#ff,,th ,,congress #b;d ,session ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,,document ,no4 #egb ,,department ,,of ,,the ,,interior ,,franklin ,k4 ,,lane1 ,secretary ,,united ,,states ,,geological ,,survey ,,george ,,otis ,,smith1 ,director ,bulletin #gje ,,conservation ,,through ,,engineering ,,by ,,franklin ,k4 ,,lane ,extract from the ,annual ,report of the ,secretary of the ,interior ,illustration ,,washington ,,government ,,printing ,,office #aibj ,,contents4 ,page4 ,the coal strike #a ,national stock-taking #c ,coal as a national asset #c ,public responsibility #d ,the miners' year #e ,have we too many mines and miners8 #g ,the long view #g ,saving coal #i ,coal and coal #aj ,expansion abroad #aa ,saving coal by saving electricity #aa ,white coal and black #ab ,the age of petroleum #ac ,oil shale #ae ,save oil #af ,use the ,diesel engine #ag ,wanted--a foreign supply #ah ,by way of summary #bj ,land development #bb ,a program of progress #bb ,garden homes for the people #bc ,reclamation by district organization #bd ,soldier-settlement legislation #bg ,alaska #bi ,matanuska coal #cb ,save and develop ,americans #cb ,,note4 ,the plea for constructive policies contained in the report of the ,secretary of the ,interior to the ,president deserves a hearing also by the engineers and business men who are developing the power resources of the country4 ,the largest conservation for the future can come only through the wisest engineering of the present4 ,the conditions under which the utilization of natural resources is demanded are outlined by ,secretary ,lane1 and it will be noted that the program recommended calls for the cooperation of engineer and legislator4 ,to bring this power inventory to the attention of the men who furnish the ,nation with its coal and oil and electricity1 this extract from the administrative report of the ,secretary of the ,interior is reprinted as a bulletin of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey4 ,,conservation ,,through ,,engineering#a ,by ,,franklin ,k4 ,,lane4 ,in an age of machinery the measure of a people's industrial capacity seems to be surely fixed by its motive power possibilities4 ,civilized nations regard an adequate fuel supply as the very foundation of national prosperity--indeed1 almost as the very foundation of national possibility4 ,i am convinced that there will be a reaction against the intense industrialism of the present1 but as it must be agreed that the race for industrial supremacy is on between the nations of the world1 ,america may well take stock of her own power possibilities and concern herself more actively with their development and wisest use4 ,,the ,,coal ,,strike4 ,the coal strike has brought concretely before us the disturbing fact that modern society is so involved that we live virtually by unanimous consent4 ,let less than one-half of #a per cent of our population quit their work of digging coal and we are threatened with the combined horrors of pestilence and famine4 ,it did not take many hours after it was realized that the coal miners were in earnest for the ,american imagination to conceive what might be the state of the country in perhaps another #cj days4 ,industries closed1 railroads stopped1 streets dark1 food cut off1 houses freezing1 idle men by the million hungry and in the dark--this was the picture1 and not a very pleasant one to contemplate4 ,there was an immediate demand for facts4 ,how much coal is normally mined in this country8 ,by whom is it mined8 ,what is its quality8 ,to what uses is it put8 ,who gets it8 ,how much less could be mined if coal were conserved instead of wasted8 ,what better methods have been developed for using coal than those of ancient custom8 ,who is to blame that so small a supply is on the surface8 ,why should we live from day to day in so vital a matter as a fuel supply8 ,what substitutes can be found for coal and how quickly may these be made available8 ,this is by no means an exhaustive category of the questions which were put to this department when the strike came4 ,and these came tumbling in by wire1 by mail1 by hand1 from all parts of the country1 mixed with disquisitions upon the duty of ,government1 the rights of individuals as against the rights of society1 the need for strength in times of crisis1 calls for nationalization of the coal industry1 for the destruction of labor unions1 for troops to mine coal1 and much else that was more or less germane to the question before the country4 ,many of these questions we were able to answer4 ,but if coal operators themselves had not carried over the statistical machinery developed during the war1 we would have been forced to the humiliating confession that we did not know facts which at the time were of the most vital importance4 ,in a time of stress it is not enough to be able to say that the ,united ,states contains more than one-half of the known world supply of coal2 that we1 while only #h per cent of the world's population1 produce annually #df per cent of all coal that is taken from the ground2 that #ce per cent of the railroad traffic is coal2 that in less than #ajj years we have grown in production from #ajj1jjj tons to #gjj1jjj1jjj tons per annum2 that if last year's coal were used as construction material it would build a wall as huge as the ,great ,wall of ,china around every boundary of the ,united ,states from ,maine to ,vancouver1 down the ,pacific to ,san ,diego and eastward following the ,mexican border and the coast to ,maine again2 and that this same coal contains latent power sufficient to lift this same wall #bjj miles high in the air1 according to one of our greatest engineers 7,steinmetz74 ,such facts are surely startling4 ,they serve to stimulate a certain pride and give us a great confidence in our industrial future2 yet they are not as immediately important1 when the mines threaten to close1 as would be a few figures showing how much coal we have in stock piles and where it is6 ,and months since we called upon ,congress to grant the money that we might secure these figures1 but no notice was taken of the urged requests until1 late in the summer1 a committee of the ,senate awoke to this need and indorsed our petition4 ,,national ,,stock ,,taking4 ,the ,government should have a more complete knowledge of the coal and of other foundation industries than can be found elsewhere1 and we should not fear national stock taking as a continuing process4 ,it is indeed the beginning of wisdom4 ,the war revealed to us how delinquent in this regard we had been in the past4 ,one day when the full story is told of the struggle of the ,army engineer to meet war emergency demands1 and this is supplemented by the tale of the effort made by the ,council of ,national ,defense and the ,war ,industries ,board1 it will be realized more seriously than now how little of stock taking we have done in this generous1 optimistic land4 ,when any such undertaking is proposed1 however1 it at once appears to arouse the fear that it is somehow the beginning of a malevolent policy called conservation1 and conservation has had a mean meaning to many ears4 ,it connoted stinginess and a provincial thrift1 spies in the guise of ,government inspectors1 hateful interferences with individual enterprise and initiative1 governmental haltings and cowardices1 and all the constrictions of an arrogant1 narrow1 and academic-minded bureaucracy which can not think largely and feels no responsibility for national progress4 ,needless to say this fear should not1 need not be4 ,the word should mean helpfulness1 not hindrance--helpfulness to all who wish to use a resource and think in larger terms than that of the greatest immediate profit2 hindrance only to those who are spendthrift4 ,a conservation which results in a stalemate as between the forces of progress and governmental inertia is criminal1 while a conservation that is based on the fuller1 the more essential use of a resource is statesmanship4 ,to know what we have and what we can do with it--and what we should not do with it1 also6--is a policy of wisdom1 a policy of lasting progress4 ,and in furtherance of such a policy the first step is to know our resources--our national wealth in things and in their possibilities2 the second step is to know their availability for immediate use2 the third step is to guard them against waste either through ignorance or wantonness2 and the fourth step is to prolong their life by invention and discovery4 ,,coal ,,as ,a ,,national ,,asset4 ,enough has been said1 perhaps1 to indicate how vast are the fields of coal which this country holds4 ,it may be that any day some genius will release from nature a power that will make of little value our carboniferous deposits save for their chemical content4 ,by the application of the sun's rays1 or the use of the unceasing motion of the waves of the sea1 the whole dependence of the world upon coal may be upset4 ,that day1 however1 has not yet come2 and until it does we may consider our coal as the surest insurance which we can have that ,america can meet the severest contest that any industrial rival can present4 ,it is more than insurance--it is an asset which can bring to us the certainty of great wealth1 and if we care to exercise it1 a mastery over the fate and fortunes of other peoples4 ,next to the fertility of our soil1 we have no physical asset as valuable as our coal deposits4 ,although we are sometimes alarmed because those deposits nearest to the industrial centers are rapidly declining and we can already see within this century the end of the anthracite field1 if it is made to yield as much continuously as at present1 yet it is a safe generalization that we have sufficient coal in the ,united ,states to last our people for centuries to come4 ,an extra scuttleful on the fire or shovelful in the furnace does not threaten the life of the race1 even if some ,russian or ,chinese of the future does not resolve the atom or harness the hidden forces of the air4 ,whatever fears other nations may justifiably have as to their ability to continue in the vast rush of a machine world1 there can be no question of our ability to last4 ,the present strike1 however1 makes quite clear1 perhaps for the first time1 that it is not the coal in the mountain that is of value1 but that which is in the yard4 ,and between the two there may be a great gulf fixed4 ,therefore1 we are put to it to make the best of what we have4 ,we turn from telling how much coal we use to a study of how little we can live upon and do the day's work of the ,nation4 ,and this is1 ,i believe1 as it should be4 ,indeed ,i feel justified in saying that the problem of this strike is not to be solved in its deeper significances until we know much more about coal than we know now1 and this especially as to the manner in which it is taken from its bed and brought to our cellars4 ,,public ,,responsibility4 ,this transfer is effected by a kind of carrier chain1 the links of which are the operator1 the miner1 the railroad1 and the public4 ,we choose1 to please ourselves1 the link in this chain upon which we place the responsibility for its failure to work2 but before indulging ourselves in abuse of arrogant coal barons or dictatorial labor unions1 it may lie as well to ask whether we of the public are not responsible in some part for this failure to function4 ,i do not refer now to the failure of society to provide methods of industrial mediation or other adjustment of such labor difficulties4 ,my question is1 whether or not the public is at all at fault when a nation wealthy beyond all others in coal finds itself with so small a supply on hand when a strike comes--but a few days removed from the gravest troubles4 ,the answer1 to my mind1 turns upon the manner in which we have done business4 ,we have been content to go without insurance as to a coal reserve4 ,each day has brought its daily supply4 ,there was no thought of railroads stopping or mines closing down1 so that large storage facilities have not been provided1 and1 indeed1 we would rebel at paying for our coal the added cost of caring for it outside its native warehouse4 ,we have not thought in terms of apprehension1 but1 as always1 in the calm certainty that the stream of supply would flow without ceasing4 ,in some way there would be coal into which we could drive our shovels when the need was felt4 ,no wonder1 therefore1 that we are rudely disturbed when one link in the carrier chain from coal-in-place to coal-in-the-furnace breaks4 ,it simply is one of those things which doesn't happen4 ,and not having happened sufficiently often to give us fear1 we have had no