of letters
coming In from persons seeking infor-
1
at any time since the war began. The
Inquiries have come from the owners
of mineral deposits in all parts Of the
United States and from manufacturers
steel to table china. Kaolin. or china
clay. for instance. in the past has been
imported in large quantities from
abroad, notwithstanding the fact that
their rich deposits are found in the
appalachian region of the United
States. Domestic china manufacturers
have profited by the information which
Is furnished by the geological survey,
and owners of kaolin have also bene-
nted by having called to their atten-
tion new consumers Of their product.
i
| Uncle Sam believes that the develop
ment Of sound system Of vocational
education is one of the
| Vocational best kinds Of insurance
| r,4. against the unemploy-
| 1uueoSAoA' ment of future citizens
of the United States. and accordingly
work has been begun to increase the
Interest of superintendents of schools
and teachers throughout the United
States in the vocational education
movement. DR.. W. T. Bawden, special
list in Industrial education In the United
jernment expert in charge of the work
of spreading information on Industrial
training among educators OF the coun-
TRY.
| DIR. Bawden agrees with the other in
ldustrial educational experts that one of
the most important things to urge in
the early days of the movement is the
thorough preparation of all teachers
tengaged in the new work of education
in the industrial and manual arts. Fol-
flowing the thorough preparation of
teachers emphasis is laid upon the de-
sirability Of cooperation between the
schools engaged in vocational educa-
tion and the various industries.
| Government experts believe that
promising material for vocational shop
,siona1ly prepared manual training shop
teacher who supplements his equip
ment by not less than one years prac-
tical experience in the trade. and also
| in the skilled mechanic who supple
ments his trade equipment by not less
than one years special professional
preparation.
| The federal bureau of education in it's
study of vocational education Will gath
er and exchange with various educators
of the country information on the crit
ical and as yet unsolved problem OF
vocational education for those indfvid-
uals who are now engaged In occupa-
tions without a future. Vocational edu-
cation in the United States, it is ad-
mitted, is yet in its infancy, and in
the development Of an ideal system ex-
perts are emphasizing the fact that 1t
| is essential that provision shall be
made Of opportunities for vocational
education for individuals who are en-
| ployed in the occupations for which
they seek further special preparation,
and also that occupations shall be pro-
vided that will encourage the progress
of individuals into more desirable oc-
equations. In other words, the aim.
they say, is to provide man with the
kind of training which will start him
into some branch of industry which has
| a future and in which he can develop
| and win promotions according to his
proved ability in his chosen work.
The vanishing cow" is one of the
| latest farm problems in the eastern
United States. particularly
| Census in New England. The last
estimates by the statisti-
Oh Oows. cal experts of the United
States Department of Agriculture show
that January /, 1915. the number of
milch cows in every New England
state, excepting Vermont, has de-
creased during the year. With milk
as one of the most valuable food prod
ucts of the farm, the decrease in the
number of cows is considered serious.