The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-03-18
War May Make America Mineral
ogically Independent
Geo. Otis smith. Director Geological Survey

For more than half a year we have
watched the adjustments and read
tustments of American industries to
meet new conditions. Six months ago
the United States geological survey
suggested, by the publication of bulle-
Tin $50, the extent to which Americas
mineral reserves could be drawn upon
TO meet the emergency and indeed TO
strengthen the position of the United
states as a world power in Industry
and commerce Today as a nation,
We face an even greater crisis IN our
commercial relations SO that discus
sion Of national independence Is es-
pecially opportune.
"As a nation we began with a dec
laration of independence leading TO an
experiment in statecraft--popular gov
eminent on a large scale in a string of
colonial settlements connected only IN
a crude way by post roads and coast
wise sailing vessels, and perhaps even
more feebly united by bonds Of com
mon race or creed. Yet that political
independence was the breath of life In
the new nation, and the Ideal then set
np attracted the best human material
from all lands. Thus we may say was
developed Americas Creates resource
a progressive citlzenry
Mines Base Of Industrial Prosperity
"The other element necessary to
make America great Is material re-
sources-the earth and the fullness
thereof. / do not discount the wealth.
az our forests which have contributed
so largely to our foreign and dmestie
Z trade since colonial days, nor do dis
regard the bounty of cur SOIL when
enables us in these days Of waste ano
war to feed the people Europe az
well as ourselves, yet ! believe the
mineral wealth of the United States i
In largest measure the foundation OF
the marvellous growth of the last Few
decades. Industrial America!-think
to what degree the industries OF AM
erica are based on our ores and MN
eral fuels or figure, if you will, the
percentage of railroad tonnage that
originates at the mine.
mot only is our country a Worie
leader in the output of such essentla
minerals as coal, petroleum, copper
zinc, iron. lead, phosphate-and In
three Of these ii exceeds all Other
countries put together-but as far as
such things can be measured or esu-
mated we are blest in the possession
of the largest reserves of many OF the
more important of these minerals, Nc
other country can, In any sense, com
mare with the United States in the de-
gree of industrial Independence af-
forded by the possession of these min
eral resources. The raw material Is al
hand to enable us to win and main
tain supremacy as manufacturing
nation,
How to Make America independents.
aYet under this most favored nation
resources is not the complete list OF
minerals essential to modern civiliza-
ton; a few items are missing, Others
are present apparently only in insult
ftcient quantities, and the quality OF
locality of the deposits of still other
minerals may be unfavorable to pres
ent day utilization, Thus 1t happens
that the nation is not wholly ind".
pendent in its mineral industry anu
no problem better deserves the atten'
ton of the American mining engineers
than this, How can we fill these gaps
and thus make America more truly in
dependent?
1.-THE catalogue of the products OF
our mines, auarries, and wells is long
The HIST Of what we lack is short. We
are wholly dependent on other coun-