thought that we should provide against it4 ,it is a most heterodox thing to say1 but we may find that a bit more foresight on the part of the public would certainly have made less sudden the present crisis4 ,let us look1 for instance1 into the matter of the coal miners' year and see if it is not fixed in some degree by the habit of the public in its purchasing4 ,,the ,,miners' ,,year4 ,the record year1 #aiah1 with everything to stimulate production had an average of only #bdi working days for the bituminous mines of the country4 ,this average of the country included a minimum among the principal coal-producing ,states of #bjd days for ,arkansas and a maximum of #cja for ,new ,mexico4 ,in such a ,state as ,ohio the average working year is under #bjj days4 ,in #aiag the miners of ,new ,mexico reached an average of #cba days1 and in the largest field1 the ,raton field1 it was actually #ccf--probably the record for steady operation4 ,this short year in coal-mine operation is due in part to seasonal fluctuation in demand4 ,the mines averaged only #bd hours a week during the spring months4 ,the weekly report of that date showed that #hj per cent of the lost time was due to no market and only #ae per cent to labor shortage1 while car shortage was a negligible factor4 ,in contrast with this should be taken the last week before the strike1 when the average hours operated were #ci and no market was a negligible item in lost time1 while car shortage was by far the largest item4 ,it follows that the short year is a source of loss to both operator and mine worker and is a tax on the consumer4#b ,with substantially the same number of mines and miners working this year as last1 the accumulative production for the first #aj months of this year is #ajj1jjj1jjj tons less than that mined in the same period last year4 ,this #be per cent loss in output means that both plant and labor have been less productive1 and1 in terms of capital and labor1 coal cost the ,nation more this year than last4 ,for in the long run both capital and labor require a living wage4 ,the public must accept responsibility for the coal industry and pay for carrying it on the year round4 ,mine operators and mine workers of whatever mines are necessary to meet the needs of the country must be paid for a year's work4 ,the shorter the working year the less coal is mined per man and per dollar invested in plant1 and eventually the higher priced must be the coal4 ,it is obvious that the #bfd short tons of coal mined by the average ,british miner last year could not be as cheap per ton as the #idb tons mined by the average ,american mine worker1 backed up as he was with more efficient plant4 7,a proud contrast67 ,it would clearly appear that the coal business may be stabilized1 not wholly1 but in a very large measure1 in some of the western fields1#c if the public does not regard its supply of coal as it does its supply of domestic water1 which requires only that the faucet shall be opened to bring forth a gushing supply4 ,coal does not have pressure behind it which forces it out of the mine and into the coal yard4 ,it rather must be drawn out by the suction of demand4 ,and herein the public must play its part by keeping that demand as steady and uniform as possible4 ,,have ,,we ,,too ,,many ,,mines ,,and ,,miners8 ,the problem of the miner and his industry may be stated in another way4 ,we consume all the coal we produce4 ,we produce it with labor that upon social and economic grounds works as a rule too few days in the year4 ,we therefore must have a longer miners' year and fewer miners or a longer miners' year and additional markets4 ,one or the other is inevitable unless we are to carry on the industry as a whole as an emergency industry1 holding men ready for work when they are not needed in order that they may be ready for duty when the need arises4 ,there are too many mines to keep all the miners employed all of the time or to give them a reasonable year's work4 ,this conclusion is based on the assumption that we now produce only enough coal from all the mines to meet the country's demand1 which is the fact4 ,more coal produced would not sell more coal1 but more coal demanded would result in greater coal production4 ,with the full demand met by men working two-thirds or less of the time in the year there can not be a longer year given to all the miners without more demand for coal4 ,this seems to be manifest4 ,therefore the miners must remain working but part time as now1 or fewer miners must work more days1 or market must be found for more coal and thus all the miners given a longer year4 ,if we worked all of our miners in all of our mines a reasonable year1 we would have a great overproduction4 ,and to have all our mines work a longer period means that we must find some place in which to sell more coal1 either at home or abroad4 ,why have we so many mines working so many miners8 ,there can be no one-word reply to this question4 ,it penetrates into almost every social and economic condition of the country--the initiative of capital1 the size of the country1 the pride of localities1 the intense competition between railroads1 their inability to furnish cars when needed1 the manner in which cars are apportioned between mines1 the manner in which the railroads are operated so that movement is slow and equipment is short1 and this runs into the need for new facilities1 such as more yards1 more tracks1 more equipment1 which brings us into the need for more capital and so on and on4 ,we have none too many mines or too many miners to supply our need if the mines are operated as at present4 ,but we have too many to fill that need if they are operated on a basis nearer to #ajj per cent of possible production4 ,,the ,,long ,,view4 ,passing from the labor phase of the coal situation to the larger aspect of our coal supply as related to the whole problem of the economical production of light1 heat1 and power1 which ,sir ,william ,crookes has characterized as first among the immediate practical problems of science1 we find ourselves both rich and wasteful1 following the primrose path1 heedless of the morrow and not yet conscious that the morrow is to be a day of battle4 ,in the first place we treat coal as if it were a thing which was exclusively for home use1 a nonexportable commodity which must be used on the farm1 whereas it should be treated with profound respect1 because we know from ,paris that sacred treaties and national boundaries turn on its presence4 ,the world wants our coal1 envies us for having it1 fears us because of it4 ,it is not only useful to us1 but it has a cash value in the markets of the world4 ,therefore it should be saved4 ,in the next place we treat coal as if it were all alike1 not selected by nature for specific uses2 whereas we should choose our coal with as scientific a judgment as we choose our reading glasses4 ,there is coal for coke and coal for furnaces and coal for house use and coal adapted for one kind of boiler and a different kind of coal for a different kind of boiler4 ,therefore we should discriminate in coal4 ,and again we have shown little willingness to dignify coal by seeking to draw out by improved mechanical processes all the stored content of heat in this lump of carbon4 ,instead we content ourselves by giving it a mere pauper touch1 driving off the greater volume of its value into the air4 ,this is a task for the mechanical engineer4 ,then1 too there is the problem of using coal in the form of steam or in the more exalted form of electric current4 ,the lifting1 bobbing lid of ,james ,watt's teakettle did not speak the last word in power4 ,we are only beginning to know how we may move on from one form of motive power to another4 ,the wastefulness of steam power as contrasted with electric power is a real challenging problem in conservation by itself4 ,and then we naturally ask1 ,why this long haul over mountains and through tunnels and across bridges and along streets and into houses1 by railroad1 truck1 and on the backs of men1 when at the very pit mouth1 or within the mine itself1 this same coal might be transformed into electricity and by wire served into factories and homes #ajj1 #bjj1 #cjj miles from the mine8 ,why burden our congested railroads with this traffic8 ,why strew our streets with this dirt8 ,this may be a practicable thing1 a wise thing2 it deserves study if coal is worth conserving4 ,are there no substitutes for coal which we can use and can not export8 ,this question immediately raises the water-power possibilities of our land1 of which only the most superficial study has been made4 ,sell coal and use electricity would appear a thrifty policy4 ,as petroleum is being used as a substitute for coal--and inasmuch as the whole problem of fuel supply is one--we are ultimately compelled to an investigation of the ability of our petroleum supply to meet its present drain and to meet the expansion in its use1 which is the most surprising development of our day in the study of power creation4 ,this spells a program of development and conservation which should challenge the ambitions of this ,nation1 and on a few of its features perhaps a few further words would be justified4 ,,saving ,,coal4 ,the two ways by which coal in greatest volume can be saved are the discovery of the method by which more power can be taken from the ton and the discovery of what kind of coal is best fitted for any particular use4 ,it has been everyone's business to save coal1 hence4444 ,the railroads have experimented with some success4 ,they get perhaps #aj per cent of the heat energy from a ton shoveled beneath the locomotive boiler1 #aj per cent of the total in the ton4 ,they use one-quarter of all the coal mined4 ,next to labor this is the greatest expense which our railroads have4 ,this shows how great the problem is to them4 ,some have adopted a system of paying a bonus for the greatest distance made on a given quantity of a given coal4 ,but this laudable effort has not met with the cooperation that would be expected from the firemen1 for reasons that go far afield4 ,industries1 especially those which generate electric power1 have made similar effort to gain from their fuel its greatest potentiality1 and with varying success4 ,we can overlook the stoking of the domestic furnace as a national concern1 for the amount of coal used in this way amounts to not more than #ag per cent of the national coal bill1 and this whole charge could be saved1 it is estimated1 by giving care to the #ge per cent of our coal which is burned under boilers to make steam4 ,here there is a maximum figure of #ac per cent of the energy of the coal put into harness1 and the average is less than #aj per cent1 even in the larger plants4 ,in one establishment visited by the fuel engineers of this department during the war a preventable waste of #dj1jjj tons a year was discovered4 ,by changes in the admission of air to the furnaces and in the baffling of the boilers the engineers of the ,bureau of ,mines are confident that they have been able to increase the economy of coal in the ships of the ,emergency ,fleet ,corporation by #af per cent1 making #f pounds of coal do the work of #g4 ,if such a percentage of economy could be generally effected it would mean the saving of as much coal as ,france and ,italy together will need in this year of their greatest distress4 ,,coal ,,and ,,coal4 ,the ,government should sample and certify coal4 ,we do this as to wheat and meat2 it is just as necessary to avoid injustice in the case of coal1 and it is thoroughly practicable4 ,the public should know the kind of coal it is buying1 because it should buy the coal it needs4 ,there need be no prohibition against the mining or selling of any coal1#d but coal should sell in terms of its capacity to deliver heat4 ,some coal that is only a pint bottle is selling as a quart bottle4 ,and the quart is hurt by the competition of the pint4 ,a bill to effect such fuel inspection has been drafted and will be presented to ,congress4 ,it is not a bill commanding anything1 but rather gives to those who are willing an opportunity to have their product inspected and attested and thus acquire merit in the eye of the world as against those who are not willing to subject their coal to the official test tube4 ,coal is coal in the sense of the classic traffic classification4 ,coal is1 however1 not always coal1 nor is it altogether coal when put to the pragmatic test of the furnace4 ,if such a bill were passed it would promote the interests of those who schedule their price upon the merit of their goods and make against the hauling of slate and dirt1 its