Evening star., 1938-07-24
More Milleniums Of Life
Assured by Earth's Bounty
Raw Materials on Planet Sufficient to Supply
Mans Basic Needs for Thousands
of Years.

Dean OIL. IL ISL aS 8OOu WOOL. YET, as Sneep
can make but it has disturbing possibilities
Beyond all this are the largely unexplored
possibilities of glass wool and glass silk
with the very sands of the desert being
transformed into clothing for man. Cotton
and sheep may eventually be useless.
Besides food and clothing man needs
shelter. This Is the last problem to worry
about-except for the supply Of wood
Rocks. Rocks are inexhaustible So also,
presumably is cement.
The world supply Of wood is a source OF
real concern. The plain fact is that the
earths forests now are producing by growth
about $4,000, 000 900 cubic feet OF timber
year and that the annual cut is close to
$4,000, 100000 cubic feet year.
Forests in the past have been looked
upon as an inexhaustible natural resource
and very little has been done in the way of
scientific management to increase their
potentialties Experts estimate that If all
the woodland in the world were properly
protected and given reasonable care the
annual growth would be almost 10 times
as creator 35o,ooo, ,o0o. 900 cubic feet.
Wide application of all the principles of
scientific management now known might
even vastly increase this figure
1t is obvious, however, that the present
rate Of destruction will be ruinous in
relatively short time The United States
has less than 10 per cent of the worlds
forests. 1t is responsible for 40 per cent
Of the worlds cut. In Canada,e it is esti-
mated tho hnir h,y
fires, insects and man two and half times
faster than they are grown.
Much Woodland Untouched.
But the world still has vast areas Of
untouched neutrality-suspicious. T.
100000 acres are substantially the areas
OF the whole of North America and Aus
tralia. About two-thirds Of the total is
in the territory of four nations-the Soviet
Union. the British Empire the United
States and Brazil. The world lineup is
approximately as follows. in terms of per-
centages: U. S. S. r.. 81 per cent British
Empire, 2l per cent; Brazil. 13 per cent;
United States, 9 per cent; France and
per cent; Japan, IL per cent Germany
and Austria, 05 per cent; Italy and Abys-
sinia, o. per cent.
While there is no question of the earth's
resources in the raw materials of the three
essential needs Of man-food, clothing and
shelter-it must be remembered that the
utilization OF these requires power for
manufacture, for transportation, for culti-
vation. Power also has its raw materials
and here the picture Is not quite SO rosy.
Most of mans power resources can be
definitely exhausted. The one of the most
supplies have been discovered in recent
years, and there are doubtless vast reser-
voirs still unknown. Use also is increas-
ing. Predictions of a supply lasting for
more than a hundred years are very
optimistic.
But oil can be produced from coal and
motor fuel from alcohol. The worst to
be feared is the substitution Of one liquid
fuel for another at a somewhat higher
price. 1t is impossible at present even
to estimate the worlds potential oil sup
plies. The Farm Chemurgic Council pre-
diets that eventually every cultivabe spot
Of soil will be used for producing vegea ton
from which to produce fuel alcohol.
Present Era "Iron Age"
The present industrial era got its start
with the exploitation of coal and iron. It
was known about the beginning of the
present century as "the iron age"
There is left world total Of close to
1,40o, 900, 100000 tons Of mir1able coal.
Actually there is probably much more. but
50 thinly distributed or in such isolated
areas that it cannot be mined profitably
at present. 1t is unlikely that vast new
deposits will be found unless in the
Antarctic continent, where coal is known
to exist but where there has been little
exploration. Unlike most minerals, coal
is easy to find and the extent OF depo~1t
Is easy to estimate.
The United States easily leads the world
in the extent of its available coal resources
with close to 100000, ,0O0 900 tons. The
British Empire has nearly half this amount
and China lays claim to approximately
100000, ,000, 900 tons. Other nations rank
about as follows: Germany and Austria,
1922, 100000; Russia. 1883, ,000, 900;
France and her colonies. S7.585, ,000, 900;
Japan. 7,97ooO0,O0; Italy, 243, 5000, 900.
This is bad distribution, so far as the
future peace of the world is concerned. If
the whole 7,40o, ZOO, 900 could be pooled for
the needs Of the earths population it
would last for about 5000 years at the rate
of the maximum mining operations to date.
The world, however, is not a single unit,
and not likely to become one This leaves
some Of the most ambitious industrial ma
tions with their coal supplies exhaustible
within a relatively short time
The worlds iron resources, it is estimated
amount to about $50, 900 000, 900 tons-suf-
ficient to last, at the present rate of ex-
ploitation. for about 600 years. Beyond
this, it must be remembered, iron is one Of
the basic elements and not easily destruct-
ible-so that the guns of yesterday act
ually can be forged into the plows and
harvesting machines of tomorrow Unfor-
tunately, this process is often reversed.
Ambitious Nations Poorest.
North and South America could supply
the worlds requirements at the present
rate of utilization for 40 years, and the
probable reserves, 1t is estimated, could I'LL
all needs for 800 years. For Europe the
corresponding figures are so and l60 years.
No other country has potentialities COM