The weekly Alaska citizen., 1917-10-29
in no way interested


 mines is small, while there is large number of small mines. Tn, records show that. in the country as whole there are about 1000. coal mines, metal mines and guar ries, and about 10000 oil wells that are operating on smaller oI l larger scale. In addition, there are many plants for treating ore by mechanical concentration, sm.laug or other procossos and yaHou mineraIindus5sy plants In different parts of the country. Congress is beginning 10 appreciate the import. ance of helping those who own these small holdings ,o ind methods of operation by which thc properties can be worked Ut profit instead of being help,ossly transferred 10 the few large corporations which alone have funds for developing the . processes that will make profitable operation possible.
 Another important ann to be- sought Dy tAe Bureau lies in help ing the consumers or users of min cral products. who are distributed throughout every part of the loun try Mineral products are becoming m3re and more indispensable 10 the lgars4c life ol the people and to ydr manufacturers, as wei, as beng the basis Of transportation tacII.- ,lps and Of the products to be trans ported. Under normal conditions, AS ou. mines become deeper and our mineral resources are depicted, not only the hazards oI production bu, also the per capita cost Of mineral products is increasing, and one im- pogtant purpose of the larger in>es- . Jigat.aus Of the Bureau IS 10 find out how the cost to each consumer may be kept down, by the employ ment of the most highly efficient means in the mining industry .tsah
 Coal may be taken to illustrate the increasing per capita consumption of mineral products. The per cap.ta consumption of coal in 1870 was less than 1 ton in 1890 it had in creased to and one-haN tons; and in 1913 it rose to more than 6 tons, and has been constantly ia creasing since that date.
 Agricultural products, if orainar! care is given to our soils, will bv supplied continuously by anuu@ crops. but our mines can produce -nIy the one available supply, This Jne supply must meet the future as well as the present needs Of the nation, or else We become dependen. upon the goodwill of more Jhr.uy nations, or must wage war to obtain by conquest what we have wasted so prodigalIy. For q century's eN- perienee has shown concluslveIy that our Use of the more important of these resources, such as mineral fuels, precious and rare metals, pot ash and phosphate deposits, will in crease much more rapidly than will our population. Although certain Of our mineral resources, such IS the metals, are destroyed rather slowly ! in use under normal conditions (much more swiftly, of course, under the 1 terrible wastage of waD other es- sen;ial resources, such as coal, oil and natural gas, are consumed or destroyed beyond recovery. The 1 hopeful thing about all this is, how ever, that in the utilization of such products as natural gas, petroleum, cod, zinc. and some of our other metals, there are large losses or wastes that are unnecessary, and due only to the lack of a little knowl- edge or planning. These wastes, which exceed $1,OOO,O00 a day, it is the hope of the Bureau of Mines in some way to minimize by mak- ing the understanding of the situa- ton more general among the people of this nation. This is an object that is just plain common sense and good business, no less than good citizenship, and enlists the in terest of every publc-spirited citi- zen
 Many questions have been asked about the relation of the |. s. Bu- reau of Mines to the U. s. Geologi- cal Survey, an organization well known and honored in Alaska through the splendid worl, of Alfred II. Brooks, the Chief of the Alaska Division of the Survey. who, as a member of ths Officers Reserve Corps, is now Somewhere in France" The two