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Show NOTES FROM WASHINGTON With imports of industrial jewels dining 1946 having approximately ap-proximately doubled the quantity brought into the country during the previous years, the United States is practically assured, with proper conservation, of a year's supply of such stones for national nation-al defense purposes, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes was advised today by Director R. R. Savers of the Bureau of Mines. Imports of jewels for use as bearings in aviation instruments. I fire-control apparatus, watches, chronometers and other precision instruments amounted to approximately approxi-mately 44,000,000 valued at $913,-000 $913,-000 in 1939, and rose to more than 80,000,000 valued at $1,500,-000 $1,500,-000 during the first 10 months of 1940. Virtually all of these importations, despite, war conditions condi-tions in Europe, were from Switzerland. Swit-zerland. , The German Government, the Bureau of Mines pointed out, has placed restrictions upon exports of Swiss jewels, but thus far these restrictions have not been enforied. Swiss suppliers, however, how-ever, have required that they receive re-ceive sufficient bort (diamond dust or chips used for cutting and polishing) to make any jewels that they ship out of the country. Shipments of bort to Switzerland are watched carefully by the British Government, but the lat- ter has recently approved small shipments in partial exchange for jewels required by American manufacturers, and iit is repiort-ed repiort-ed that additional importations of Swiss jewels may be anticipated to supplement stocks already held in this country. Approval of a land grant claim release submitted by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co., under which the road may take advantage of increased rates for certain Government freight and passenger business in territories covered by the release, was announced an-nounced January 3rd by Secretary Secre-tary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. $62,800,000 for construction of irrigation works in the next fiscal year. Preferred status was given tc projects capable also of producing produc-ing power for defense industries Appropriations of $60,000 for the Ogden river project and Sl,-250,000 Sl,-250,000 for the Provo river project pro-ject in Utah were proposed in President Roosevelt's budget message mes-sage Wednesday, which urged |