Show II UI S. S C CONTROL L Lr OF r MINERALS CAPITAL HINT Man Close to Coolidge Administration Gives Hint of Commission WOULD PUT BRAKES ON PRODUCTION Plans for Exportation and Elimination of f Wastage Am Among ng Many Activities I IBy By FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE Written for The Telegram gram WASHINGTON Dec 12 Con Con Congress gress may soon be asked to create a a. new federal agency gency to be lc known own as the minerals commission Its purpose would be to supervise Americas America's resOurces In Sn raw materials materials materials mate mate- rials especially the more Important Import Import- ant mineral products and to see that they are not produced in wasteful wasteful wasteful waste waste- ful quantities The pr proposal emanates emanates ema ema- I ema-I nates from a quarter m usually close to the Coolidge administration Its author is Mark L L L. Requa of San Francisco Coolidge manager in Sn the 1924 primary r and presidential campaigns campaigns cam cam- In California Mr Requa a mining engineer like Herbert Hoover is Js one of oC the most intimate friends of oC the se secretary of ot commerce within whose j Jurisdiction jurisdiction tion the bureau of mines at Washington Wash Wash- ington has recently come In 1918 and 1919 Mr Requa was gener general l di director director director di- di rector of oC the oil division of ot the United States fuel administration The Requa scheme is put forth in Sn ina ina a book entitled The Relation of ot Government to Industry It Is Ss based on or the theory that the American people are squandering at t a ruinous ruinous ruin ruin- ous us rate their most vital Industrial rial resources especially oil on Mr Requa argues that unless the federal government government government gov gov- can contrive to put brakes on the country's extravagant habits hab hab- its the time is Js measurably i near when Uncle Sam will be d dependent pendent upon foreign supplies of ot raw raw materials materials materials mate mate- rials ess essential to our national exist exist- enc enc ki 1 LAW P PART RT OF SCHEME Because ause of ot these conditions Air Mr Requa recommends that congress bring Into being leing a minerals commission com com- mission He proposes That to fo this commission be submitted submitted sub sub- muted the task of ot considering the problem of oC c conserving the mineral mineraI resources of ot the United States deVising devising devising de- de a policy for tor this government to adopt with regard i to foreign sources s of oC supply that this cOrn cOrn- mission plan ye years rs in advance and nd that it submit annually a a. report to congress with its recommendations for tor necessary legislation That the members of oC this commission com com- mission be selected from men eminent eminent emi emi- nent In the various mineral Industries industries industries indus Indus- tries that each be- be bea a recognized authority and successful administrator administrator adminis adminis- that they hey be so selected as asto asto asto to represent separately the more important mineral Industries that their terms of service be for tor long ong ong periods so that they may become thoroughly thoi familiar with the problem pro pro- lem of oC raw materials in all its phases that the he commission be a ab absolutely al- al the non political non the best men being selected without regard to party affiliations In Justification of ot his project Mr Requa contends that a a. minerals commission is much more needed than the Int Interstate commerce commission com corn mission the Hie federal trade commis- commis Continued on on page 7 If 7 V U. U S. S CONTROL I OF MINERALS DECLARED DECLARED- NEED C Continued from from page 1 1 15 sIon slon or the federal r reserve serVe board boar because without adequate supplies of ot minerals our Industries will go goto goto goto to smash and the Ule business of these commissions will be confined to ac academic academic ac- ac c- c discussion CITES CASE OF OIL Of OC all mineral resources Mr Requa declares petroleum probably ly Iy offers the he widest field for tor constructive constructive constructive con con- government co n. n He Is convinced that the United States Is using up Its petroleum at at ata ata 3 a wholly destructive rate One and one half per cent of all the welts wells In Inthe Inthe inthe the United States produce third one-third of the tho oil 21 2 per cent produce one half of the oil and the remainIng remaining remaining remain remain- ing wells produce the other half The California engineer thinks the conclusion from these facts Is obvious There must be he e says continuous discovery of new newfields newfields newfields fields Importation from foreign countries or sh shortage The question question question ques ques- tion confronting the government and the oil industry is Mr Requa asserts can new oil 01 fields be discovered discovered discovered dis dis- dis- dis covered with sufficient rapidity to replace the declining or exhausted fields and in addition supply the thee increased demand This problem Ih in the Californians Californian's Judgment can only be scientifically and safely solved for tor the country's good under federal supervision Until it Is Mr 11 Requa seems to be persuaded that conditions will go from bad to worse The Inevitable result as he foreshadows it will wUl be that we snail shall have to depend for far oil upon foreign foreign foreign for for- eign supply sources as the United States now depends upon them for fortin fortin fortin tin nitrates manganese ore palm oil and potash Americas America's passion for tor motoring which Is responsible for so tremendous tremendous dous a consumption of oil is comIng coming coming com com- ing to have an increasingly Important Import Import- ant companion compaction in the popularity of oil fuel Oil is already going under under under un der boilers Si n. a rate that Is displacIng displacing displacing dis dis- dis- dis placing it is estimated from to tons of t coal an an an- nual Mr Requa considers the result a two-fold two Injury because it wastes petroleum that should be conserved for tor higher uses and demoralizes demoralizes demoralizes de moralizes In part the coal industry that needs markets today as never ne before For all these reasons Mr Requa Insists some means should be devised for controlling excess production production production pro pro- of oil Timber natural gas copper iron ore ore lead gold and silver sll along with our superabundance of coal are bracketed by Mr as raw materials regarding which eventual disaster is the only alternative to todome dome ome form of government regula regula- tion Copyright 1925 1926 |