The most obviously helpful step possible to the government in the immediate future is to permit coöperative arrangements under private ownership,—which would make it possible to use common selling agencies, thereby reducing the cost of selling; to divide the territory to be served, thereby avoiding excessive cross freights; and to allot the output in proportion to the demand from various territories, thus eliminating excessive competition and over-production. All of these measures could be accomplished without detriment to the public if properly regulated by the government. The very large saving possible by this means would allow the introduction of conservational methods at the mines without raising the cost to the public.
War conditions required even more immediate and sweeping application of government power than above indicated, but conservational purposes were quite overshadowed by other considerations.
Where the mineral resources are already owned by the government, or can be acquired by the government, some of the troublesome factors in the problem are removed. In such cases it is possible to work out an intelligent plan for government control without the difficulties which arise in dealing with private ownership,—although, of course, new difficulties are introduced (see also pp. 345-347.)
The fact that there are conservational measures possible only to governments has been widely used as an argument for introducing government ownership or control. Recent vigorous demands for the nationalization of natural resources in Europe, and the increasing discussion of the subject in this country, may be regarded as phases of the conservation problem. It is not the purpose here to argue either for or against the drastic exercise of government power in the conservation of natural resources, but merely to call attention to the measures which are being discussed.
CONSERVATION OF MINERALS OTHER THAN COAL
The discussion of conservation as applied to specific minerals might be extended almost indefinitely; but perhaps enough has been said to indicate the general nature of the field. Before the war careful estimates of world supplies had been made for comparatively few minerals, although these included some of the most important, such as coal, oil, and iron. War conditions required a hasty estimate of world reserves of most of the mineral products. The reader interested in the problem will find an extremely interesting body of literature issued by the various governments on this subject. Of especial interest to the American reader will be the reports of the U. S. Geological Survey and of the Bureau of Mines.
In recent years there has been increasing recognition of the possibilities of conservational saving by concentration, refinement, and even manufacture of mineral commodities at or near the point of origin,—thus lessening the tonnage involved in transportation of the crude products. Limitations of fuel and other conditions often make this procedure difficult; but considerable progress is being made both through private initiative and, especially in international trade, through governmental regulations of great variety.
FOOTNOTES:
[42] Campbell, M. R., The coal fields of the United States: Prof. Paper 100-A, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1917, p. 24.
[43] