Evening star., 1939-07-09
Political Storms Stirring U.S..
To Stock Up on Raw Materials
Cotton.Rubber Deal With Great Britain Is First
Big Effort to Assure Adequacy
of Wartime Supplies
By Joseph II. Baird.

| Our supplies of II other minerals are
inadequate to our needs, and for 7 we
rely almost entirely upon imports. These
latter, in which we are markedly de-
fclent, are antimony, chromte, man.
ganese, nickel, tin and natural nitrates.
Americas experience in the World War
showed clearly the costly delays in
| preparing for battle which could be
caused by difficulties in vital raw ma
terlals. In this connection the Bureau
OF Mines report comments:
The demoralization of international
trade by submarine warfare and the
Communicating of shipping facilities for
military needs forced the Nation to face
the problem of speeding up its indus
trial machine for the prosecution of a
major war, with supplies of many essen
tlal raw materials drastically curtailed
because OF complete lack of advance
planning for such contingency.
Disaster Narrowly Averted.
Emergency measures were adopted.
| Production from remote and totally un-
| economic domestic deposits was stimu-
| lated and industry was forced to accept
of1-grade materials to which it was un-
accustomed. This resulted in delays and
confusion and inefflciency in the use of
| labor.
ultimately the Army and Navy were
forced to lower their specifications for
military equipment and the meager sup
Plies of strategic materials available
were ratloned to consumers under strict
regulations. Prices sky-rocketed to un-
precedented levels and despite the ter
rlflc cost, disaster frequently was avoided
by only narrow margin. The most
serious procurement problems were en-
countered in manganese, chromium. tin,
platinum tungsten, nitrates, potash,
pyrltes, mica, antlmony and yanadium"
AS the result of new discoveries and
processes in the 81 years since the World
war, the position of the United States
in regard to vital minerals has changed
somewhat. For instance, the United
States no longer is dependent upon Chile
Tor natural nltrateS, as it now can pro-
duce nltrates in abudance synthetically
from atmospheric nitrogen America
now supplies large part of its potash
ana, according to the Bureau of Mines,
can, if necessary, become self sufficient
in this mineral. Production of platinum
IN Alaska has been increased consider
ably as result of new operations
financed by the R. F. G. Molybdenl1m
is now produced here in abudance and
we have large reserves of vanadum
Domestic production of pyrites has
been increased substantially" accord
ing to the Bureau of Mines, and the
American sulphur industry has grown to
major proportions, maintaining a two
years reserve supply. A smeltery at
Laredo, Tex, now is equipped to pro-
duce large quantities of antimony, for
which we used to depend upon the
Orient, from Mexican ore.
Deficiency Has Increased.
But, on the other hand, Americas de-
fclency in some minerals has increased
since the last war. Mercury is scarcer
and the vast growth in the industrial
use OF such commodities as tin, man.
ganese, chromium, tungsten and alum
mum has increased the dependence of
the United States upon foreign sources
| of supply.
AS the result of Americas crisis in raw
materials during the World War, the
war Department, some 15 years ago,
asked joint committee of the American
institute OF Mining andN Metallurgical
Engineers and the Mining and Metal
lurglcal Society of America to study
means of meeting the problem of def
clPnt mineral clJnY11ioc
These experts made report in January,
| 1894, recommending:
Il. The immediate purchase of stock
| piles of strategic minerals to be held as
a reserve against war emergency.
-. The encouragement of artificial
stimuli, such as tariffs, in times of peace,
which, If effective, will simply tend to
deplete already limited domestic re-
sources that should be preserved for
emergency use to supplement the stock
| piles"
But in 1924 the prospect of war seemed
1ar away as statesmen discussed plans
Tor universal disarmament and no action
was taken as result of these recon-
mendations. True, the Secretary of
that reserve of 100000 tons of man.
| ganese be acquired, but his recommended
ton was never transmitted to Congress-
First Move in 1888.
The first concrete move to acquire
reserves of essential minerals was not
made until 1888, when Congress included
funds in the Navy Departments appro-
prlatlon bill to buy stocks of raw ma
terials. further appropriation for the
same purpose was made in 1889. But, as
the Bureau of Mines remarks: These
appropriations have been inadequate to
meet even the Navy requirements and
made no provision for Army or civilian
needs"
The second recommendation made by
the committee of experts-that domestic
production OF scarce minerals not be
artificially stimulated during peacetime
ran counter to the desire OF certain