The Ely miner., 1942-12-17
PITTENGER
SAYS
BY Rep. william A. Pittenger.
BABBITT SINTER PLANT LOAN
SCORES FAILURE TO MAKE

BABBITT SINTER PLANT LOAN
SCORES FAILURE TO MAKE
The entire State of Minnesota and
particularly the northeastern section,
is interested in the problem of the
utilization of low grade iron ores. Re-
Gently E. w. Davis of the State Uni
versity at Minneapolis, submitted to the
War Production Board a comprehensive
report dealing with this problem. 1t is
worthy of careful study.
AS Mr.. Davis indicated in that re-
port, now is the time to make plans
to utilize the enormous deposits of the
low grade ores in northern Minnesota.
The hungry war machine Is taking high
grade ores from North Minnesota in
enormous quantities and when this
supply Is exhausted, the State of Min
nesota win face serious economic pro-
blems, unless the communities can be
engaged in the processing of low grade
iron ores.
Sometime ago the War Production
Board refused an application for a
project to reopen the plant at Bah
bitt, Minnesota This move, in my
opinion, was a most unfortunate one.
It was unnecessary. investigated the
/ proposed project and it could be under
taken, in my opinion, in such a way
as not to interfere with the needs OF
the War Department or the Navy De-
partment. am hopeful that this mat
ter maybe reconsidered.
There are, of course, many difficulties
In our way For example, low grade
iron ore deposits exist in various parts
of the United States and those sec.
tons, of course, are all anxious to have
the government conduct experiments
and make use of their new materials
AS have pointed out on other oc.
casions in connection with the problem
of making sponge iron to replace SCRAP
iron in the manufacture of steel, thi!
work should be done in northern Min
nesota where the iron exists and tina
would make it unnecessary to trans
port ore long distances and from th'
standpoint of economy. believe tina
Government officials should tackle tn
problem along these lines.
| s$s
The Seventy-Eight Congress
When the new Congress convene
January 4th, 1943, there will be 10
new faces. Forty-one of them ART
Democrats. There will be "a new Re
Ipublicans; new Farmer-Laborite. tn
new Congress will have 209 Republi
cans, 222 Democrats, Progressive
CWisconsin), F,armer-Laborite (Min
nesota); American Labor (Ney
York; 1t should be noted that there i
a contest involving one District il
Michigan and results of the election
in one district in New York and on
District in Pennsylvania are still un
decided.
While the Democrats have workin
majority, it is too small for comfort
In past years, they haev been able +
dominate the situation and there
more truth than poetry in the CLAIM
that there was lot of rubber stamp
ing in Congress. For example, solemn
promises were made when this countr
decided on a National Defense pro
gram would be curtailed and tina
gram, expenditures would be curtaileo
waste eliminated, and unnecessar.
appropriations trimmed. The promise
have not been kept. Bureaucracy ha
grown by leaps and bounds and gov
ernment departments have increased t
an alarming extent.
It Is my opinion, that the new Con
gress will face the problem Of curtail
ing appropriations in many cases. Th
charge is made there are too man
Government employees in various bu
eaus and, in my oplnion, this chare
lis true. In this connection it is inteI
: testing to note that the population I
Washington has increased from fiN
hundred thousand to one million thr'
hundred thousand people within II
last year. A vast number of the.
people who have come to Washingtc
are government employees
The new Congress viii also face tt
confusion that has resulted from n
gulations and orders issued by tt
Bureaus which have the effect regart
less of their purpose, of running sma
business and regimenting the America