Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-02-17 | Page 1 | Judge King Opposes the Radium Bills

JUDGE K1G OPPOSES THE RADIUM BILLS Declares Paternalistic Government Gov-ernment Is Offensive to People of the West. WASHINGTON". Feb. 1C Federal interference in-terference in the radium Industry as proposed pro-posed In pending bills was attacked today as "paternalistic government, offensive to 90 per cent of the people of tho west" by William 11. King, former member of congress from Utah, before the senate mines committee. Mr. King appeared for the American Radium company of Pennsylvania which, ho said, hnd solved tho problem of radium ra-dium r reduction within the last fow months, and would put 1- to 15 grams of the precious substance on tho market this year. Other companies were forming form-ing and would form, he said, if tho government gov-ernment kept Its hands off, and permit the price of radium to bo fixed at close to lis actual value by natural competition. Thomas Curran, a Colorado mining operator, told the commllteo that monopoly monop-oly of radium lands was a physical Impossibility Im-possibility because of their extent. Ho said he was now sellng abroad the output out-put of his mines at a bettor price than It would bring in the United States, and that European factories would bo forced to close down If the American ore supply was cut off. At present, he added, the Industry was in a state of suspended animation because of the threat of federal Interference. The hearing will continue tomorrow. Questions propounded by members of the committee to witnesses indicate that of the western members Senators Shaf-roth, Shaf-roth, Plttman, Ashurst. Fall and Sterling aro opposed to tho bill In Its present form und that a unanimous favorable report re-port cannot be obtained for It. If there should be a majority favorable report, it Is certain a minority report will be also tiled, which probably will servo to defeat the hill in the senate.