Evening star., 1916-01-02
Chilean Diplomat Doubtful
of Gen. Crozier's Proposition
to Obtain Nitrogen From Air

Considerable interest has been shown
by scientists now In attendance upon
the second Pan-American Scientific
Congress in the discussion started a
few days ago by Enrique Cuevas.
counselor of the Chilean embassy,
when he read a paper on the nitrate
industry of his country. In the dis
cussion, it has been mentioned, much
Of the interest in this country comes
from the fact that Brig. Gen. William
Crozier, chief Of ordnance, U. S. A, In
that the government erect a plant for
extracting nitrogen from the air. SO as
to have nitrates on hand for the manu-
facture of explosives, in case the i'm
ported supply should be cut off.
The Chilean diplomat said yesterday
that he believed the extraction Of
nitrogen from the air is more of a
scientific experiment than a practical
businesslike matter. 1t has not. he
claimed. been commercial success
cheap nitrates for fertilizer that had
been claimed for the process. 1t requires
stupendous hydraulic power to make
the extraction, he further said, and this
same power could be applied to other
industry with much greater profit and
success.
Discusses Development.
1.-THE development of the industry
air is, on the one hand, slow. and on
the other requires great capital" said
Mr.. Cuevas $50 far experience has
shown that the financial results are
much inferior to those expected. Owing
to these circumstances the saltpeter
from Chile (nitrate of soda) and the
suiphate OF ammonia are stu the
Chilean nitrate is taxed with a rather
heavy export duty which may be re-
duced or abolished by Chile. circum-
stance which offers real danger to the
industry of atmospheric nitrogen. This
danger has no doubt been already con :
sidered, inasmuch as the promoters OF
this business informed European cap
italists that the Chilean nitrate was
nearly exhausted. There is sufficient
nitrate in Chile to supply the needs of
years.
The United States has no doubt
enormous hydraulic powers that may
be devoted to the extraction of nitro
gen from the air. There is only one
objection to 1t, in my opinion. very
strong objection. namely. that this
power applied to any other industry
would give much greater profits"
Senior Cuevas pointed out that from
an agricultural point of view the air
die and cannot conveniently be dis
tributed over the soil. The contents of
la receptacle must be used as soon as
opened. losses resulting thereby max
pensive. Furthermore. the manufac-
tured product has not given the farmer
a cheap product. He said 1t had been
stated that this country was paying
nitrate. This. he said. was no argument
for all the commercial systems Of the
world would give way II nations began
to figure on money spent in other coun-
tries.
Adjustment Of Financial System.
The financial systems Of the different
countries adjust themselves to the re-
ouirements of these countries" said
Senior Cuevas. Chile. for instance
sends to the United States its mineral
products. without receiving any pront
for them The expectation of iron and
copper is not taxed in any form. Mil
lions Of tons Of these minerals are COM
| United States, where they are manu-
factured, and constitute afterward one
| of the greatest sources OF income to
this country. This is due to the fact
that the export duty on nitrate Is suffi-
cient to procure for the Chilean treas
ury the money necessary for its ex-
penditures. II that income should be re-
duced by the reduction of the export
the expectation of nitrate. an equi-
| librium would be established by fxlng
new export duties on other substances
and certainly these duties should be
imnosed first of all on those minerals
that are exported in the greatest guam.
titles. iron and copper. So the previous
arguments do not indicate partially
on my part"