Evening star., 1942-03-03
Developing Of West's S
Resources for War
Urged in Forum
Ickes and O'Muhoney
Point to Opportunity in
Metal Stores and Power
Continued From Page B-8)

Continued From Page B-8)
metals simultaneously. We want to
bring in enough manganese, for
example, high cost and low cost
together, so that we can make the
srmor plate and tanks that are
needed.
Fifth, the domestic materials
should be put into war production
quickly. To make sure that the best
sources OF ali critical minerals are
found as quickly as they can be
found, the drilling and mining rec
ords of all companies should be
opened to the Bureau of Mines and
the Geological Survey on conf
Dental basis. The drilling records
of wildcat oil we'll in New Mexico
led to the development of pot
ash deposits which have made the
United States independent of Ger
many.
Senator OMahoney: 1t was also
the drilling of an oil well in Sweet
water County, Wyo.. that revealed
large deposits of sodium carbonate
there.
Secretary Ickes: The sixth point
Is that the companies that have
developed processes for treating any
low-grade materials should reveal
them to the Bureau of Mines and
the bureau should recommend to
new companies the processes which
are, on their records, most effective.
Senator O'Mahoney: Yes. it was
In this connection that Senators
Bone of Washington. La Toilette of
Wisconsin and I introduced a bill
to allow the Government to use all
patents. A patent is the reward
granted by the Government to the
inventor. Ny feeling is that every
inventor and discoverer will be will
ing to make his genius and his
industry of service in the preserva-
ton of the Government which alone
can grant him the protection of the
patent laws.
Federal Grubstake.
should like to emphasize. In
connection with another phase of
your program, Mr.. Secretary, that
the days of the pioneers are gone.
In the early days minerals we're
discovered at the grass roots and
the individual miner could stake
out placer claim or even a lode
claim and make his fortune. Now
the search for minerals and the
processing of them have become
big money undertakings. A grub
stake by the grocer for the little
fellow will not do today. In your
program, Mr.. Secretary, you pro-
pose that Uncle Sam, in a manner
OF speaking. grubstake the modern
miner. Is that not right?
Secretary Ickes: Yes, Just as the
Government is financing plants and
processes for some of the biggest
corporations in the country. The
Government is charged with win
ming this war. If mere financing is
not enough, Senator OMahoney, the
Department Of the Interior. through
Its Bureau of Mines, stands ready to
do the job which must be done.
Senator O'Mahoney: Your plan is
to help the people help themselves
and your objective is to get the
job done.
Secretary 1ckes: We must get the
Job done.
Senator O'Mahoney: The wisdom
OF such program must be appar-
ent to any one who surveys the
present scene. Concentration of in
dustrial development has proceeded
both geographically and in terms of
industrial organizations. Last March
I submitted to the Senate the final
report of the Temporary National
economic Committee. 1 called at
tention to the fact that between
June !, 1910, and March /, 194l.
35 States had received less than Is
per cent OF all the defense contracts
awarded by the War and NAVY De-
parmentS up to that time and that
ID States had received more than 80
per cent of all the contracts.
Figures from the War Production
Board show that of Sl5,250. 900 900 in
war contracts given out between
June l, 1910, and October |, 1941
82.6 per cent have gone to only 100
companies and more than so per
cent in value have gone to Is
companies.
Germany Developed Resources.
We have been inexcusably dumb
In our failure to comprehend what
the enemy has been doing. When
we began to arm for defense and to
supply the nations resisting the ag-
gressors, the leading industrial ex-
perts persisted in advising us that
we had material enough. Steel eX-
pertS told us we had sufficient steel
capacity and aluminium experts told
us we had sufficient aluminium ca
pacitv. Nobody seemed to realize
that this was an all-out total war.
But Germany was using everything
upon which she could lay her greedy
hands. Germany was notoriously
poor in iron ore. She has been de-
pendent upon Sweden, Norway and
France for more than two-thirds of
her supply. 1t was this dependence.
of course. which furnished the pri-
mary reason for aggression. But
Hitler also turned his attention to-
ward the exploitation Of the low
grade German ores. The Herman
Goering Works have taken over all
the undeveloped ore deposits in
Germany.
Here in the United States great
deposits Of iron ore still remain un-
developed. In my own State of
Wyoming. at Guernsey, Mr.. Secre-
tary. there are huge deposits of
high-grade iron ore and only a frac-
ton OF them are being used. Within
30 miles OF Cheyenne, the State
capital, stands Iron Mountain. 1t
rises above the plains with 8O.O0o.-
600 tons OF IRON ore in sight, but it
Is mdeveloped. We have huge de-
posits Of coal and many sites for
hydroelectric plants. Drilling and
sampling OF the trona deposits near
Green River are proceeding. This is
q valuable heavy chemical. And let
not forget the vast oil resources of
tho State nor the possibility OF
making synthetic rubber and avia-
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