storage and handling under an assumed name4 ,the plan is not to punish the malefactor who attempts to impose upon the public a slender number of thermal units as a ton of coal1 but rather to give to ever man an opportunity to advertise the number of such units which his particular article contains1 thus enabling the injured public to strike against an unfair mine4 ,furthermore we are to become great exporters of coal1 unless all signs fail1 and such certification should be required as to every ton sent abroad4 ,,expansion ,,abroad4 ,it has been said that we have too many mines in operation1 as we appear to have too many miners1 if we are to maintain only our present output4 ,rapid expansion in the development of industry in general may justify the existence of such mines and so large a corps of workers1 even with an adequate car supply and more abundant local storage facilities1 which are greatly needed in almost all places1 and a more even demand4 ,if1 however1 this should not be so1 there is a foreign demand for the best of our bituminous coals1 which at present we are altogether unable to meet for lack of credits on the part of those who wish the coal1 and lack of ships to carry it4 ,england's annual production has fallen #ajj1jjj1jjj tons1 according to ,mr4 ,hoover1 and the ,european demand next year will be more than #aej1jjj1jjj tons above her production4 ,whatever the world need1 it can not be supplied4 ,it is too large for any possible supply by ship1 even if all necessary financial arrangements could be made1 either by loan or credit4 ,europe1 indeed1 will sadly learn through this winter how little coal she can live on and how more than perilous is the state of a people who are short of power1 light1 and heat4 ,as this country prior to the war sold abroad no more than #d1ejj1jjj tons as against ,england's #gg1jjj1jjj1 it is quite manifest that here will be a new field for ,american enterprise1 the enterprise being needed not for the winning of markets as much as for finding ways of dealing with the larger phases of a heavy overseas trade with those who are without immediate resources4 ,,saving ,,coal ,,by ,,saving ,,electricity4 ,it is three years since ,congress was urged that we should be empowered to make a study of the power possibilities of the congested industrial part of the ,atlantic seaboard1 with a view to developing not only the fact that there could be effected a great saving in power and a much larger actual use secured out of that now produced1 but also that new supplies could be obtained both from running water and from the conversion of coal at the mines instead of after a long rail haul4 ,a stream of power paralleling the ,atlantic from ,richmond to ,boston1 a main channel into which run many minor feeding streams and from which diverge an infinite number of small delivering lines--the whole an interlocking system that would take from the coal mine and the railroad a part of their present burden and insure the operation of street lights1 street cars1 elevators1 and essential industries in the face of railroad delinquencies--this is the dream of our engineers1 and a very possible dream it has seemed to me2 of such value1 indeed1 that we might well spend a few thousand dollars in studying it1 not with the thought that the ,government would construct or operate even the trunk line1 but that it might so attract the attention of the engineering and financial world as to make it a reality4 ,to tie together the separated power plants of #aj ,states so that one can give aid to the other1 so that one can take the place of the other1 so that all may join their power for good in any great drive that may be projected--this would be the prime purpose of the plan2 and from this would evolve the development of the most practicable method of supplying this vast interdependent system with more power--perhaps from the conversion of coal1 as it drops from the very tipple1 using the mine as one might use a waterfall1 or by the development of great hydroelectric plants on the many streams from the ,androscoggin to the ,james4 ,,white ,,coal ,,and ,,black4 ,this would be a plan for the wedding of the stream and the mine1 the white coal with the black4 ,white coal they call it in imaginative ,france1 this tumbling water which is converted into so many forms2 and a much cleaner1 handier kind of coal it is than its black brother4 ,and cheaper1 for the water goes on to return again and fall once more and forever into the pockets of the turbine which whirls the dynamo and so gathers or releases that mystery which we name but never define4 ,farsighted1 purposeful ,germany fought four and a half years upon the strength of great power plants run by the snows of the ,alps4 ,she did not rely on these alone for power1 nor were they her main reliance1 but they gave her a lasting power which otherwise she would not have had4 ,and we may expect her to improve on that war-time experience for the conduct of the hard fight she is to make in the industrial field4 ,france saved enough territory from the invader to permit her to make new adventures into this field and so to some degree offset the coal loss of ,lens4 ,italy found that she had still left unused opportunities for hydroelectric development sufficient with the coal she could secure from ,england and ,america to see her through the war4 ,and with coal conditions as they are in ,europe we may expect a still greater push to make use of water power to turn the industrial wheels of peace4 ,it must be so likewise here4 ,and it is likely that the long-pending power bill which will make available the dam and reservoir sites on withdrawn public lands and make feasible the financing of many projects on both navigable and unnavigable streams will soon have become law4 ,we shall then have an opportunity that never before has been given us to develop the hydroelectric possibilities of the country4 ,and this raises the question as to their extent4 ,the theoretical maximum quantity of hydroelectric power that can be produced in the ,united ,states has recently been estimated by ,dr4 ,steinmetz1 who calculates that if every stream could be fully utilized throughout its length at all seasons1 the power obtained would be #bcj1jjj1jjj kilowatts 7#cbj1jjj1jjj horsepower74 ,it is clear that only a fraction of this absolute maximum can ever be made available4 ,the ,geological ,survey estimates that the water power in this country that is available for ultimate development amounts to #ed1jjj1jjj continuous horsepower4 ,the census of #aiab showed that the country's developed water power was #d1hgj1jjj horsepower1 about #i per cent of the maximum power available for economic development and less than #b per cent of the total that may be supplied by the streams as estimated by ,dr4 ,steinmetz4 ,according to the census1 stationary prime movers representing a capacity of more than #cj1jjj1jjj horsepower1 furnished by water1 steam1 and gas1 were in operation in the ,united ,states in #aiab4 7,this amount does not1 of course1 include power generated by locomotives1 marine engines1 automobiles1 and similar mobile apparatus47 ,the average power furnished by these stationary prime movers was probably not more than #bj per cent of their installed capacity1 so that the power produced in #aiab was equivalent to probably not more than #f1jjj1jjj continuous horsepower4 ,as the estimated available water power given above represents continuous power the country evidently possesses much more water power than it now requires1 so that there would be an ample surplus for many years if the power were so distributed geographically that it could be economically supplied to the industries that need it4 ,but as a matter of fact the water-power resources of the country are by no means evenly distributed4 ,over #gj per cent of the available water power is west of the ,mississippi1 whereas over #gj per cent of the total horsepower now installed in prime movers is east of the river4 ,therefore unless the ,east is to lose its industrial supremacy it must press and press hard for the development of all water-power possibilities6 ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,petroleum4 ,for a full century now we have been passing through different phases of industrial and commercial life which have been characterized by some form of power4 ,first the age of steam1 and then the age of electricity4 ,we have passed out of neither and yet we have come into another age--that of petroleum4 ,as a lubricant1 it has become of such universal use that it has been called the barometer of industry1 and no doubt after it has ceased to be a popular illuminant or a source of power it will live invaluable as the thing which lets the wheels go round4 ,its greatest popularity now arises out of its use in the internal-combustion engine1 and of the making of these there is no end4 ,it draws railroad trains and drives street cars4 ,it pumps water1 lifts heavy loads1 has taken the place of millions of horses1 and in #bj years has become a farming1 industrial1 business1 and social necessity4 ,the naval and the merchant ships of this country and of ,england are fitted and being fitted to use it either under steam boilers as fuel or directly in the ,diesel engine4 ,the airplane has been made possible by it4 ,it propels that modern juggernaut1 the tank4 ,in the air it has no rival1 while on land and sea it threatens the supremacy of its rivals whenever it appears4 ,there has been no such magician since the day of ,aladdin as this drop of mineral oil4 ,medicines and dyes and high explosives are distilled from it4 ,no one knows whence it cometh or whither it goeth4 ,men search for it with the passion of the early ,argonauts1 and the promise now is that nations will yet fight to gain the fitful bed in which it lies4 ,in ,persia and in ,palestine1 in ,java and in ,china1 in southern ,russia and in ,rumania we know that petroleum is1 for it has been found there4 ,how great these fields or others in ,europe1 ,asia1 or ,africa may be no one would dare to say4 ,as yet1 however1 the petroleum of the world has come from this hemisphere4 ,the oil spring which ,george ,washington found in western ,virginia and by his last will called to the especial consideration of his trustees was the promise of a continental well which last year yielded #cef1jjj1jjj barrels4 ,each year has seen the prophecy unfulfilled that the peak of the possible yield had been reached4 ,from the mountains of western ,pennsylvania into the very ocean bed of the ,pacific and even beyond and into the broken strata of upturned ,alaska1 the oil prospector bored with his sharp tooth of steel and found oil4 ,hardly has one field fallen into a decline when another has come rushing into service4 ,only three years ago and all hopes were centered in ,oklahoma1 and then came ,kansas1 and then the turn went south again to ,texas1 and now it looks toward ,louisiana4 ,geologists have estimated and estimated1 and they do not differ widely1 for few give more than thirty years of life to the petroleum sands of this country if the present yield is insisted upon4 ,and yet there is so much of mystery in the hiding of this strange subterranean liquid that honest men will not say but that it will become a permanent factor in the world of light1 heat1 and power4 ,if this is not so we are a fatuous people1 for with every fifth man in the country the owner of an automobile and the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars for roads fit only for their use1 and with ships by the hundred specially constructed to burn oil1 we have surely given a large fortune in pledge of our faith that our pools of petroleum will not soon be drained dry1 or that others elsewhere will come to our help4 ,in #aijh the country's production of oil was #agh1ejj1jjj barrels1 and there was a surplus above consumption of more than #bj1jjj1jjj barrels available to go into storage4 ,in #aiah1 #aj years later1 the oil wells of the ,united ,states yielded #cef1jjj1jjj barrels--nearly twice the yield of #aijh--;but to meet the demands of the increased consumption more than #bd1jjj1jjj barrels had to be drawn from storage4 ,the annual fuel-oil consumption of the railroads alone has increased from #af-b_/c to #cf-c_/d million barrels2 the annual gasoline production from #edj1jjj1jjj gallons in #aiji to #c1ejj1jjj1jjj gallons in #aiah4 ,this reference to the record of the past may be taken not only as justifying the earlier appeal for ,federal action1 but as warranting deliberate attention to the oil problem of to-day4 ,fuel oil1 gasoline1 lubricating oil--for these three