Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-09-14

so important that to fight against them
is like trying to sweep back an incom-
ing tide. The idea that we are able to
and there isn't enough work to keep
everybody busy is an ancient Chinese
delusion. Two thousand years ago the
Chinese inteilectuals of that day sue
ceeded in large measure In putting
over the idea that the pursuit Of bust
ness diyerts men from the higher things
of life and imposed government con-
troll, and eventually operation, on their
iron and salt industries, then the most
highly developed of the world The re-
suit was that highly civilized people
have been using less than one one
thouSandth as much iron per capita
as we do about one-fifteenth as much
coal, and the salt industry, until it was
reorganized under foreign control was
a nest of grating job-holders who
made salt so expensive to the common
man that he used it only sparingly. Do
we learn nothing from history that
after having brought out economic life
to its present high level we should cur
tail its future development with meas
ures that experience has demonstrated
are inimical to its growth?
Barriers Are Artificial
Some years ago a young anthropolo- /
giSt who Is also a psychologist wrote a
book called Growing Up in New
Guinea" 1t was a study of the diff
culties which a young person must /
there overcome in developing from in
fancy to adulthood From reading the
book 1t is plain that most of the most
difficulties were not from
the physical problems of growth, but
arise out of taboos, rules and regula-
tons that are of that peoples own
making and which to us seem wholly
senSeless. Some future economist
studying this period of American life
will not unlikely come to a similar
about us, and wonder why
we could not see that not merely in
the West but in our whole country
there is no limit to the amount of use
'ul work to be done and that it is only
~ doing this work we can ever over
come the condition that some people
ire ill-fed, ill-clad. and ill-housed.
Big Mines Once Little
You know as well as I do that there
never was a big mine that did not be-
lin as a little mine and that the only
way to make little mines out Of pros
)ect holes is to work hard and eco
lomically, keeping down your invest
nent to where it will not break you if
ucceSs is not attained. 1t seems plain
s day to me that If nobody is to be
llowed to work hard even though he
S willing to, and if every attempt to
10 something is to be hampered with !
ontrolS which make it much more diff
icult to do we are not going to pro- ,
ress in the future as we have in the
asst. Mineral industry in the West is
My in its youth, its maturity will be /,
he development, on a business basis
( mineral production and obligations .
S businesses. Just as your present :
economy was based on early mineral /.
development. so that of the future must
row out of continued and expanding
mineral industry. 1t just does not make >
ense to foster gold and silver mining ;
18th an artificially increased price and /
t the same time retard them as well !
S every other form of mineral enter :
rise, with not only increasing tax bur-
ems but multiplicity of hampering =
ontrols.
Every Man Must Help
What can be done about it? 1 would e
smind you of the story in the Bible I
( the tough spot the Jews found 4
lemselves in when they returned to e
erusalem after the period of exile. The
t. was in ruins, and after they had c
xed up some sort of a place to live a
hey were troubled because there were
o walls to the city. They couldn't
&c what to do about it until wise Il
rophet suggested that if every man
ould build that part of the wall in a