Garfield County News | 1955-02-24 | Page 57 | Survey Data Open to Qualified Users

Survey Data Open To Qualified Users Priceless uranium deposits, untapped fields of oil and a $100,000,-000 zinc lode are a few of the discoveries of the men of the U. S. Geological Survey, it is reported in The Saturday Evening Post. An article entitled "Uncle Sam's Treasure Hunters tells that anyone can profit from their findings, for they give their knowledge away. And the government geologist is forbidden by law and his own conscience to profit from his discoveries. Survey, it Is explained, works for other government agencies, for states and municipalities, and for the public a a whole, but it does no specific jobs for the benefit of Individual commerical companies or for private citizens. Whatever it learns is published except its secret, military research, so that all who are Interested may make use of it. The post article also reports that, thanks to the geologists, we know that enough niobium without which' there would be no Jet aircraft may be found in Arkansas aluminum ores and In certain deposits of titanium, to make us eventually Independent of foreign sources. "A lot of things we found out 30 years ago are just now turning out to be useful to somebody," says William W. Wrather. the director of the Survey. "And some of the things we are learning today may not prove valuable for another 30 years."