The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-06-18
WORLD WAR FORCES SUPREME
AWE R|CAN EFFORT To BREAK
THE GERMAN POTASH MONOPOLY


titles Of American potash al from
| $500 10 $,rn Il ton Much Of ih!S new
| potash, however. comes IRON sources
tha. soon will be. exhausted and all
OF il. with exceptions that are as ~,
IIrilins. costs so much more 10 pro
! duce than The highest price al which
the German potash ever sold that
its production cannOr be continued
after the war ends. unless means are
adopted 10 keep the German product
our ut this country. procedure when
would react sharply on the farmer
and on the consumer of farm products
unless in the meantime cheaper meth
DDS and more permanent sources are
developed.
G,ynany has long regarded the pos
session .; the StraSsfuri deposits as
one OF its most valuable pieces on
! rh. Diplomatic cheSS.board II has
! hoped 10 rrcoup Il large part OF ita|
war costs by making the resi- Of inc
world pay through tho nose Tor pot"
ash after the war. and to utilize what
il has regarded. as control oil tne
worlds fertility as Il club 20 compel
| concessions Whenever peace confer
cnccs convene. Two clements that
! Germany did not foress" have arisen
10 block this gam". On" Will result
. from the restoration nj AlSace 10
! France. It has been disclosed only
recently that; The potash deposits DIS
covered in that province III l9o" ar"
even larger and more accessible than
those OF Strassfurt. The other Is me
! development in America OF METHODS
Tor potash production thar Will be
ton the one hand adequate 10 supply
tho growing needs Of American asr,.
culture and eventually provide sur
plus for export. and on the other haho
be capable Of withstandng any lut'rc
German attempt 10 destroy the indus
try By dumping" without the aid OF
government subsidies or the shelter
OF a tariff wall. .AlSace is in German
hands bu, when it shall have been
! restored 70 France its potash m
; sources will not only break the Ger
man monopoly. but provide France
with a valuable export commodity 70
Exchange for the vast supplies OIL all
kinds she must obtain from us.
Those Nsatian potash deposits ar"
ac,unlly larger in extent than inc
StaSSfur, beds. ar"0rdinc |" inInrma-
:iou rn;-n,ly disclosed from French
sourrns sources They contain about
: 5uu yu0 nGn toms uf potash salts in a
form readily usahlr cnr agricultural for
! ,il;zsr. Fifteen mines IN AlSare. with
i rapa";ty Of 500 IN" tons Il year. are
allowed 10 sell only $U.6n0 tons and IN"
total amount permitted to b. produced
; m Alsars is, restricted I" "nc-tcnth of
.L, total C;,-nran pruducticn This
procedure. is nt course. due II the at
. ,,r,nts or !hs German authorities tu
control and strengthen their potash mon
on"ly.
Tia United States IN normal peace
! times has used an average "f ah"u;
"5r nun tons # German potash annually.
The demand has heon steadily incr"aS-
in" Ae-.ruliural Department estimates
~ tfJ. normal 1911 u""d r"-r around
JGh "nl ,1rS IN the f,rst w" years
after IN. German rcnharg" went into
! "t:r"t "" had used up all I'll" reserve
&'"..k on hand together with C"ns;d-
.ra III. quantity r"-"Np"rt"l from South
| America. as ~" pr."" Ohta;u;.hl" nor"
elm: pad fr"r, $40 20 s5nn or so per ton,
and thr"u CHOU; 1917 "" had N" potash
...r"rt what V" produced ourselves.
Will. tho figures 90 l2l7 production
had no, hecn compiled and checked up
wh.n this was written. competent "s'!-
mates place th.. nmodni n around $4,000
tonS--ahoul nne-righth IF tho pre-war
! normal avrra 60 and "n.-siXtc"nth nf the
estimated 1871 ned There is some
. ! what NOR, than This available for 1918:
: there will be stu NOR" available" for
thu, II vii! bs possible within I'll" next
ihrcc or four Years. sn "a establish r"r-
tain ot tn. processes "f potash rroduc-
,Inn ihat whatever Germany may at
tempt in the way If unfair competition
can rc mot with profit to the producer
and tho full benefit OF competitive
prices Ia the consumer.
There is plenty Of potash: tho only
problem is 10 max" II commercially
. available. W" are getting potash from
nanny sources. and th"r" ar" many un-
drv"i",cd sources tina; may become" inn
p"rtant factors. later. Most Of Il. SO
3, f%r. comes from IN: aiknll likes of west
, .rn N.hraska and southern california.
som. comes from tho Great SHlt Lake.
Som" is being produced from tn" alunite
t!-Irrsirs -: southern ttah. good deal
- obtained from, the k"lp h-'S nt The
t'a''l'r coast. -\TIIiulN 'H'T'aSiHS SuV-
pIy y coming in from cement works and
blast furnaces. some Of thnS" sources
ar present mos, prolific will h" exhaust
r,i WIthin'n very short tImr. others pre-
! srr: Transformation. chemical. and nnEi-
rncr;n.. problems not vt fully solved
.. THAT maxi. il uncertain a< Ia their per
r,ar"rr v;tlu". although their present de-
v.innrucni is "f tremendous Importance.
Z or" soGr,'.' "f potash supply has given
rviunu,.., "f prnhH hl" ability I" meet all
trhp requirements Of permanent potash
iu,Icu.ud.nrr for III" United States. This
is thn process Of recovery Of potash
/ from cement kiln and blast furnace dust.
= |: * ,nn carl. :" claim that this has AL
! Rad. proved tn" 'panarrH sought Tar.
h,t ;h.. evidence 50 far is all IN it's