Bisbee daily review., 1917-01-28
CONSERVATION IF
 NATURAL RESOURCES

Continued From Page One)
 per annum, while in Asia for instance, this consumption on the entire con- tinent is only a fraction of a pound. Asia is in the position the world was centuries ago. but even Asia may grow industrially, and if so it will be necessary to draw upon the primary resources of the world and mainly of America.
 Let us see what is involved in the consumption of coal, oil, and ores through industry.
 During the past 25 years the popu- lation in the United States has in- creased about 70 per cent while the important basic industries have been enlarged at rate of increase between 500 and 600 per cent. The entire world 100 years ago only produced about 5000 tons of copper per annum. The United States alone today pro duces over 6OO,000 tons. The world 100 years ago produced only about 50,000,000 tons of coal per annum. The United States alone now produces over 500,000,000 tons. How bng can this last and what will happen when ex- haustion takes place? America is the largest producer in most of these things. We export more than half Of our copper. The first result of partial exhaustion will be increased price. This of course, will restrain industry. It will also restrain our ability to de fend ourselves in war, for every one knows that the supremacy of nation in war today depends upon its strength and capacity in oil, coal, iron and metals. Plenty of soldiers and even plenty of money are not sufficient to resist attack. A nation might be rendered powerless against a smaller country through lack of industrial strength. The real reason why an i'm passe apparently now exists in the war in Europe is because in industrial strength the allies and the central powers are about equal.
 It may be taken for granted, l think, that every one would agree that our primary natural resources should be conserved. The only element of doubt
 
 conserve them. There are many ways of doing this, but as in all big move ments the first step leading to results is for people to get together. Con- centration and cooperation are our first remedies. As Dr. Van Hise has said: Through concentration we may have the economic advantages coming srr1n of Through cooperation we may limit the wastes of the competitive system"
 Take coal, for instance; the late Dr. Holmes of the Bureau of Mines has pointed out that the strenuous compe- tition and low price at which coal was produced made it impossible for the operators in certain portions of the country to mine the maximum amount of coal from the seams that they worked. In their competitive struggle to maintain a place and 10 keep out of bankruptcy they were obliged to mine only the easy places in the seam, leaving the rest in the ground to be perhaps never utilized. Dr. Holmes is on record as saying that per cent of the coal is wasted in this way. In all probability this wasted coal can never be recovered, even at increased cost, owing to physical conditions.
 Federal experts in the forest service have pointed out that in the lumber industry practically the came condi tions exist as in the coal industry. The best timber only is taken, leaving oth' CT grades to decay and to afford fuel for forest fires.
 In petroleum and natural gas a crim- inal waste is going on. A paper read at the recent meeting of the American Mining congress showed that at the present rate of consumption of petro- leum all the known reserve resources of the United States will be exhausted in some 30 years. The author of this paper graphically calls attention to this point as follows:
 q have seen millions of cubic feet Of natural gas wasted in the air-gas so rich in gasoline that it dripped from the trees like an April shower It has been testified before the corporation Commission of Oklahoma that ordin- ary methods leave from 25 to 85 per cent of the oil in the ground. The state mineralogist of California estimates