essentials are there no practical substitutes or other adequate sources8 ,the obvious answer is in terms of cost2 the real answer is in terms of man power4 ,whether on land or sea1 fuel oil is preferred to coal because it requires fewer firemen1 and back of that1 in the man power required in its mining1 preparation1 and transportation the advantage on the side of oil is even greater4 ,so1 too1 the substitute for gasoline in internal-combustion engines1 whether alcohol or benzol1 means higher cost and larger expenditure of labor in its production4 ,there are large bodies of public land now withdrawn1 which1 under the new leasing bill which seems so near to final passage after seven years of struggle and baffled hope1 will in all likelihood make a further rich contribution to the ,american supply4 ,,oil ,,shale4 ,and beyond these in point of time lie the vast deposits of oil shale which by a comparatively cheap refining process can be made to yield vastly more oil than has yet been found in pools or sands4 ,the value of this oil shale will depend upon the cheapness of its reduction1 and this must be greatly lessened by the value of by-products before it can compete with coal or the oil from wells4 ,there is every reason to believe1 however1 that some day the production of oil from shale will be a great and a permanent industry4 ,and the country could make no better immediate investment than to give a large appropriation for the development of an economical shale-reducing plant4 ,so conservative an authority as the ,geological ,survey estimates that the oil shales of the ,western ,states alone contain many times over the quantity of oil that will be recovered from our oil wells4 ,the retorting of oil from oil shale has been a commercial industry for many years in ,scotland and ,france2 in fact1 oil was obtained from oil shale here in the ,united ,states before the first oil well was drilled4 ,the industry is in process of redevelopment to-day and if successful will assure us of a future supply1 but at the best it will take years of time and a vast investment of capital to build up the industry to such a point that it can supply any considerable proportion of our needs4 ,it is imperative1 however1 that the development of this latent resource be furthered and brought to a state of commercial development as soon as possible4 ,,save ,,oil4 ,yet with all the optimism that can be justified ,i would urge a policy of saving as to petroleum that should be rigid in the extreme4 ,if we are to long enjoy the benefits of a petroleum age1 which we must frankly admit fits into the comfort-loving and the speed-loving side of the ,american nature1 we must save this oil4 ,we must save it before it leaves the well2 keep it from being lost2 keep it from being flooded out1 driven away by water4 ,through the cementing of wells in the ,cushing field1 ,oklahoma1 the daily volume of water lifted from the wells was decreased from #g1ebj barrels to #fbh barrels1 while the daily volume of oil produced was increased from #dab barrels to #d1gaf4 ,these instances show what can and should be done in our known oil fields4 ,we must save the oil after it leaves the well1 save it from draining off and sinking into the soil1 save it from leaking away at pipe joinings1 save it from the wastes of imperfect storage4 ,then we come to the refining of the oil4 ,how welcome now would be the knowledge that we could recover what was thrown away when kerosene was petroleum's one great fraction4 7,the loss in refineries is still startling1 some #ad1eef1jjj barrels last year--#d-a_/b per cent of the crude run in the refineries47 ,the self-interest of the ,american refiner1 notably the ,standard ,oil ,co41 has done a work that probably no mere scientific or noncommercial impulse could have equaled1 in torturing out of petroleum the secrets of its inmost nature4 ,and yet the thought will not altogether give place that in that residue which goes to the making of roads or to be burned in some crude way there may be things chemical that will work largely for man's betterment4 ,this is the fact1 too--that where the oil is produced by some small companies which have not the financial ability to make it yield its full riches there is a greater danger of loss of this kind4 ,it would be well indeed if there could be such regulation as would require that all petroleum must be refined4 ,that this is done generally is not denied4 ,it should be universal4 ,and all the skill and study and knowledge of the ablest of chemists and mechanicians should find themselves challenged by the problem of petroleum4 ,coming to the use of petroleum in its various forms we find a field of promise4 ,the engine that doubles the number of miles that can be made on a gallon of gasoline doubles our supply4 ,there is where we can apply the principle of true conservation--find how little you need2 use what you must1 but treat your resource with respect4 ,has the last word been said as to the carburetor8 ,mechanical engineers do not think so4 ,have all possible mixtures which will save oil and substitute cheaper and less rare combustibles therefor been tried8 ,men by the hundred are making these experiments1 and almost daily the quack or the stock promoter comes forward with the announcement of a discovery which proves to be a revelation--a revelation of human stupidity or criminal cupidity4 ,on this line the men of science do not sing a song of the richest hope2 they shrug their shoulders1 exclaiming with uplifted hands3 ,well1 may be1 may be4 ,there are possible substitutes for some petroleum products1 but not for the whole barrel of oil2 furthermore1 petroleum is the cheapest material1 speaking quantitatively1 from which liquid fuels and lubricants can be made2 therefore1 any substitutes obtained in quantity must cost more4 ,alcohol can be substituted for gasoline1 but only in limited quantity and at increased cost4 ,benzol from byproduct coking ovens also can be used1 but quantitatively is totally inadequate4 ,for kerosene no quantitative substitute is known4 ,lubricants can be obtained from animal and vegetable fats1 but mostly are inferior in quality1 and there seems no hope of obtaining them in quantity4 ,fuel oil can be largely supplanted by coal1 but for the internal-combustion engine there is no quantitative substitute4 ,,use ,,the ,,diesel ,,engine4 ,we have ventured on a great shipbuilding program4 ,our people are to once again respond to the call of the sea4 ,on private ways and on ,government ways ships are being built to go round the world--ships that are to burn oil under boilers and produce steam4 ,i presume that there is a justification for this policy1 perhaps one that is as good1 if not better1 than can be made for the railroads of the ,west pursuing the same policy4 ,i submit1 however1 that there should be justification shown for the construction of any oil-burning ship which does not use an engine of the ,diesel type4 ,to burn oil under a boiler and convert it into steam releases but #aj per cent of the thermal units in the oil1 whereas if this same fuel oil were used directly in a ,diesel engine1 #cj to #ce per cent of the power in the oil would be secured4 ,substitute the internal-combustion engine for the steam boiler and we multiply by three or three and one-half the supply of fuel oil in the ,united ,states4 ,instead of our fuel-oil supply being1 let us say1 #bjj1jjj1jjj barrels1 it would at once rise to #fjj1jjj1jjj barrels or #gjj1jjj1jjj4 ,i recognize that this is an impractical and unrealizable hope as applied to things as they are1 but there is no reason why this should not be a very definite policy as to things that are to be4 ,this ,government might itself well undertake to develop an engine of this type for use on its ships1 tractors1 and trucks4 ,we simply can not afford to preach economy in oil when we do not promote by every means the use of the internal-combustion engine for its consumption4 ,no other one thing that can be done by the ,government1 our industries1 or the people will save as much oil from being wasted and thereby multiply the real production of the ,united ,states4 ,if such engines are delicate of handling and need specially trained engineers1 which appears to be the fact1 there should be little difficulty experienced in training men for such work4 ,a nation that could educate #aj1jjj automobile mechanics in #fj days might indeed develop #a1jjj ,diesel engineers in a year4 ,the matter is of too great moment for delay4 ,it touches the interest of everyone4 ,we are in the petroleum age1 and how long it will last depends upon our own foresight1 inventiveness1 and wisdom4 ,,wanted--,a ,,foreign ,,supply4 ,already we are importers of petroleum4 ,we are to be larger importers year by year if we continue--and we will--to invent and build machines which will rely upon oil or its derivatives as fuel4 ,our business methods have been and doubtless will continue to be developed along lines that make a continuing oil supply a necessity4 ,some of that oil must come from abroad1 as nearly #dj1jjj1jjj barrels did last year1 and for that we must compete with the world4 ,for while we are the discoverers of oil and of the methods of securing it and refining it1 piping it1 and using it1 our pioneering is but a service unto the world4 ,this situation calls for a policy prompt1 determined1 and looking many years ahead4 ,for the ,american ,navy and the ,american merchant marine and ,american trade abroad must depend to some extent upon our being able to secure1 not merely for to-day but for to-morrow as well1 an equal opportunity with other nations to gain a petroleum supply from the fields of the world4 ,we are now in the world and of it in every possible sense1 otherwise our ,navy and our merchant fleet would have no excuse4 ,no one needs to justify them--they are the expression of an ambition that carries no danger to any people4 ,for their support we can ask no preference1 but in their maintenance we can insist that they shall not be discriminated against4 ,sometime since ,i presented to a board of geologists1 engineers1 and economists in this department this question3 ,if in the next five years there should develop a new demand for petroleum over and above that now existing1 which would amount to #ajj1jjj1jjj barrels a year1 where could such a supply be found1 and what policy should be adopted to secure it8 ,the conclusions of this board may be summarized as follows3 7#a7 ,such an oil need could not be met from domestic sources of supply4 7#b7 ,it could not be assured unless equal opportunities were given our nationals for commercial development of foreign oils4 7#c7 ,assurance of this oil supply therefore inevitably entails political as well as commercial competition with other nationals1 as other nationals controlling foreign sources of supply have adopted policies that discriminate against1 hinder1 and even prevent our nationals entering foreign fields4 7#d7 ,the encouragement of and effective assistance to our nationals in developing foreign fields is essential to securing the oil needed4 7#e7 ,commercial control by our nationals over large foreign sources of supply will be essential if the estimated requirements are to be assured4 7#f7 ,it is necessary that all countries be induced to abandon or adequately modify present discriminatory policies and that the interest of our nationals be protected4 7#g7 ,some form of world-wide oil-producing1 purchasing1 and marketing agency fostered by this ,government seems essential to assure the commercial control over sufficient resources to meet the competition of other nationals4 ,england has apparently adopted such a policy4 ,this board proposed the following program of action3 7#a7 ,to secure the removal of all discriminations to the end that our nationals may enjoy in other countries all the privileges now enjoyed by other nationals in ours3 7a7 ,by appropriate diplomatic and trade measures4 7b7 ,by securing equal rights to our nationals in countries newly organized as mandatories4 7#b7 ,to encourage our nationals to acquire1 develop1 and market oil in foreign countries3 7a7 ,by assured adequate protection of our citizens engaged in securing and developing foreign oil fields4 7b7 ,by promotion of syndication of our nationals engaged in foreign business1 in order to effectually conduct oil development and distribution of petroleum and its products abroad4 7#c7 ,governmental action--through special agency or board3 7a7 ,through the organization of a subsidiary governmental corporation with power to produce1 purchase1 refine1 transport1 store1 and market oil and oil products4 