The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-28
NOT INDEPENDENT IN
MINERAL RESOURCES
But European War Gives United
States Its Opportunity TO BE
come So.
This Country Leads World In PRODUCE
duction OF Such Essentials as Coal.
Petroleum, Copper. Zinc, Iron and
Lead-The Problems Presented.

The following synopsis of Discussion
by George Otis Smith, director of the
United States Geological Survey, be-
fore the New York Section of Ameri-
can institute OF Mining Engineers re-
Gently held in New York. shows how
the war is giving America opportunity
to become Internationally indepen-
dent
For more than half a. year we
have watched the ad justments and re-
adjustments of American Industries to
meet new conditions. Six months ago
the United States Geological Survey
suggested. by the publication of bull
letin 3s9, the extent TO which Amer
ica's mineral reserves could be drawn
upon To meet the emergency and in
deed to strengthen the position OF the
United States as a world power in
industry and commerce, To-day as
a nation, we face all even greater
crisis in our commercial relations, so
that discussion Of national iudepen-
dence Is especially opportune.
"As Il nation We began with decla-
ration Of Independence leading to an
experiment I'm statecra fl popular gov
eminent on a large scale in a string
Of colonial settlements connected only
III IL ~ hNC NaA ny Aff7A fps.fS GfttA
coastwise sailing vessels. and perhaps
even more feehly united by bonds of
common race or creed. Yet thai poll
teal Independence WIS the breath Of
iife in the new nation. and the ideal
then set up attracted the hest human
material from all lands Thus we
may say was developed America :
greatest resource, a progressive cIti-
zenry.
THE other element necessary 20
make America great. IL material re-
sources-~the earth and the fulness
thereof ] do not discount the wealth
of our forests, which have contribu-
ted so largely TO our foreign and do
nestic trade since colonial days, nor
DO ] disregard the bounty of our soil.
which ena bies us In these days OF
waste and war 10 feed the peoples Of
Europe as well as ourselves. yet 7
believe the mineral wealth Of the
United States is in largest measure the
foundation OF the marvellous growi h
OF the last. few decadeA- Industrial
America think of what degree the
industries Of America are based on
our ores and mineral fuels, or figure,
If you will, the percentage OF rail-
road tonnage that originates at the
mine,
Not only is our country a world
leader in the output Of such essential
minerals as coal, petroleum, copper,
zinc. iron, lead phosphate--and in
three of these it exceeds all other
countries put toEether--but as far as
such things can be measured or esti-
mated we are biest IN the possession of
the largest reserves If many of the
more important Of these minerals.
No other country can. in any sense.
compare with the United States In
the degree Of Industrial Independence
afforded by the possession of these
mineral resources. The raw material
is at hand to enable us to win and
maintain supremacy as n rnanafactur-
ing nation
yet under this most favored ma
ton clause the catalogue of our MI
eral resources is not the complete list
of minerals essential 10 modern civil
lization. a few Items are missing,
others are present apparently only In
insufficient quantities. and the quality
or locality OF the deposits OF still other
minerals may be unfavorable to pres
ent-day utilization. Thus il happens
that the nation is not wholly indie
pendent in its mineral industry. and
no problem better deserves the atten-
ton Of the American mining engineers
than this, How can we I'LL these gaps
and thus make America more truly
independent
1.-THE catalogue Of the products az
our mines, quarries and wells is long.
The list of what we lack is short We
are wholly dependent on other coun-
tries for only four items~-tin and
nickel. potash and nitrate. Among
the minerals of which the United
States has deficient supply are mag
anese. platinum, gems, and asbestos.
Still other minerals It has heretofore
been more profitable to buy abroad
than to produce at home. such as
chrome ore, barytes. flint pebbles,
magnesite, mica. and graphite.
These deficiencies create problems
relating to three different types or
classes OF minerals. In the first class.
tin and nickel only seem to present a
hopeless outlook; and as Il matter of
fact the whole world Is poor in tin.
Especially is this scarcity felt in GER
tain of the countries now at war,
where the shortage due to cessation
of imports Is intensified by the In
creased use OF tin in canning army
supplies. But we can look to South
America for tin ore and make It's i'm
portation foundation for profitable
commerce with Bolivia. For nitrate
we can continue to rely upon Chile.
dence in respect to this mineral by
the manufacture of nitrates from at
mospheric nitrogen, Opportunities for
cheap hydroelectric development will
invite, capital az soon as Congress will
legislate. For potash the outlook Is
less certain; thus far only one potash
rich brine has been foend--that OF
the Searles Lake deposits. in Califor-
nia-@-where potash occurs in even
greater quantity than that at first es-
timated by the Geological Survey. but
the problem of it's commercial extrac-
ton has not vet been fully solved by
the chemical engineer.
THE deficiencies of the second class.
like managanes and platinum. and sti-
muIatinE to the geologist and the en-
gineer, the one to discover the other
to develop. The recent find in south
ern Nevada of rich platinum bearing
gold ore constitutes notable addi-
tion to the worlds supply Of this too
rare metal.
'"rhe third class OF minerals. those
which is has paid better to buy from
foreign ~pEodurers. probably furnishes
the largest incentive for the @ffert
to secure rnsncratngicai Independence