Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-12

zHE list of minerals defined as as
sential to war production. men,
< toned in so-called "administra-
ton bill" lately enacted by Congress
contains many unfamiliar names. Some
of those minerals whose names are
familiar have never been looked on by
persons of ordinary current informa-
ton as essential to war production
On the list are anthony, arsenic. ball
clay, bismutf, bromine. cerium. chalk.
chromium, cobalt, corundum. emery,
fluorspar, graphite. grinding pebbles,
iridium. kaoline, magnesite. man
ganese. mercury, mica, molybdenum,
osmium. sea salt. platinum. palladium.
sulphur, thorium. tin, titanium. tung-
stem, uranium, vanadium. chromium
and their metallurgical products and
chemical compounds.
Platinum is ono &C those metals
which have recently become conspicu-
Gus in the public view. Not long ago
the geological survey issued warning
against platinum promoters" and the
purchase of stock in platinum mines.
1t was set forth that persons are US
nation wide search for platinum to
make extravagant claims for utterly
worthless deposits" The survey warn
ed prospectors and investors against
accepting at their face value ANY
statements in regard to platinum bear
ing ores and sands that do not show
platinum when PANIED" 1t was said
that government biologists had exam
ined many of the alleged platinum de-
posits that had been loudly proclaimed
ar had
The promoter who promises riches
to the unwary shifts from one field of
speculation to another, in order to keep
his promotions up to date. There are
ions in other things. When the fruit
trade began to assume big proportions.
about thirty years ago. there was
boom in orange-groWing projects. All
a man had to do was to buy few
shares-though, of course. the more the
better-in an orange grove and then
sit by the fire and enjoy the .income.
Somehow or other little golden fruit
and very few golden ducats came out
of those orange grove prospects. 1t
coanuts began to claim large meas
ure of public attention.
When the development of electrical
equipment made copper a metal that
sands of copper companies" came into
existence and went out of existence.
Millions of people sunk savings in
copper mine promotions. Rubber plan
tations had their run. The diamond
fields. the gold mine and the silver
mine have long been exploited and
thousands Of people were also exploited
by men who said that the gold and
silver lay just under the grass roots
and only waited for somebody to come
along and shovel up the precious stuff.
Now, because of the great publicity
given to the need for platinum. the old
orange grove. rubber plantation. and
copper mine promoters have turned
their talents toward platinum and are
discovering it in the most unlocked for
places and also in places where it is
not to be found at all, and nearly al
ways in places which are at great
distance from the homes of the people to
whom stock is offered.
In the matter of government control
of the supply of platinum. there has
been considerable misunderstanding
Not long ago it was widely published
that 80 essential is platinum in the
of munitions that women
may be called upon to surrender the
platinum of their jewels. 1t is now