INTRODUCTION. 
7 
hand, Russia, our strongest rival in oil production, must suffer more complete 
and longer continued interruption of exports, which should tend to enlarge the 
market for our oil. The supply of cheap foreign barytes has prevented the 
development of many good deposits of that mineral, but with the consumers on 
lhe Atlantic seaboard already looking for domestic supplies, some of the south 
ern mines should be reopened to supplement the output of those already in 
operation. The closure of the European market leaves but one buyer for the 
radium ores of Colorado and Utah, which is decidedly to the disadvantage of 
the miner. Had the legislation introduced in Congress been promptly enacted 
the United States Government would probably have been buying these ores at 
this time. 
While the United States leads in coal mines, the six European nations now 
at war happen to be the six next largest coal mining countries, producing to 
gether over half the world’s coal. Interference with both the mining and the 
commerce of these nations must necessarily increase the demand for our coal, 
at least in the neutral countries of the world. It is not generally known, how 
ever, to what an extent we have been depending upon Europe, principally Ger 
many, for many of the chemical products derivable from coal, and which we 
have been permitting to go to waste, in the most reckless manner. Coal tar 
obtained in the manufacture of coal gas and of coke (in retort ovens) is capa 
ble of producing hundreds of chemical products, but the chemical industries 
dependent upon coal tar as a raw material have had little development in the 
United States. Our imports of coal-tar products in 1913 were valued at $11,000,000 
at initiating points and when they reached the ultimate consumer probably 
cost double that amount. If the present war continues any length of time the 
American consumer will have to do without aniline colors and dyes, certain 
drugs, and numerous other coal-tar products, or the American manufacturers 
will undertake to supply these essential commodities, which have hitherto car 
ried the label “ Made in Germany.” 
Several of the mineral products mentioned by Secretary Lane as 
those upon which American industries depend, although imported in 
large part, have been discussed more fully in later statements given 
to the public press by the Geological Survey. Press bulletins have 
been published on such subjects as potash, manganese, tin, flint peb 
bles, arsenic, antimony, and barytes, and in other bulletins the effect 
of the war on exports of copper, zinc, and radium has been discussed. 
Within the last few weeks there has been a lively demand for 
information regarding possible sources of mineral products, both 
crude and manufactured. A considerable volume of correspondence 
on this subject has come to the Geological Survey, and with it the 
opportunity to act as an agent in bringing consumer and producer 
into touch with each other. Equally important is the function of 
pointing out possible sources of minerals which hitherto have been 
imported from European countries, as well as indicating what sup 
plies are available to meet the new demands for exports. 
It seems advisable to bring together the information already given 
to the press and to supplement it with other data now at hand, with 
the purpose of furnishing to the public in convenient form a sum 
mary of the mineral resources available for utilization under the 
pressure of present conditions. The preparation of the press bulle-