Evening star., 1941-12-15
Ickes Sees Nations
Natural Resources
Modified for War
Some Developed Years
Ahead Of Schedule,
He Tells President

He Tells President
| BY the Associated Press.
Secretary of the Interior Ickes
said today the Nations natural re-
sources were modified and ready
some developed years ahead of
original schedules-to meet unprec-
edented war demands for materials.
Reporting to President Roosevelt
on activities Of his department dur
ing the last year, Mr.. Ickes said:
The struggle abroad has opened
our eyes, as never before, to the
extent and the possibilities of Amer
ica's resources. We have been en-
abled to turn to our natural heri-
tage, and in the wealth OF minerals,
water power, grazing land, and tim
Der find the vital necessities for con-
structing our physical defenses."
longtime conservation programs
conceived for peace-time require
ments were pushed during the year,
the Secretary said, to enable the
United States to fulfill its function
as the arsenal of democracy and
more lately to enable 1t to wage war
against the Axis powers.
Water Power Enlarged.
1--WE have hastened," Mr.. Ickes said,
"the development of hydro electric
power in the West. We have never
lost sight of more and greater power
production as an inevitable object
i've for progressive age, but with
the quickened tempo of defense
needs. we stepped up, by years, the
schedules originally set for these
great projects"
He said the department also had
hastened its work Of locating and
evaluating deposits Of strategic and
critical minerals.
Studies of the Bureau of Mines
vindicate that we may. in an emer-
gency, produce our own supply of
ferromanganese. The production of
helium gas in the worlds only he
lium plant was increased until 1t
soon will be producing nearly &c.
100000 cubic feet annually. The
bureaus experiments in producing
gasoline from coal advanced nota-
bly,"
Tho repor+ eo;d foar, u,,e ~ -.
mediate need for the United States
to obtain gasoline in this fashion,
but pointed out that the hydrogena-
ton of COAL which has been confined
so far to tests on semi-commercial
scale, could be started CONNER
cially "at any time natural
resources show signs of depletion"
Months Ahead of Schedule.
In his report on the progress Of
hydroelectric power, the secretary
cited:
THE initial production of power
at Grand Coulee Dam was months |
ahead of schedule. The Bonneville |
Power Administration power sales
alone made possible the manufac-
ture of enough aluminium pig metal
to build one out of every four
planes. Other plants produced ad-
ditional power as the mobilization
of democracy made it possible for us
to compress into mere months the
construction and power installation
schedules of years
At the close of the last fiscal year,
28 power plants were in operation
at II projects under the depart
ment's supervision. Mr.. Ickes said
these plants had a total installed
capacity Of 953,96 kilowatts-ex-
ceeding that of all plants on the Pa
cific Coast in 1912.
The report said the demand for
construction of multiple purpose
projects-for power and irrigation
continued unabated. He said there
was no dearth of projects.
Water for Irrigation.
Estimates are that there is suf-
ficient water available in the West
to irrigate an additional 22000, 900
acres, and provide supplemental sup
plies for 100000 acres. Potential
power developments. in connection
with irrigation developments, would
doubtless provide as much as 30,000,-
900 kilowatts OF electric capacity,
more than three times the existing
installed capacity"
Mr.. Ickes said his department had
provided valuable data needed In
finding water supplies for defense
plants and industries and military
training camps He said it also had
helped provide land for military
training operations.
Research by the Fish and Wildife
Service indicates, he said, the posi-
bility of increasing, under wartime
emergency. fish food supplied from
4 4,443 100000 to 6,200,0000 900 pounds
annually. The Bituminous Coal
Division, he added, had brought
stability to bituminous coal markets
by the establishment of minimum
prices and marketing rules.
Other Department Achievements.
Other achievements of the de-
partment were listed as follows:
improvement of liquid-oxygen ex-
plosives to render them virtually
immune to ignition from fire or
spark.
Location of domestic source of
graphite to replace that formerly
imported from Madagascar.
Development of new methods for
%ro 10 do |
ores.
Reshuff1ed means of transporta-
ton to help meet threatened
shortage of petroleum products on
the Atlantic seaboard.
Tests Are Announced