7b7 ,through the formation of a permanent petroleum administration4 7#d7 ,to assure to our nationals the exclusive opportunity to explore1 develop1 and market the oil resources of the ,philippine ,islands1 provided discriminatory policies of other nations against our nationals are not abandoned or satisfactorily modified4 ,i have given much thought during the past year to this problem of adding to our petroleum supply1 and it has seemed to me but fair that we should first make every effort to increase the domestic supply through the methods that have been indicated-- 7#a7 ,the saving of that which is now wasted1 below ground and above ground4 7#b7 ,the more intensive use1 through new machinery and devices1 of the supply which we have4 7#c7 ,the development of oil fields on our withdrawn territory and in new areas such as the ,philippines4 ,in addition1 we must look abroad for a supplemental supply1 and this may be secured through ,american enterprise if we do these things3 7#a7 ,assure ,american capital that if it goes into a foreign country and secures the right to drill for oil on a legal and fair basis 7all of which must be shown to the ,state ,department7 it will be protected against confiscation or discrimination4 ,this should be a known1 published policy4 7#b7 ,require every ,american corporation producing oil in a foreign country to take out a ,federal charter for such enterprise under which whatever oil it produces should be subject to a preferential right on the part of this ,government to take all of its supply or a percentage thereof at any time on payment of the market price4 7#c7 ,sell no oil to a vessel carrying a charter from any foreign government either at an ,american port or at any ,american bunker when that government does not sell oil at a nondiscriminatory price to our vessels at its bunkers or ports4 ,the oil industry is more distinctively ,american than any other of the great basic industries4 ,it has been the creation of no one class or group but of many men of many kinds--the hardy1 keen-eyed prospector with a nose for oil who spent his months upon the deserts and in the mountains searching for seepages and tracing them to their source2 the rough and two-fisted driller1 a man generally of unusual physical strength1 who handled the great tools of his trade2 the venturesome wildcatter1 part prospector1 part promoter1 part operator1 the marine of the industry1 soldier and sailor too2 the geologist who through his study of the anatomy of the earth crust could map the pools and sands almost as if he saw them2 the inventor2 the chemist with still and furnace2 the genius who found that oil would run in a pipe--these and many more1 in most of the sciences and in nearly all of the crafts1 have created this ,american industry4 ,if they are permitted they will reveal the world supply of oil4 ,and upon that supply the industries of our country will come to be increasingly dependent year by year4 ,,by ,,way ,,of ,,summary4 ,it would seem to be our plain duty to discover how little oil we need to use4 ,to do this we must dignify coal by grading it in terms not merely of convenience as to size1 but in terms of service as to its power4 ,we should save it1 if for no better reason than that we may sell it to a coal-hungry world4 ,we should develop water power as an inexhaustible substitute for coal and if necessary compel the coordination of all power plants which serve a common territory4 ,new petroleum supplies have become a national necessity1 so quickly have we adapted ourselves to this new fuel and so extravagantly have we given ourselves over to its adaptability4 ,to save that we may use abundantly1 to develop that we may never be weak1 to bring together into greater effectiveness all power possibilities--these would seem to be national duties1 dictated by a large self-interest4 ,i have gone only sufficiently far into this whole question to realize that it is as fundamental and of as deep public concern as the railroad question and that it is even more complex4 ,no one1 so far as ,i can learn1 has mastered all of its various phases2 in fact1 there are few who know even one sector of the great battle front of power4 ,a ,foch is needed1 one in whom would center a knowledge of all the activities and the inactivities of these three great industries1 which in reality are but a single industry4 ,we should know more than we do1 far more about the ways and means by which our unequaled wealth in all three divisions can be used and made interdependent1 and the moral and the legal strength of the ,nation should be behind a studied1 fact-based1 long-viewed plan to make ,america the home of the cheapest and the most abundant and the most immediately and intimately serviceable power supply in the world4 ,if we do this1 we can release labor and lighten nearly every task4 ,we will not need to send the call to other countries for men1 and we can distribute our industries in parts of the country where labor is less abundant and where homes will take the place of tenements4 ,one could expand upon the benefits that would come to this land if a rounded program such as has been but skeletonized here could be carried out4 ,i am convinced that within a generation it will be effected1 because it will be necessary4 ,the simple steps now obviously needed are to pass those primary bills which are already before ,congress or are here suggested4 ,but beyond this there is imperative need that some one man 7an assistant secretary in this department would serve7--some one man with a competent staff and commanding all the resources of this and other departments of the ,government shall be given the task of taking a world view as well as a national view of this whole involved and growing problem1 that he may recommend policies and induce activities and promote cooperative relationships which will effect the most economical production of light1 heat1 and power1 which is more than the first among the immediate practical problems of science1 as ,sir ,william ,crookes said1 for it is foremost among the immediate practical problems of national and international statesmanship4 ,,land ,,development4 ,i wish now to ask consideration for another matter of home concern to which ,i gave attention in my last report and as to which the intervening year has strengthened and perhaps broadened my ideas--the development of our unused lands4 ,it was never more vital to the welfare of our people that a creative and out-reaching plan of developing and utilizing our natural resources should go bravely forward than it is to-day4 ,ours is a growing country1 and as its social and industrial superstructure expands its agricultural foundation must be broadened in proportion4 ,the normal growth of the ,united ,states now requires an addition of #f1cjj1jjj acres to its cultivable area each year1 which means an average increase of #ag1jjj acres a day4 ,fortunately1 the opportunity for this essential expansion exists not only in the ,west1 where much of the public domain is yet unoccupied1 but in every part of the ,republic4 ,we have a great fund of natural resources in the very oldest ,states1 from ,maine to ,louisiana1 which invite and would richly reward the constructive genius of the ,nation4 ,it is claimed by those who have specialized for years on the subject of reclamation that the control and utilization of flood waters now wasted would produce within the next #aj years more wealth than the entire cost to the ,united ,states of the war with ,germany4 ,after every other war in our history the work of internal development has gone forward by leaps and bounds1 and our people have thus quickly made good the economic wastes of the conflict4 ,the needs of to-day are different from those of the past and require different treatment1 but they are by no means beyond the reach of enlightened thought and action4 ,more than a year ago we began an earnest discussion of reconstruction policies1 particularly with respect to the land4 ,but nothing has been done4 ,not one line of legislation1 not one dollar of money has been provided except in the way of preliminary investigation4 ,we stand voiceless in the presence of opportunity and idle in the face of urgent national need4 ,a ,,program ,,of ,,progress4 ,the great work of material development accomplished in the past has been done very largely by private capital and enterprise4 ,doubtless this must be the chief reliance for progress in the future4 ,we should realize1 however1 that this method has involved losses as well as gains1 for the ,nation has sometimes been too prodigal in offering its natural resources as an inducement to private effort4 ,not only so1 but with the exhaustion of the free public lands in our great central valleys--the most remarkable natural heritage that ever fell into the lap of a young nation--conditions of home making and settlement have radically changed4 ,there can be do doubt that there is an important sphere of action which the ,government must occupy if we are to go steadily forward with the work of continental conquest1 and all it implies to the future of the ,nation1 but in suggesting practicable steps of progress at this time ,i do not forget the burden of taxation which confronts our people nor the delicate and difficult task which ,congress is called upon to perform in trying to keep the national outgo within the national income4 ,hence1 ,i am now suggesting such constructive things as the ,government may be able to do through the exercise of its powers of supervision and direction and with the smallest possible outlay of money4 ,under this head ,i put1 first1 the matter of suburban homes for wage earners2 second1 reclamation of desert1 overflow1 and cut-over areas1 together with improvement of abandoned farms1 under a system of district organization which may be made to finance itself2 third1 cooperation with various ,states in the work of internal development4 ,,garden ,,homes ,,for ,,the ,,people4 ,there is no more baffling problem than that presented by the continued growth of great cities1 but it is a problem with which we must sometime deal4 ,it bears directly on the high cost of living and is1 indeed1 largely responsible for it4 ,rent is based on land values4 ,land values rise with increasing population4 ,the price of food is closely related to the growing disproportion between consumers and producers1 resulting from urban congestion4 ,here is ,washington1 a city of some #djj1jjj people1 doubtless destined steadily to grow until--a ,member of ,congress predicts--it may touch #b1jjj1jjj twenty years hence4 ,already the housing problem is acute1 as it is in almost every other large ,american city4 ,it would be a pitiful thing if the provision of more housing facilities to meet the needs of growing population meant merely more congestion and higher rents1 with an ever-decreasing degree of landed proprietorship and true individual independence4 ,such conditions1 it seems to me1 undermine the ,american hearthstone and carry a deep menace to the future of our institutions4 ,i believe there must be a better way1 and that the time has come when we should make an earnest effort to find it4 ,within a #aj-mile circle drawn around the ,capitol dome are thousands of acres of good agricultural land1 of which the merest fraction has been reduced to intensive cultivation4 ,much of it is wastefully used1 and much of it is not used at all4 ,conditions of soil1 climate1 and water supply are good and represent a fair average for the ,united ,states4 ,suburban transportation is a serious problem in some localities and less so in others1 but tends to become more simple with the extension of good roads and increasing use of motor vehicles1 including the auto bus4 ,somewhere and sometime1 it seems to me1 a new system must be devised to disperse the people of great cities on the vacant lands surrounding them1 to give the masses a real hold upon the soil1 and to replace the apartment house with the home in a garden4 ,such a system should enable the ambitious and thrifty family not only to save the entire cost of rent1 but possibly half the cost of food1 while at the same time enhancing its standard of living socially and spiritually1 as well as economically4 ,it has been suggested that there is no better place to demonstrate a new form of suburban life than here at the ,national ,capital1 where we may freely draw upon all the resources of the governmental departments for expert knowledge and advice and where the demonstration can readily command wide publicity and come under the observation of the ,nation's lawmakers4 ,and ,i am expecting that this experiment will be made4 ,such a plan of town or community life1 rather than city life1 should be extended to every other large city in the ,nation4 ,a simple act of legislation1 accompanied by a moderate appropriation for organization and educational work1 would enable the department to put its facilities at the service of local communities and of the industries throughout the ,united ,states4 ,this form of national leadership would be of value both to investors in the local securities and to the home builders themselves4 ,if the work of land acquisition and construction1 together with the organization of community settlements resulting therefrom1 were conducted under the supervision of the ,state or the ,federal ,government it would safeguard the character of the movement from every point of view4 ,therefore1 ,i put first among the constructive things which may be done by the exercise of the ,government's power of supervision and direction1 with the smallest outlay of money1 this matter of providing suburban homes for our millions of wage earners4 ,,reclamation ,,by ,,district ,,organization4 ,the provision of garden homes for millions of city workers will contribute largely to the ,nation's food supply and become in time a most effective influence in reducing excessive cost of living for many of our people4 ,it will not1 of course1 solve the problem of increasing the number of farms and the area of cultivation to meet the needs of growing population4 ,neither will it enable us to expand our home market rapidly and largely enough to keep the country on an even keel of prosperity4 ,we must go forward with the development of natural resources as we have done for the past three centuries4 ,and we must recognize at the outset that conditions have changed with the depletion of the public domain to the point where it offers comparatively little in the way of cultivable lands4 ,we have now to deal principally with lands in private ownership4 ,this calls for a new point of view and for the application of a somewhat different principle than that which has governed our reclamation policy heretofore4 ,moreover1 reclamation is no longer an affair of one section of the ,united ,states4 ,the day has come when it must be nationalized and extended to all parts of the ,republic4 ,to the deserts of the ,west we have brought the creative touch of water1 and we must find a way to go on with this work4 ,but it is of equal importance that we should liberate rich areas now held in bondage by the swamp1 convert millions of acres of idle cut-over lands to profitable use1 and raise from the dead the once vigorous agricultural life of our abandoned farms4 ,one more fundamental consideration--we have outlived our day of small things4 ,whether we would or not1 we are compelled by the inexorable law of necessity arising out of existing physical conditions to cooperate1 to work together1 and to employ large-scale operations1 and on this principle we should move3 ,not what the ,government can do for the people1 but what the people can do for themselves under the intelligent and kindly leadership of the ,government4 ,we have an instrument at hand in the ,reclamation ,service which has dealt with every phase of the problem which now confronts us1 and with such high average success as to command the entire confidence of ,congress and the country4 ,it has turned rivers out of their natural beds1 reared the highest dams in existence1 transported water long distances by every form of canal1 conduit1 and tunnel1 installed electric power plants1 cleared land1 provided drainage systems1 constructed highways and even railroads1 platted townsites1 and erected buildings of various sorts4 ,in this experience1 obtained under a variety of physical and climatic conditions1 it has developed a body of trained men equal to any constructive task which may be assigned to it in connection with reclamation and settlement in any part of the country4 ,true economic reclamation is a process of converting liabilities into assets--of transforming dormant natural resources into agencies of living production4 ,when such a process is intelligently applied it should be able to pay its own bills without placing fresh burdens on the national treasury4 ,it is in the confident belief that such is actually the case that ,i suggest the policy of reclamation by means of local districts1 financed on the basis of their own credit but with the fullest measure of encouragement and moral support of the ,government1 practically expressed through the ,reclamation ,service4 ,in this connection it seems worth while to recall that with a net expenditure of #aai1jjj1jjj the ,reclamation ,service has created taxable values of #ejj1jjj1jjj in the ,states where it has operated4 ,the ratio is better than three to one1 and that is a wider margin of security than is usually demanded by the most conservative banking methods4 ,there is no reason to doubt that the overflow lands of the ,south1 the cut-over areas of the ,northwest1 and the abandoned farm districts of ,new ,england and ,new ,york and other ,states would do quite as well as the deserts of the ,west if handled by such an organization4 ,what is the legitimate function of the ,government in connection with reclamation districts to be financed entirely upon their own credits without the aid of national appropriations8 ,i should say that the ,government1 with great advantage to the investor1 the landowner1 the future settler1 and the general public1 might do these things3 #a4 ,employ its trained1 experienced engineers1 attorneys1 and economists in making a thorough investigation of all the factors involved in a given situation1 to be followed by a thorough official report upon the district proposed to be formed4 #b4 ,offer the district securities for public subscription in the open market4 ,this1 of course1 would follow the actual organization of the district and the approval of its proceedings by the ,government's legal experts4 #c4 ,construct the works of reclamation with proceeds of district bond sales1 and administer the system until it becomes a going concern1 when it may be safely confided to its local officers4 ,the most obvious advantage of ,government cooperation is the fact that it would assure the service of a body of engineers1 builders1 and administrators trained in the actual work of reclamation4 ,this advantage1 as compared with the management that might be had in a sparsely settled local district1 would often make all the difference between success and failure4 ,unquestionably it would materially reduce the interest rate on district bonds and greatly facilitate their sale in the open market4 ,there are other advantages less obvious but really more important4 ,experience has shown that great enterprises can best be handled under centralized control4 ,this control1 to be effective1 must extend from the initiation to the completion of the project4 ,there can be no assurance of this when the management is left to the electorate of a local district1 and without such assurance it is difficult to command the support1 first1 of the landowners whose consent is essential to the formation of the district2 next1 of the investors who must supply the money2 finally1 of the settlers who must purchase and develop the land in order that the object of the enterprise may be realized4 ,the ,government can give the assurance of precisely that quality of unified1 centralized1 permanent1 and responsible control that is required to command the confidence of all the factors in the situation4 ,there is another advantage of ,government cooperation that will inure greatly to the benefit of the settler4 ,the ,government may readily apply the policy it now uses in connection with privately owned lands within reclamation projects4 ,it requires the owners to enter into a contract by which they agree to accept a certain maximum price for their land if sold within a given period of years4 ,this price is based upon the value of the land before reclamation4 ,there are many instances1 particularly of swamp and cut-over areas1 where land that may be bought for #aj an acre and reclaimed at a cost of #be to #ej per acre1 has an actual market value of #ajj to #bjj per acre the moment it is put into shape for cultivation4 ,if the ,government1 by means of a contract with the local district1 undertakes the work of reclamation and settlement and does this work at actual cost1 the settler will generally save enough to pay for all his improvements and equipment4 ,the crowning consideration is the fact that1 because of all these advantages1 the work of reclamation would actually be accomplished1 while to-day it is not being done except in the far ,west1 and accomplished without the aid of ,government appropriations4 ,,soldier-,,settlement ,,legislation4 ,in the foregoing1 attention has been called to those things which may be accomplished by the exercise of the ,government's powers of supervision and direction with the smallest outlay of money4 ,in all this ,i have been speaking of reclamation for the sake of reclamation4 ,the proposed soldier-settlement legislation stands on an entirely different footing4 ,the primary object is not to reclaim land but to reward our returned soldiers with the opportunity to obtain employment and larger interest in the proprietorship of the country4 ,the policy is based on a sense of gratitude for heroic service1 not on economic considerations4 ,this is the answer to those who have criticized it as class legislation or the proposal to grant special privileges to one element of our citizenship or as a plunge into socialism4 ,frankly1 we avow our purpose to do for the soldier what we would not think of doing for anybody else and what would not be justified solely as a matter of reclamation4 ,many measures of soldier legislation have been introduced into ,congress4 ,only one of these has been favorably reported4 ,this was introduced by ,representative ,mondell1 of ,wyoming1 on the first day of the present special session1 embodying the plan of reclamation and community settlement brought forward by this department in the spring of #aiah4 ,the measure has been much misunderstood and sometimes deliberately misrepresented4 ,in the first place1 it was not put forward as the complete solution of the soldier problem4 ,it was at no time supposed or expected that all of the #d1hjj1jjj men and women engaged in the war with ,germany would or could take advantage of its provisions4 ,it fortunately happens that the vast majority quickly found their places in the national life4 ,of the remainder1 a very large proportion may be classified as city minded4 ,they have no taste for farm life but would be better served by vocational training and opportunities to enter upon remunerative trades or professions4 ,there is an element of country minded1 and of these some #aej1jjj have made application for opportunities of employment and home-making under the terms of this bill4 ,largely they are men who have had agricultural experience but who can not obtain farms of their own without very considerable cash advances and other assistance which the ,government could render4 ,it is for this element that the policy is designed4 ,it has often been said that the plan would be applied only in the ,west and ,south4 ,the truth is that it has been the purpose from the first to extend it to every ,state where feasible projects could be found1 and that our preliminary investigations lead us to believe this will include every ,state in the ,union4 ,the wide discussion of the measure has been highly educational to the country1 and some of the criticism is of constructive character4 ,for example1 attention has been sharply called to the fact that in certain localities there are individual farms well suited to our purpose which may often be had at a price representing rather less than the value of their improvements4 ,these are the so-called abandoned farms so numerous in the ,northeastern ,states4 ,in some cases they are interspersed with land now cultivated1 so situated that it is not possible to bring together a large number of contiguous farms as the basis of a ,government project4 ,in ,new ,england and elsewhere public sentiment strongly favors a modification of the pending measure which will enable the purchase of individual farms rather than community settlement4 ,this would be practicable only in localities where a sufficient number of farms1 even if not contiguous1 could be had to make possible the necessary supervision and instruction1 together with cooperative organization for the purchase of supplies and sale of