The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-18
HOW LONG WILL
 COAL SUPPLY LAST
BY HOLLAND

ties on mines and oil takes issue with the United States Geological Survey, which has recently reported that 50 years may see the exhaustion of our
 best grades of oil. MT. Gayley has given to coal production and coal min ing a great deal of study. He does not go so far as to say that the United States Geological Survey has made an l inaccurate prediction, but does say that nobody knows how much coal is depos- tied in the bowels of the earth. How ever, he agrees with all who have giv i en much thought to the subject that 1 it is expedient, perhaps necessary. that i steps be taken for the conservation of our coal resources.
 1 A fewa days ago gathered at con- 1 venient rlace in this city a small com- 1 pany of men who are now interested in l the speedy development of our water l powers Some of these men repre-
 scented large industries. Some were 1 bankers Twelve were men of science
 and two or three publishers of newspa- l pers, and all of them agreed that some ! thing should be done immediately by l the government whereby private edpi-
 tai can be secured for the development | of our waterpowers. The hope IS 1 strong that the bill recently enacted !
 is now before the Senate may become
 law exactly as the bill was framed I by the House. There appears to be some fear that private interests might
 secure such amendment to the bill as ! would tend to impair it's value.
 | The most impressive of the remarks which were made to those who were at l this gathering were contained in the
 brief address by Dr. F. c. Acheson. He l has been looked upon as the man of science in the United States who was 1 the first earnestly to advocate the 1 conservation of our resources. saving i that this could be done to a great eX-
 tent by utilizing our inexhaustible 1 natural resources chief among which
 is waterpower,
 | Dr. Acheson spent some time in se- | curing reliable data, which would tend 1 to show what the use of some of our l natural resources is. especially coal. l He stated that the use of anthracite l coal began 99 years ago. and in 1918 l the amount mined was nearly 99,000,- l 0cO tons. In 1895 the bituminous coal ! mines of the United States yielded all
 most exactly 125,000,000 tons, and yet | in the year 1918, the output was 5S7,- ! 900 900 tons round numbers. There fore this output has more than quad 1 rup1ed in 23 years. If the production increases al the same rate, then by
 the year 1941 the output will amount l to e.OO0. .34S000 tons It would be all most impossible for transportation sys- l tems to distrihuta this amount
 THE TOTAL OUTPUT
 I The total output of coal. both an- thracite and bituminous mined in the United States in 1918 was approximate | ly two and a half times the maximum amount ever mined in Great Britain in one year Yet Great Britain has l always been considered the foremost of coal producers.
 pr. Acheson called the attention of his hearers to the rapid production of petroleum. In 1859 it's production was 1 only 20OO barrels In 1918 the produc- ton was in round numbers 350,000.00O barrels Dr. Van H. Manning. who is the director of the bureau of mines, has recently said that within the next five years the oil fields of this coun- I try will reach their maximum produc- ton.
 WHAT WATERPOWER GAN DO 1 In all these years. when the produce tion of coal and oil has been speeded up so that the annual output has reached very high figures, almost nothing has been done to develop our waterpowers xat waterpower can for 1 the most part be made to take the place of coal and oil in the develop ment of energy for industrial and oth- ! CT purposes Dr. Acheson told his hearers that it is only within the last 1 25 or 30 years that the scientific at tainments have made it possible sue cessfully to develop and distribute the l energy of our waterpower resources. The maximum of these resources. he | said. is estimated at the enu1valent of 100 coo, 900 horsepower, with an annual !, value of 5000, 100000. The exhausti- i.ble resources are being consumed all most to the point of extinction while ! this inexhaustible resource has been 1 neelected.
 Every human need. Dr. Acheson said. :, which is now met by burnnng coal or oil could be just as well cared for by the utilization of the latent energy
 which is in our inexhaustible powers; i there being, however. a single excep-
 ton and that is the reduction of metal. I It is not possible to separate iron from l the oxygen from which it is associated ir it's ores without the consumption
 of carbon. Therefore. the good grades
 of coal should be conserved. for it is I from them that the coke is made which | is SD eesentiaI to the i-on industry.
 ! QUICK ACTION MUST BE TAKEN ! Quick and decided action for the de- 1 ve1opment of our waterpowers must i be taken. so that we may continue ! to hold the industrial prestige we have l obtained by tre prodigal use of our l fuels. Mechanical power is now essen I t;al to leadership among the nations. i The nation having the greatest amount will be the leader in industry. com merce and wealth. Our waterpower 2 resources are national asset. and as
 such they belong to the people and
 should be developed in the interest