Show Brac karts digest 1 I 1 official washington Is watching batchin I 1 9 europe events with uneasy eye state department voices disgust of american people at hillers Hit lers dastardly actions our national resources I 1 of war materials should be de developed ve loped I 1 by WILLIAM BRUCKART service national press washington D 0 washington obviously official washington as indeed the whole world has been watching what has been going on in europe in the last lew few weeks they have been watching with more uneasiness more genuine fear ear how hitler has been expanding the reich heich seizing crushing stealing new territory subjugating new peoples as his insane embi ambition tion leads him on and on those charged with official responsibility have watched because there can be no mistake about the dangers inherent in this wild remaking of the map of the world our government has had the cour age to speak out through its department of state it has said the hitler action in overpowering the peoples of europe the minority races is a dastardly thing there was nothing else that could be done about it secretary hull and under secretary welles of the department of state have left no doubt in the minds of other nations however that we as a people are angry about what hitler has done but again we can do nothing more than protest because the united states has no business going to war over some other nations troubles but while our state department has been getting on record with its d disgust and there has been a great todo to do about strengthening our national defense just in case trouble would break out and involve us washington bureaucrats and some selfish elements in congress have been foiling correction of our greatest weakness president roosevelt has used his most patriotic voice to force action by congress in development of airplanes for defense in construction c tion linew of new battle boats and has moved strongly for production of equipment guns and the like strategic war materials that must be devel developed I 1 aped but with all of this hullabaloo we have not heard nor seen any plans for development of our national deposits of raw materials which are used in the stock pile of war resources it might not be so important were it not a fact that a score or more of these materials have to be imported I 1 regret the necessity for foi being so bold boid but it is proper to say that our war and navy departments part ments have advanced not it a single program or even a thought as to how this nation could gain certain raw materials if we were to be involved in a war that would cut off importation of them the war department has prepared a list of some of these strategic war materials and it has listed some of the most Import important art such as nickel tin manganese rubber etc that Is as far as it has gone it is true and the swivel chair officers will stress the fact that congress pas passed sed a law a few years back that was designed to encourage american production of these essen it was called popularly the buy american act it even went so far as to afford authority for payment of premiums up to 25 per cent above foreign quotations in or der that american capital would go to work here on those essentials but has anything resulted from it the records answer no A congressional committee also lately has answered no by drafting another bill to encourage production to in the united states of these war essentials the house committee on military affairs has reported a bill which chairman may hopes will do the work but even chairman may is doubtful of its success he is doubtful because as he be said when the bureaucrats in the executive branch of the government do not want to encourage domestic production they simply sit in their chairs and swing their feet back and forth officials ais unwilling to learn from other nations those fellows in the executive departments part ments apparently are unwilling to learn from other nations either cither I 1 came into possession of a document for example that made a confidential report to the national erner emer gency council more than a year ago it told that the british government had stored in warehouses enough nickel and tin for a three years supply to be used by industries manufacturing war materials this was done by the british government notwithstanding the fact that london is the seat of the great international nickel corporation which owns the largest nickel n mines dries in the world and does 88 per cent of the worlds world 3 trade in n nickel the british thought 2 it was mw wise to mohave have the essential material avil available lable 1 when and it if needed and it had bad thit that conviction n even with the largest nickel mickel mine known now low located on british territory at suds worth On ontario iario canada further according totham to that report the british were unwilling to leave toe the main nickel refinery on united states ates soil it was moved to a canadian spot where act according to the 04 report it ft would be out of distance ot at any long range guns the 11 british royal commission which made the study added that while they and the united states area are friendly and none bansee can see any re reason a for that friendship ever to be bd disturbed no man can forecast the future the shortage of nickel said the report might be a weakness sufficient to determine the issue of a war I 1 discussed this question of war essentials with various members ol of the house representative murdock murdoc of arizona representative francis case of south dakota representative of nevada among others to a man they said that the will of congress was was being thwarted by burea bureaucrats who are unwilling to encourage american industry mr for instance a former forme governor of his state and a mining man told how the bureau of mines mine s had there was no worth while nickel deposits in alaska the same agency has found no reason to encourage american capital to develop manganese deposits in the united states mr case has been trying to get congressional action on measures to get some u use s e of 0 the metal deposits of south dakota but always selfish corporate interests seeing no further ahead than the point of their red noses have stalled the programs pleads for money to develop mineral resources mr murdock also a mining man made a plea on the floor of the house the other day for congress to provide some money enabling realistic procedure with respect to our unknown and undeveloped me metal tal resources so that we would know in case of war if fo tor r no other reason since my school boy days said mr murdock in house debate 1 I have been told that alaska is a treasure house of natural wealth and economic resources I 1 believe we have been and are overlooking that fact in our dealing with that far off corner of our country I 1 feel that we ought to develop those resources we ought to know more about them mr murdocks statement causes me to ask the question since itis it if our national policy at present presen t at least to spend billions of dollars under the guise of making work why not designate some few of the millions tor for worthwhile national development reference was made the other day to testimony given two years ago before the senate finance committee I 1 looked it up and found that the late francis P garvan then president of the chemical foundation had caused an investigation to be made of alaskan metal resources the report brought in by a wisconsin university professor who did the searching and digging on the ground makes one wonder what undercurrent of influence has prevented the development of metal claims such as nickel and tin up there very few of the national legislators isla tors knew of th the e te testimony stimon Y buying for reserves would start brand new industries in my conversations among rocky mountain congressmen I 1 could not avoid the conclusion that capital funds held in the united states will not be put to work on such things without some encouragement from officials in washington I 1 know that I 1 some representatives and senators are of the opinion that the federal government ought to offer to buy lese these war essentials here and disregard foreign sources they believe that a commitment to buy tor for reserves if made by the federal government ern ment would start brand new industries dus dust tries riis going in many many parts of the united states all of the while however we have the bureau of mines and the war department B sitting it back and making it hardfort hard for americans to develop america this whole situation would be hardly worth analyzing were ihnot it not for the facts 1 the federal government jovern ment is spending billions for defense along with other billions that are being wasted and 2 it is a measure of safety to have all or as much as possible of the things we would need in event of war where they can be handled bandied by americans fo for americans and it is more important too because junerous nu nerous reports have reached washington in the last year to the effect that german or belgian or british capitalists have been making overtures ies to holders of american mining claims tor for operating leases lea ses on properties that yield such things ash essential as war metals it is my belief that sooner or later congress will learn leam that the bureaucracy which it created has wasted too much time it will learn that foreigners own sil all of the metal resources here and we will be buy bid ing back the finished material at the prices foreign monopoly cares to establish eita blish just as we are now buying nickel 0 wes feskorn korn newspaper paper union I 1 I 1 |