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  southern ­
  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  together ­
  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,  however, ­
  to  what  an  extent  we  have  been  depending  upon  Europe,  principally  Germany, ­
  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  capable ­
  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  carried ­
  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  pebbles, ­
  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  supplies ­
  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  summary ­
  of  the  mineral  resources  available  for  utilization  under  the
pressure  of  present  conditions.  The  preparation  of  the  press  bulle-