The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-12-26

AN act to provide further for
the national security and defense
by encouraging the production,
conserving the supply, and con-
trolling the distribution of those
ores. metals and minerals which
have formerly been largely Inn
ported, or of which there has
been an inadequate supply"
TO accomplish the purposes Of this
law the president was authorized
during the war to requisition and take
over certain ores, minerals and met
allurgical products acquire ground
containing any of these deposits and
develop them, and to provide for the
distribution, ALLEGATION and sale Of the
same. An appropriation of $4,000
900 was made to carry out the provi-
sions of the law During the pend
ency Of this law the government made
urgent appeals to all citizens to aid
in the production of the minerals
enumerated, to prospect for them, and
when deposits were found to make
them productive as patriotic duty in
helping to win the war. Relying up
on the good faith of the government,
large expenditures were made in the
development of chromite, manganese,
magnesite, pyrite tungsten and possi-
! bly, other of the o-called rare min
erals enumerated in the bill. The
sudden termination of the war left
these men who had responded to the
call Of the government without
market for their products, and there
fore without means to recover the ac-
tllal outlay, representing several mil
lions of dollars. Appeal is now be-
Ing made to congress in their behalf
and relief should be provided as a
matter of right and justice.
Assuming~that relief will be grant
ed to these men and companies who
are in some cases confronted with
bankruptcy, what will be the future
of the industries they have created
Before the war the American market
for these metals was supplied by for
eign countries, but this source of
supply was effectually cut off by the
transfer of all available ships to war
service. In this emergency domestic
deposits which could not be mined in
competition with the foreign product
were developed, and 1t was demon
strated conclusively that with reason
able encouragement from the govern
ment the domestic production would
supply the home demand for these
metals The trainers of the war min
erals bin evidently foresaw situa-
ton of this Kind and to meet it the
following clause was inserted in Sec
ton 2:
'"rhe president is further au-
thorized, upon finding that inn
portation into the United States
of any of the necessarles covered
by this act is likely to result in a
loss to the United States on any
necessaries which it may have
acquired hereunder, to ascertain
fix and proclaim such rate of
duty upon such imported neces-
saries as shall be sufficient to
adequately protect the United
States from any such loss
The president is given full power to
carry out the provisions of the war
minerals law, including the fixing OF
a tariff duty to protect the minerals
in question from the ruinous compe-
tition of foreign ores and which would
insure the establishment of new
and permanent branch of the mining
industry. He could do this for per-
iod ending two years after the pro
clamation of peace" when the war
minerals law ceases and all powers
under 1t end. But the president Is
evidently too busy removing "econom-
ie barriers" for the benefit Of the peo-
ple of other lands to be bothered with
erecting a barrier for the benefit OF
his own countrymen. Being Tree
trader of the college professor type ne
refuses to abandon his finely drawn
theories even in the presence OF
stern, demonstrated facts. That ne
has no intention of exercising the
power conferred upon him by this law
in order to encourage the production