The Monticellonian., 1918-01-11
WILL BUY ALL RAW
 MATERIALS IN US.
Stress of War Results in lnVesti- cations by Uncle Sam
 Ample Supply.
TO KEEP MILLIONS HERE
New Commercial Possibilities in Way of Industries May Add Thousands of Workmen to Pay Rolls
 of Factories.

stress of world war, is awakening to
 new commercial possibilities in the way of new industries that will buy their raw materials in this country in- stead of importing them as in the past, adding thousands of men to the pay rolls and keeping millions of dollars here. according to the annual report of Van H. Planning. director of the bureau of mines, department of the interior. The report diseloses the extent the military authorities have to depend in modern warfare upon the mineral in- dustry and indicates in cautious way the part being taken by the bureau of mines in obtaining a sufficient supply of mineral essentials from American mines and American metallurgical plants.
 Experts from the bureau have searched the country far and wide for the metals that would add strength to the military arm of Uncle Sam and have reported in most instances not only an abundance of these materials | but have added that these same met als, employed also in peaceful indus try, can be used to build up permanent l industries in the United States, per haps destroying for all time the de- | pendenee of the United States upon | foreign countries for necessary raw materials These new industries have already shown such growth as to add materially to the American output. This condition. according to the bureau officials, is equivalent to the production nf new tonnage for the use of the United States.
 Erecting Large Plant.
 It may seem paradoxical that the | bureau of mines. created originally for saving life in the mines, becomes in war time an active aid in the proseeu= ton of the military aims of the United States, but here are some of the illus i trations:
 The bureau, cooperating with the war department, sent c. l.. Parsons, chief chemist, to Europe to investigate processes used there in the manufac- ture of nitrates, necessary in large quantities in war time in the making of explosives. and also used for ferti- lizer. His report and recommendation were adopted in substance by the con- mittee on nitrate supply, and large plant for the production of nitric acid l for war purposes and ammonia for az ricultural purposes is in process of erection. If this plant does what the experts hope it will do, all of the ni- 1 trates needed by the United States, even in peace times, will ultimately be made here, and it will no longer be necessary to depend upon Chile, with l the constant fear that in times of war the supply may be cut off by hostile l fleet. Even if in peace times the plant l is not able to compete with Chile as source of nitric acid itself, it can do so in fertilizer material and this coun- i try will have the security that in war time the nitrates can be made here. With the present sharp decrease in available ship tonnage and the partial shutting down in shipments from Spain of iron pyrites used in the man. ufacture of sulphuric acid, the bureau | of mines was called upon to find | the most available pyrite resources in i the United States. The experts have now located a number of promising | pyrite mines and steps have been taken 1 to insure full domestic supply of raw material for the making of sulphuric acid, which is absolutely vital in war I time. It is stated by the bureaus ex- perts that an American industry sup piled entirely by American raw ma terial may be the permanent outcome.
 Supply of Manganese.
 Manganese, used for the production of high-grade steel, is another valuable peace and war mineral that the bu- reau has been endeavoring to find in great quantities in this country, the steel industry being at present depend ent on Brazil for this ore. It has taken quite fleet of sorely needed vessels 10 bring this ore to the United States. W. c. Phalen, mineral technologist, has already visited the chief man. 1 ganese producing divisions of the country. and his report is that a con | siderable proportion of the nations requirements can be supplied. So promising is this situation, it is inti- mated that some of the vessels now carrying ore from Brazil may soon be released for other vital purposes.
 It now looks very much as if the United States has already permanent ly established a potash industry as | result of Germany cutting off her ship ments long before this country went to war. Having depended heavily upon Germany. which has great natural deposit of potash. this country was at once thrown upon it's own resources for this necessary material, and bu- reau experts. in cooperation with those of other bureaus. started to find if possible the raw materials in this country. Such success has attended their effort, especially in obtaining potash from the dust of cement mills, that it is declared the United States will no longer be dependent upon any foreign country for it's potash supply
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