The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-03-31
Pleads for Money to
Develop Mineral Resources

Mr.. Murdoch, also mining man,
made a plea on the floor of the
house the other day for congress to
provide some money enabling real
istic procedure with respect to
our unknown and undeveloped metal
resources that we would know
in case of war, if for no other rea-
son.
Since my school boy days"
said Mr.. Murdoch in house debate,
u have been told that Alaska is a
treasure house of natural wealth and
economic resources. ] believe we
have been and are overlooking that
fact in eur dealing with that far off
eerner of our country. feel that we
ought to develop those resources;
we ought TO know more about
them"
Mr.. Murdock's statement causes
me to ask the question: since it is
our national policy Cat present, at
leasD to spend billions Of dollars
under the guise of making work, why
not designate some few of the mil
lions for worthwhile national devel
opment?
Reference was made the other day
to testimony given two years ago
before the senate finance commit
tee. / looked it up and found that
the late Francis P. Caravan, then
president of the chemical founda-
ton, had caused an investigation to
be made of Alaskan metal re-
sources. The report brought in by
Wisconsin university professor,
who did the searching and digging
on the ground, makes one wonder
what undercurrent of influence has
prevented the development of metal
claims, such as nickel and tin, up
there. Very few of the national leg
islators knew of the testimony.
Buying for Reserves Would
Start Brand NeD Industries
In my conversations among Rocky
Mountain congressman, ] could not
avoid the conclusion that capital
funds held in the United States will
not be put to work ON such things
without some encouragement from
officials in Washington. I know that
some representatives and senators
are of the opinion that the federal
government ought to offer to buy
these war essentials here and disre-
gard foreign sources. They believe
that a commitment to buy for re-
serves, if made by the federal gov
eminent, would start brand new in
dustries going In many, many parts
of the United States. All of the while,
however, we have the bureau of
mines and the war department sit
ting back and making it hard for
Americans to develop America.
This whole situation would be hard
" worth analyzing were it not for
the facts: l. The federal government
is spending billions for defense,
along with other billions that are
being wasted, and, 2. 1t is a measure
of safety to have all, or as much
as possible, of the things we would
need, in event Of war, where they
can be handled by Americans for
Americans. And it Is more impor-
tant, too, because numerous reports
have reached Washington in the
last year to the effect that German,
or Belgian or British capitalists
have been making overtures to hold
ers of American mining claims for
operating leases on properties that
yield such things as essential war
metals. 1t is my belief that, sooner
or later congress will learn that the
bureaucracy. which 1t created, has
wasted too much time; it will learn
that foreigners own all Of the metal
resources here-and we will be buy
ing back the finished material at
the prices foreign monopoly cares
to establish-just as we are now buy
ing nickel, W e~ss "
80 = q M. nt.... nx.....~....~ Ill.,.