Weekly journal-miner., 1917-04-11
TRYING ID AVOID THE BLUNDERS
 OF EUROPE
BUREAU OF MINES TAX ING CENSUS OF THE FIX PERT TECHNICAL MEN
 OF THE COUNTRY FOR USE IN EVENT OF WAR.

ing by the experience of the European combatants in the great war in which it is claimed large numbers of the best engineers, chemists, and metallurgists were killed in the trenches before their value behind the lines and in the munition shops had been realized, the department of the interior through its bureau of mines, at the request of the Council of National Defense, has begun a preparedness census of the thousands of expert technical men of the country. Twenty-Five thousand letters to the mining engineers, chem ists, metal-mining companies, and coal-mining companies are being sen. out requesting, as a matter of patriot ism, that the recipients state their qualifications and experience, how and where in case of emergency they could, in their opinion, be of most service to their country and in what branches of the industry they consid- CT themselves most proficient.
 In this movement the department has the cooperation of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and the American Chemical Society, the letters to the mining engineers being  signed jointly by Van. II. Manning. director of the bureau of mines, and Philip N Moore, of St. Louis, presi- dent of the institute of engineers; and the letter to the 10000 chemists being signed by the director of the bureau and Julius Stieglitz, of Chicago, presi- dent of the chemical society.
 According to Director Manning, the responses will be tabulated in such a manner that, if the time comes when the military authorities need certain highly specialized experts for the in dustrial plants engaged in the manu- facture of war material, a list con- taining the names of the most emin- ent men in their line in the country will be at once available, and 1t will be possible immediately to engage their services as they had previously ex- pressed their willingness to serve their country.
 "Warfare today is one of materials transformed in the shortest possible time into terrible weapons of destruc- ton and defense" said Director Manning. Tt requires an unlimited number of trained technical men who know at once how to fashion these engines out of the raw materials. In fact so predominating is the need for expert technical assistance that the war in Europe has been termed an engineers war, chemists war. In this country we have the technical talent, men of vast practical experi- ence and men who have already sup piled such materials as are needed in warfare. There is no question of the expert ability of the nation that gave to the world the armored battleship, the submarine, the machine gun, the airship, the telephone, and other cpoch-maping inventions. And there is no doubt as to the ability of the technical men to develop what other devices may be needed if the emerg- ency comes.
 Fortunately for us, this country has unlimited supplies of the mineral and other resources necessary for modern warfare There would be no shortage of materials to harass us and divert our attention from the real task in hand. In respect to efficient technical ability and to natural re- sources, this country is far better equipped than any of the countries now at war.
 What we have to do now is to be SulC lildl hO NO iiOl ANPNoh hhN AAA' takes and blunders of some of the countries now at war. When the European conflict broke out, France in particular assembled her available manhood in the trenches, forgetting in the moment of national calamity that experts in various industrial lines would be direly needed in the indus tries that prepare the material for war. When she discovered her error, many men who would have been of vastly greater service to their coun- try in the industries had been killed. This, I understand-and it was not confined to Francc-was most serl- ous handicap to the Allies in their prosecution of the war, as materials Jagged behind at critical times until a new expert force had been created.
 With this proposed preparedness census of the technical men, this country will be ready to mobilize ex-