Show Ij h Our Needed w War r Materials y the predicament in which Italy finds T itse itself f confronted by league sanctions and f facing the fu further ther threat of oil embargoes the S. S Scientific i nt fi American lists list items which the United States would have to have have to to conduct a war and which we ve would have to import ome ame of the 1 e essentials are wholly lacking in this country While hi others others' are produced in insufficient quan- quan j t ti i In In- rare are instances instances synthetic ti subs substitutes are manufactured here and would be available th though ugh at prices which would be prohibitive in ir in p c i tunes lI for ordinary commercial and industrial industrial indus indus- t trial use f In i p peace ace times for us if lf because of wars in involving other states of all or orsome some of these materials were cut off their lack would severely ly affect industry and commerce serving normal r l needs It is one answer to tc those w vho t clamor 1 for t a policy of national sufficiency a dJs isolation n from the rest pf f the world In war var or Ot p peace ac i we cannot be independent of the r res rest st stol oj ol tl o the world Of the fact the war var navy and I St departments are aw aware w re and their knowl knowledge e edge edg i Js is as asit it sho shoUld be bro brought to bear against C 1 extremist legislation promoted by groups which fail to take into account the possibility that war may come to this nation in spite spile of its earnest and general desire to avoid it The war department has listed 26 raw materials materials mate mate-I rials wh which ch are arc essentials These include eight metals two minerals ls two food products and a miscellany of 14 vegetable and fibrous materials These commodities must be imported from countries countries countries coun coun- tries sc scattered widely over the world In En the outstanding case of rubber the records records rec rec- show siow that the British Empire controls 87 per c cent nt of ot the worlds world's supply We normally consume 80 80 per cent It is not necessary to sta state e that rubber is a vital raw material both to armies and civilians Thus it is encouraging encouraging- to learn that we have three excellent substitutes for rubber in thi thiokol kol and These three are more expensive than plantation rubber but in time of war that extra expense would be overlooked ed Manganese a war war-essen tint ual mineral we have in in- inthis this country but our ores are all aU very poor quality is necessary in the manufacture of steel So far farno farno farno no satisfactory substitute has be been n discovered Some of the other important commodities for forthe forthe forthe the s supply of which we depend wholly or largely upon upon other countries are wo wool l platinum coffee manila fiber mercury nickel shellac camphor hides sugar tin silk antimony |