Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-05-04
Editors Letter Box
Does Maine Need
A Geological Survey?

Most emphatically, yes! Maine
does need a Geological Survey, and
has needed one badly for good
many years. Why does Maine need
a Geological Survey? What kind of
survey is needed? And how may
such survey be established?
Brietiy,-why. what and how? 1t Is
for the purpose of furnishing fairly
adequate answers to these three
questions that this article has been
prepared.
Why? Because. within the 10000
odd square miles of earth covered
by the State of Maine there exist
rocks and minerals in great variety
about most of which we know next
to nothing. About a few of them we
do know something. because they
have been commercially developed
to some extent, and workable de-
posits have been more or less care
fully examined. AS to the rest of
them, we know that they are there,
and that is about all. Is not that
enough? Hardly. In order to be
sure that a given deposit shall be
considered to constitute a resource,
that is, potential commercial as
set,-it is necessary to know, as
nearly as circumstances will permit,
the volume of material that it can
reasonably be expected to yield, and
all the numerous factors that enter
into the ratio between cost of de-
velopment and final value. The
problem is exceedingly complex. and
needs expert handling all along the
line; and men of geological training
make up the first line of attack in
the solution of such problems.
III 80 f1,a
inadequancy of our knowledge of
the matters suggested. during some
seven years spent, on somewhat
indefinite part-time basis. in doing
geologic work for several Maine
commissions: while acting, in other
words, as sort of semi official
State Geologist. In all, several hun
dred letters were received from
nearly every state in the Union, and
from number of foreign counties.
Most of the writer's were anxious to
obtain commercial supplies of one
kind of mineral material or another.
and wrote in the hope that Maine
might be able to furnish the de-
sired materials. In large percent
age of the cases, | was able to reply
that the object of inquiry was known
to occur in Maine; but usually
found myself forced to add that we
had no data upon which to base
even an approximate estimate of
quantity or anything else essential
to the establishment of commercial
value.
Why? Because. in a State where
so little is known about existence
and distribution of potential mineral
resources, it is an easy matter for
fraudulent and ill-consldered min
eral enterprises to gain a foot hold,
with results that are likely to be
costly to the public. and little short
of disastrous to the prestige of the
State. Oil projects in regions where
the chance of finding oil is so re-
mote as to be negligible: coal
mines where there is not the re-
hottest reason for suspecting the ex-
istence of coal. We have had such
things, and we will continue to have
hem until Maine has a definitely
established and recognized agency
for their Investigations: an agency
with sufficient authority to put a
stop to doubtful enterprises. We
will doubtless continue to have them
even then; but the State will at
least have no excuse for issuing
articles of incorporation for the
furtherence of schemes of more than
doubtful validity.
Why? Because the people of
Maine, and the hundreds of thou
sands of summer visitors need and
deserve a source of accurate in
formation In regard to the rocks and
minerals of the State; about the
lakes and streams, the mountains
and the waterfalls; all matters upon
which geologic investigation and
geologic knowledge can throw in
teresting and instructive light
Where can the citizen, or the visitor,
get such information today? May
be someone can answer: I'm very
sure that'I can't.
Why? Because every commission.
and nearly every individual at the
State House is in frequent if not
constant need of geologic informa-
ton. The foresters attempt a re-
port on geologic factors in forest
distribution with little to go by but
Hitchcock's praiseworthy, but en-
tirely inadequate reports on investi-
cations in the 1905: the highway
engineers seek information on rock
for roads and bridges, and are told
that a pretty good trap-rock is
"argillaceous quartzite"; an ac-
countant investigates an oil scheme.
and returns a satisfactory report
Investigate for yourselves if YOU
think these things are imaginary.
Please believe that. have no desire