products4 ,without these advantages the plan of soldier settlement would fail in many instances4 ,my information is that these conditions could be met4 ,not only so1 but it is urged that existing farm communities would be inspired by the presence of soldier settlers and benefited by the presence of soldier settlers by their cooperative buying and selling agencies4 ,another criticism of the pending measure is directed to the amount of the first payment the soldier settler is required to make4 ,as the bill now stands it calls for #e per cent on the land1 #be per cent on improvements and live stock1 and #dj per cent on implements and other equipment4 ,it has been urged by some friends of soldier settlement that no first payment should be required1 but that the ,government should make advances of #ajj per cent in view of the soldiers' peculiar claim upon national consideration4 ,it might be feasible to do this in the case of community settlements4 ,but it could not be done in the case of scattered and individual farms1 at least without abandoning the principles of sound business4 ,in the case of community settlement the soldier literally gets in on the ground floor4 ,starting with a territory that is entirely blank so far as homes and improvements are concerned1 he finds himself in a place where community values remain to be created4 ,when he buys an improved farm in a settled neighborhood the situation is precisely reversed4 ,in both cases there is or will be unearned increment1 or society-created values2 but in the one case he gets the increment1 while in the other case he pays it4 ,obviously1 a larger advance would be justified in one case than in the other4 ,,alaska4 ,one of the first recommendations made by me in my report of seven years ago was that the ,government build a railroad from ,seward to ,fairbanks in ,alaska4 ,five years ago you intrusted to me the direction of this work4 ,the road is now more than two-thirds built1 and ,congress at this session1 after exhaustively examining into the work1 has authorized an additional appropriation sufficient for its completion4 ,the showing made before ,congress was that the road had been built without graft3 every dollar has gone into actual work or material4 ,it has been built without giving profits to any large contractors1 for it has been constructed entirely by small contractors or by day's labor4 ,it has been built without touch of politics3 every man on the road has been chosen exclusively for ability and experience4 ,it has been well and solidly built as a permanent road1 not an exploiting road4 ,it has been built for as little money as private parties could have built it1 as all competent independent engineers who have seen the road advise4 ,edwin ,f4 ,wendt1 of the ,interstate ,commerce ,commission1 in charge of valuation of the railroads of the ,united ,states from ,pittsburgh to ,boston1 after an investigation into the manner in which the ,alaskan ,railroad was constructed and its cost1 reported to me as follows3 ,in concluding1 it is not amiss to again state that after the full study which was given to the property during our trip1 we are satisfied that the project is being executed rapidly and efficiently by men of experience and ability4 ,it is believed that it is being handled as cheaply as private contractors could handle it under the circumstances4 ,the road has not been built as soon as expected because each year we have exhausted our appropriation before the work contemplated had been done4 ,we could not say in ,october of one year what the cost of anything a year or more later would be1 and we ran out of money earlier than anticipated4 ,it has not been built as cheaply as expected because it has been built on a rising market for everything that went into its construction--from labor1 lumber1 food supplies1 machinery1 and steel to rail and ocean transportation4 ,i believe1 however1 it can safely be said that no other piece of ,government construction or private construction done during the war will show a less percentage of increase over a cost that was estimated more than four years ago4 ,the men have been well housed and well fed4 ,their wages have been good and promptly paid2 there has been but one strike1 and that was four years ago and was settled by ,department of ,labor experts fixing the scale of wages4 ,the men have had the benefit of a system of compensation for damages like that in the ,reclamation ,service and ,panama ,canal4 ,they have had excellent hospital service1 and our camps and towns have been free of typhoid fever and malaria4 ,that the men like the work is testified by the fact that hundreds who came out the past two years1 attracted by the high wages of war industries1 are now anxious to return to ,alaska4 ,there has been but one setback in the construction1 and that was the washing out of #ab miles of tracks along the ,nenana ,river4 ,this is a glacial stream which1 when the snows melt1 comes down at times with irresistible force4 ,in this instance it abandoned its long accustomed way and cut into a new bed and through trees that had been standing for several generations1 tearing out part of the track which had been laid4 ,the work of locating and constructing the road has been left in the hands of the engineers appointed by yourself4 ,the only instruction which they received from me was that they should build the road as if they were working for a private concern1 selecting the best men for the work irrespective of politics or pressure of any kind4 ,as a result1 we have a force that has been gathered from the construction camps of the western railroads1 made up of men of experience and proved capacity4 ,that they have done their work efficiently1 honestly1 and at reasonable cost is my belief4 ,it is not possible during the construction of a railroad to tell what it costs per mile because all the foundation work1 the construction of bases from which to work1 the equipment for construction1 and much of the material is a charge which must be spread over the entire completed line4 ,the best estimate that can be made to-day as to the newly constructed road is that it has cost between #gj1jjj and #hj1jjj per main-line mile1 or between #fj1jjj and #gj1jjj per mile of track4 ,this cost per mile includes the building of the most difficult and expensive stretch of line along the entire route from ,seward to ,fairbanks--that running along ,turnagain ,arm1 which is sheer rock rising precipitously from the sea for nearly #cj miles4 ,there are miles of this road which have cost #bjj1jjj per mile4 ,even to blast a mule trail in one portion of this route cost #be1jjj a mile4 ,the only ,government-built railroad--that across the ,isthmus of ,panama--cost #bba1jeb per mile4 ,the only two recently built railroads in the ,united ,states are 7#a7 the ,virginian1 built by ,h4,h4 ,rogers1 which cost exclusive of equipment #aea1jjj per mile1 with labor at from #a4ce to #a4ge per day and all machinery1 fuel1 rails1 and supplies at its door1 and 7#b7 the ,milwaukee line to ,puget ,sound1 which is estimated as having cost #acj1jjj per mile exclusive of equipment4 ,the work has been conducted with its main base at ,anchorage1 which is at the head of ,cook ,inlet4 ,the point was chosen as the nearest point from which to construct a railroad into the ,matanuska coal fields4 ,that was the primary objective of the railroad1 to get at the ,matanuska coal4 ,from ,anchorage it was also intended to drive farther north through the ,susitna ,valley and across ,broad ,pass1 and to the south along ,turnagain ,arm toward the ,alaska ,northern track4 ,to secure coal for ,alaska was the first need4 ,so in addition to ,anchorage as a base1 one was also started at ,nenana1 on the ,tanana ,river1 from which to reach the ,nenana coal fields lying to the south4 ,if these two fields were open1 one would supply the coast of ,alaska and one the interior4 ,this program has been acted upon1 with the result that the ,matanuska field is open to tidewater with a downgrade road all the way4 ,the ,nenana road has been pushed far enough south to touch a coal mine near the track1 which may obviate the immediate necessity for reaching into the ,nenana field proper4 ,there is an open stretch across ,broad ,pass to connect the ,susitna ,valley with the road coming down from ,nenana4 ,this gap closed1 there will be through connection between ,seward and ,fairbanks4 ,,matanuska ,,coal4 ,by decisions of the ,commissioner of the ,land ,office all of the claims in the ,matanuska coal field were set aside1 and by act of ,congress a leasing bill was put into effect over the entire field4 ,under this law a number of claims must be reserved to the ,government4 ,the field was surveyed1 and some of the most promising portions of the field have been so reserved4 ,two leases have been entered into by the ,government1 one with ,lars ,netland1 a miner1 who has a backer1 ,mr4 ,fontana1 a business man of ,san ,francisco1 and the other with ,oliver ,la ,duke and associates4 ,there are many thousands of acres in this field which are open for lease and which will be leased to any responsible parties who will undertake their development4 ,government experts who have examined this field do not promise without further exploring a larger output of coal from this field than #aej1jjj tons a year4 ,the population of ,alaska has fallen off during the war4 ,she sent1 ,i am told1 #e1jjj men into the ,army1 the largest proportion to population sent by any part of the ,united ,states4 ,the high cost of labor and materials closed some of the gold mines1 and the attractive wages offered by war industries drew labor from ,alaska to the mainland4 ,all prospecting practically closed4 ,but with the return of peace there is evidence of a new movement toward that ,territory which should be given added confidence in its future by the completion of the ,alaskan ,railroad4 ,there is enough arable land in ,alaska to maintain a population the equal of all those now living in ,norway1 ,sweden1 and ,finland1 and all that can be produced in those countries can be produced in ,alaska4 ,the great need is a market1 and this will be found only as the mining and fishing industries of the country develop4 ,,save ,,and ,,develop ,,americans4 ,when the whole story is told of ,american achievement and the picture is painted of our material resources1 we come back to the plain but all-significant fact that far beyond all our possessions in land and coal and waters and oil and industries is the ,american man4 ,to him1 to his spirit and to his character1 to his skill and to his intelligence is due all the credit for the land in which we live4 ,and that resource we are neglecting4 ,he may be the best nurtured and the best clothed and the best housed of all men on this great globe4 ,he may have more chances to become independent and even rich4 ,he may have opportunities for schooling nowhere else afforded4 ,he may have a freedom to speak and to worship and to exercise his judgment over the affairs of the ,nation4 ,and yet he is the most neglected of our resources because he does not know how rich he is1 how rich beyond all other men he is4 ,not rich in money--,i do not speak of that--but rich in the endowment of powers and possibilities no other man ever was given4 ,twenty-five per cent of the #a1fjj1jjj men between #ba and #ca years of age who were first drafted into our ,army could not read nor write our language1 and tens of thousands could not speak it nor understand it4 ,to them the daily paper telling what ,von ,hindenberg was doing was a blur4 ,to them the appeals of ,hoover came by word of mouth1 if at all4 ,to them the messages of their commander in chief were as so much blank paper4 ,to them the word of mother or sweetheart came filtering in through other eyes that had to read their letters4 ,now this is wrong4 ,there is something lacking in the sense of a society that would permit it in a land of public schools that assumes leadership in the world4 ,here is raw material truly1 of the most important kind and the greatest possibility for good as well as for ill4 ,save6 ,save6 ,save6 ,this has been the mandate for the past two years4 ,it is a word with which this report is replete4 ,but we have been talking of food and land and oil while the boys and young men that are about us who carry the fortune of the democracy in their hands are without a primary knowledge of our institutions1 our history1 our wars and what we have fought for1 our men and what they have stood for1 our country and what its place in the world is4 ,the marvelous force of public opinion and the rare absorbing