Bisbee daily review., 1918-10-01
INVESTIGATION BRANCH
ACTIVITIES OF THIS SECTION HAVE BEEN LARGELY IN CREASED BY NEED FOR METALS TO PERoRM ALL SORTS OF FUNCTIONS IN MUNITIONS

The necessities of the war situa-
 ton have stimulated in many ways to greater activity the functions
 or the bureau of mines. depart-
 ment Of the interior, whose normal
 field covers the production of met
 als and minerals. and joins that
 of the war industries board. which is concerned with manufactures
 and supplies and prices of raw materials for the same. Much Of
 this increased activity has fallen
 to the war minerals investigation
 branch of the bureau of mines. provided for by special congress
 sional appropriation. Under this
 branch most of the special war
 activities have been grouped.
 In the field of actual mining and milling numerous field engineers have been active, and the policy has been adopted of having these men afford immediate help in the way of advice as to correct mining and milling meth ods. where this aadvice is needed. and also regarding all other mining and marketing problems needed. and also regarding all other mining and market ing problems. A great volume of work has been done along these lines. which has made for greater efficiency in pro ductiOn, and which is not intended ;O form part of any special study or memoir
 In the various bureau of mines ex- pertinent stations. special problems Of ore treatment have been and are un- nnr fmWa=ffuu EDHF4Fuass-u- periments in the concentration Of the western chrome ores have been made at Seattle, and experiments on the west Texas sulphur ores show their probable amenability to the flotatiOn method. These are only examples of numerous investigations on milling methods. which cover manganese. graphite. and other war minerals
 Laboratory investigations with the view of increasing the supply of elec- trOdes so as to make them available for western electric furnaces. are un- der way in Colorado.
 The subject of the production of chromite has been thoroughly investi- gated by field parties in all parts Of the country. and in addition the bu- reau of mines engineers have investi- gated Newfoundland and Cuba. the lat ter in conjunction with the U. s. Ge- OlOgical survey.
 The war minerals investigation or ganizatiOn has provided for handling the questions of priorities. both of railroad transportation and of supplies and fuel. and a very large number of applications have been handled. The bureau has also had to act as adviser to the railroad administration as to the construction of short lines design ed to tap mines, the problems being as to whether such construction was a war necessity or could be postponed.
 Similarly the bureau of mines has acted as advisor in mining matters tO other government organizations It has acted as the advising engineer of the capital issues committee of the war finance corporation as to whether proposed issues of mining stock were essential to carrying on the war, or could be postponed. It has also worked in cooperation with and acted as aG- visor to the war industries board. es- pecially in certain matters such as pyrite. sulphur, and sulphuric acid. etc. and in the decisions and measures taken by the board on these subjects it has played an important part.
 The bureau has in some cases under taken the difficult problem of high way construction where this was as the outlet for an impOr- tant war mineral. and in the case of the important discoveries of chrOmite in SiskiyOu county California. the ef- forts of the bureau. working through the forest service. the office Of public roads the local county government. and the operators themselves. succeed ed in promptly starting the construc- ton Of the necessary highway.
 The labor section of the war miner als investigation has proved a useful and is cooperating with the department of labor. and in gen eral handles the whole subject Of min ing labor in that connection In many cause labor difficulties to which im- pOrtant war mines were submitted as a result of unfair labor competition. have been relieved. and in general the measures taken by the United States employment service to allocate lnsklled labor have been directed as mining labor in such way IS to bring about the maximum ef-