The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-12-06
Our Natural Resources
Arizona Mining Journal.

One of the things which we heal
most constantly and which has beer
heard with great regularity for cen.
turtles is that our natural resources
are being depleted Yet today the
So called natural resources of the
world are greater than ever before
1t was but a score of years ago when
great concern was expressed over the
presumed waste of our "natuarl re-
sources" and Roosevelt appointed a
commission to investigate and pro-
vide ways and means for the cOnser-
walton of our resources as they were
considered to be in real danger of ex-
haustion. But survey will show
that we have more now than we have
ever had.
1t is a time-honored question, being
largely used as an argument for in
creased taxation for those who de-
rive an income from what are called
natural resources on the ground that
a certain amount of wealth that was
vested in the state is being removed.
Little thought has really been given
as to what a natural resource actually
is. VIII what we term to be a nat
ural resource today be a resource of
tOinOrrUw-wIii II be OF value to-
morrow? If a thing is a resource to-
day with a possibility of no value
with the progress of civilization, then
is the removal of it now, at a time
when necessity demands its use, the
depletion of a natural resource?
1t is not far back to remember when
granite surfacing of roads made gran
ite deposits a resource, then came
cobble stones and the first paved road
of roughly rectangular blocks Now
stone that could be satisfactorily cut
for road making was a resource and (
was removed or depleted as some 1
called it. However, long before there /
was none left increases in traffic
necessitated something bet
ter than cobble stones for road build
ing and crushed rock roads were COW
cred with an asphaltum mixture and I
asphalt became the resource and
were no longer worth the
cutting. Further traffic necessitated
more durable and concrete
vas developed for road building, max
ng many cement rock beds natural
esource. Further development in
-ehicles neeessitated further road de-
-elopment and the asphalt top came
nto being
It would be possible to recite a
imilar line Of progression in almost
ny commodity that might be men
Toned. A few years ago pyrite in the ,
Iestern states was not alone worth
'ss but was a real handicap. The
'ireless developed a use for pyrite ;.
nd it is now worth $500 a ton. To .
line it a few years ago was getting =
d of a nuisance and to mine it to- },
ny is the depicting of a natural re- :
,urce."
Home building went on so RAPIDLY =
few years ago that much alarm was :,
pressed as to the possibility of our =
mber supply holding out Lumber .
as resource as it was essential to .,
me building but today homes may -
better built without lumber and -
mber for home building purposes is
coming less and less important as
resource and may some day cease OF
tirely to be one pi
Arizona has large coal deposits ,"
ey are not being mined because of Id
* Of market and transportation ev
'ilities They are not a resource Ia
til they have some value. /. e.. until so
ne one with an idea and the money We
carry out that idea comes along or
puts a value on the coal deposits. VIC
en- they suddely become a resource
t is being depleted. But it Is not pie
icult to conceive that the develop we
Mt Of another resource. hydro of
'tric power, may make 1t possible FOL
t Arizona coal will never be re- the
rec. orc
he New Cornelia ore body was the
covered in 1853 out it was not a rea
'urce then, nobody wanted it. it nat
Id not be made profitable until
y years later someone with an aga
and the cash to back it up. made the
produce wealth. If IL was not a OF