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Show NITRATE DEPOSITS OF CHILE Many Things to Which the Users of the Supply Should Give Close Attention. Tho world's supply of nltrato, for uso In the manufacture of fertilizers, I explosives and other chemical products, prod-ucts, Is now derived nlmost entirely from tho doposlts of Bodium nltrato In I northern Chile. These deposits aro vast, ns compared with any probablo future demand and even tho best efforts ef-forts of a close monopoly supervised by tho Chilean government have not been nblo to do moro thnn keep output nnd prices under somo small degreo of 1 control. In ordinary times tho Chilean doposlts can swamp any possible competitive com-petitive supply, and In tho past this has opornted to prevent tho development develop-ment of small or less well located deposits de-posits elsewhere. Tho Chilean deposits have, however, ono marked defect which is brought Into promlncnco by tho present European Euro-pean war; nnd which would havo como out In still moro disastrous form In caso of a war between tho United Stales nnd ony power having an active fleet In tho Pacific ocean. Tho defect Is that tho distribution of tho output is entirely by sea, nnd that tho Btcnm-era Btcnm-era carrying tho nltrato must mnko a long run along open coasts. Wo must, therefore, consider that nltrato, though tho supply Is moro than nmplo, Is likely like-ly to be entirely cut off under war conditions. In defnult of a supply of Chilean nitrate, ni-trate, a country would havo to fall back upon either (a) local or other supplies of natural potaBh or soda ni trates, (b) nitrogen extracted from tho air, or (c) nitrates manufactured from coal tar products. All of theso nro technically feasible, and none nro absolutely prohlbltlvo as to cost under war conditions, though In normal times nono of them can at present compete with tho Chilean supply. Engineering Magazine. |