quality of the ,american mind never was shown more clearly than by the fact that out of these men came a loyalty and a stern devotion to ,america when the day of test came4 ,had ,germany known what we know now1 it would have been beyond her to believe that ,america could draft an army to adventure into war in ,europe4 ,there should not be a man who was in our ,army or our ,navy who has the ambition for an education who should not be given that opportunity--indeed1 induced to take it--not merely out of appreciation but out of the greater value to the ,nation that he would be if the tools of life were put into his hand4 ,there is no word to say upon this theme of ,americanization that has not been said1 and ,congress1 it is now hoped1 will believe those figures which1 when presented nearly two years ago1 were flouted as untrue4 ,the ,nation is humiliated at its own indifference1 and action must be the result4 ,to save and to develop1 ,i have said1 were equally the expression of a true conservation4 ,what is true as to material things is true as to human beings4 ,and once given a foundation of health there is no other course by which this policy may be effected than to place at the command of every one the means of acquiring knowledge4 ,the whole people must turn in that direction4 ,we should enable all1 without distinction1 to have that training for which they are fitted by their own natural endowment4 ,then we can draw out of hiding the talents that have been hidden4 ,the school will yet come to be the first institution of our land1 in acknowledged preeminence in the making of ,americans who understand why they are ,americans and why to be one is worth while4#e ,,footnotes #a ,extract from the annual report of the ,secretary of the ,interior for the fiscal year ended ,june #cj1 #aiai4 ,the page numbers are the same as those in the report4 #b ,in spite of the strike order1 effective the last day of the week1 the production of soft coal during the seven days ,oct4 #bf-,nov4 #a was greater than in any week this year save one4 ,the exception was the preceding week1 that of ,oct4 #be1 which full reports now confirm as the record in the history of coal mining in the ,united ,states4 ,the total production during the week ended ,nov4 #a 7including lignite and coal made into coke7 is estimated at #ab1adb1jjj net tons1 an average per working day of #b1jbd1jjj tons4 ,indeed had it not been for the strike1 curtailing the output of ,saturday1 the week of ,nov4 #a would have far outstripped its predecessor4 ,the extraordinary efforts made by the railroads to provide cars bore fruit in a rate of production during the first five days of the week which1 if maintained for the #cjd working days of full-time year1 would yield #gae1jjj1jjj tons of coal4 ,it is worth noting that this figure is almost identical with the #gjj1jjj1jjj tons accepted early in #aiah by the ,geological ,survey and the ,railroad ,administration as representing the country's annual capacity4 ,during these five days1 therefore1 the soft-coal mines were working close to actual capacity4 ,there can be little doubt that the output on ,monday1 ,oct4 #bg1 was the largest ever attained in a single day4 7,u4,s4 ,geol4 ,survey ,bull47 #c ,it is the western and southern fields that are most affected by the seasonal demand4 ,as a typical example1 ,illinois may be cited1 with #ah per cent of the year's production in #be per cent of the time1 ,april1 ,may1 and ,june1 in #aiae1 and #ae per cent in #aiaf4 ,retail dealers received #bg per cent of the coal from ,illinois in the period from ,august1 #aiah1 to ,february1 #aiai1 compared with #d per cent from the ,pittsburgh1 ,pa41 field4 #d ,in every trainload of coal hauled from the mines to our coal bins1 #a carload out of every #e is going nowhere4 ,in a train of #dj cars1 the last #h are dead load that might better have been left in the bowels of the earth4 ,no less an authority than ,martin ,a4 ,rooney states3 ,every fifth shovel full of coal that the average fireman throws into his furnace serves no more useful purpose than to decorate the atmosphere with a long black stream of precious soot4 ,at best one-fifth of all our coal is wasted4 ,the first requisite toward effecting fuel economy is to secure cooperation between owners1 managers1 and the men who fire the coal4 ,mechanical devices to increase efficiency in the use of coal can not produce satisfactory results unless the operators who handle them are impressed with the importance of their duties4 ,it is not essential for the plant manager to be a fuel expert1 but he should be familiar with the instruments that give a check on the daily operations4 ,it is a mistake not to provide proper instruments1 for they guide the firemen and show the management what has taken place daily4 ,instruments provided for the boiler room manifest the interest taken by the management toward conserving fuel4 ,it indicates cooperation and encourages the firemen to work harder to increase the efficiency4 ,a second factor effecting fuel economy is the selection of fuel for the particular plant4 ,it is not expected of a plant manager that he should be thoroughly informed as to the character of all fuels2 but he can enlist the services of a man who is thoroughly trained ,in this field4 ,the ,bureau of ,mines has compiled valuable information on the character and analyses of coal from almost every field in the ,united ,states4 ,information concerning the character and chemical constituents of the coal1 together with knowledge pertaining to the equipment of the plant1 makes it possible to select a fuel adapted to the equipment1 thereby insuring better combustion4 ,hundreds of boiler plants operate at no greater than #fj per cent efficiency1 and it would be a comparatively simple matter to bring them up to #gj per cent efficiency4 ,the saving in tonnage would be more than the combined yearly coal-carrying capacity of the ,baltimore ,ohio and the ,southern ,railway systems4 ,the direct saving to our industries at #e per ton would amount to #bjj1jjj1jjj worth of coal per year4 #e ,assistant ,secretary ,herbert ,kaufman before the ,senate ,committee on ,education presented facts and figures which accentuate the seriousness of the national situation4 ,among other things he said3 ,the ,south leads in illiteracy1 but the ,north leads in non-,english speaking4 ,over #ag per cent of the persons in the east-south ,central ,states have never been to school4 ,approximately #af per cent of the people of ,passaic1 ,n4,j41 must deal with their fellow workers and employers through interpreters4 ,and #ac per cent of the folk in ,lawrence and ,fall ,river1 ,mass41 are utter strangers in a strange land4 ,the extent to which our industries are dependent upon this labor is perilous to all standards of efficiency4 ,their ignorance not only retards production and confuses administration1 but constantly piles up a junk heap of broken humans and damaged machines which cost the ,nation incalculably4 ,it is our duty to interpret ,america to all potential ,americans in terms of protection as well as of opportunity2 and neither the opportunities of this continent nor that humanity which is the genius of ,american democracy can be rendered intelligible to these #h1jjj1jjj until they can talk and read and write our language4 ,steel and iron manufacturers employ #eh per cent of foreign-born helpers2 the slaughtering and meat-packing trades1 #fa per cent2 bituminous coal mining1 #fb per cent2 the silk and dye trade1 #cd per cent2 glass-making enterprises1 #ch per cent2 woolen mills1 #fb per cent2 cotton factories1 #fi per cent2 the clothing business1 #gb per cent2 boot and shoe manufacturers1 #bg per cent2 leather tanners1 #eg per cent2 furniture factories1 #ei per cent2 glove manufacturers1 #cc per cent2 cigar and tobacco trades1 #cc per cent2 oil refiners1 #fg per cent2 and sugar refiners1 #he per cent4 ,you will agree with me that future security compels attention to such concentrations of unread1 unsocialized masses thus conveniently and perilously grouped for misguidance4 ,they live in ,america1 but ,america does not live in them4 ,how can all be 'free and equal' until they have free access to the same sources of self-help and an equal chance to secure them8 ,illiteracy is a pick-and-shovel estate1 a life sentence to meniality4 ,democracy may not have fixed classes and survive4 ,the first duty of ,congress is to preserve opportunity for the whole people1 and opportunity can not exist where there is no means of information4 ,it is a shabby economy1 an ungrateful economy that withholds funds for their betterment4 ,the fields of ,france cry shame upon those who are content to abandon them to their handicap4 ,the loyal service of immigrant soldiers and sailors commit us to instruct and nationalize their brothers in breed4 ,the spirit in which these ,united ,states were conceived insists that the ,republic remove the cruel disadvantage under which so many native borns despairingly carry on4 ,how may they reason soundly or plan sagely8 ,the man who knows nothing of the past can find little in the future4 ,the less he has gleaned from human experience the more he may be expected to duplicate its signal errors4 ,no argument is too ridiculous for acceptance2 no sophistry can seem far-fetched to a person without the sense to confound it4 ,anarchy shall never want for mobs while the uninformed are left at the mercy of false prophets4 ,those who have no way to estimate the worth of ,america are unlikely to value its institutions fairly4 ,blind to facts1 the wildest one-eyed argument can sway them4 ,not until we can teach our illiterate millions the truths about the land to which they have come and in which they were born shall its spirit reach them--not until they can read can we set them right and empower them to inherit their estate4 ,if we continue to neglect them1 there are influences at work that will sooner or later convince them who now fail to appreciate the worth of our ,government that the ,government itself has failed--crowd the melting pot with class hates and violence and befoul its yield4 ,we must not be tried by inquest4 ,we demand the right to vindicate the merit of our systems wherever their integrity is questioned or maligned4 ,we demand the right to regulate the cheating scales upon which the ,republic is weighed by its ill-wishers4 ,we demand the right to protect unintelligence from ,esau bargains with hucksters of traitorous creeds4 ,we demand the right to present our case and our cause to the unlettered mass1 whose benightedness and ready prejudices continually invite exploitation4 ,we demand the right to vaccinate credulous inexperience against ,bolshevism and kindred plagues4 ,we demand the right to render all whose kind we deem fit to fight for our flag fit to vote and prosper under its folds4 ,we demand the right to bring the ,american language to every ,american1 to qualify each inhabitant of these ,united ,states for self-determination1 self-uplift1 and self-defense4 ,dr4 ,philander ,p4 ,claxton1 ,commissioner of ,education1 in his analysis of the illiteracy figures of the census1 said3 ,illiteracy is not confined to any one race or class or section4 ,of the #e1ejj1jjj illiterates as reported by the census of #aiaj1 nearly #c1bbe1jjj were whites1 and more than #a1ejj1jjj were native-born whites4 ,that illiteracy is not a problem of any one section alone is shown by the fact that in #aiaj ,massachusetts had #g1dfi more illiterate men of voting age than ,arkansas2 ,michigan1 #b1ffc more than ,west ,virginia2 ,maryland1 #b1ceb more than ,florida2 ,ohio1 more than twice as many as ,new ,mexico and ,arizona combined2 ,pennsylvania1 #e1fhi more than ,tennessee and ,kentucky combined4 ,boston had more illiterates than ,baltimore1 ,pittsburgh more than ,new ,orleans1 ,fall ,river more than ,birmingham1 ,providence nearly twice as many as ,nashville1 and the city of ,washington #e1jjj more than the city of ,memphis4 ,it is especially significant that of the #a1ecd1bgb native-born white illiterates reported in the #aiaj census #a1cdb1cgb1 about #hg4e per cent1 were in the open country and small towns1 and only #aia1ijj1 or #ab4e per cent1 were in cities having a population of #b1ejj and over4 ,of the #b1bbg1gca illiterate negroes #a1hcd1deh1 or #hb4c per cent1 were in the country1 and only #cic1bgc1 or #ag4g per cent1 were in the cities4 ,,additional ,,copies ,,of ,,this ,,publication ,,may ,,be ,,procured ,,from ,,the ,,superintendent ,,of ,,documents ,,government ,,printing ,,office ,,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,,at #aj ,,cents ,,per ,,copy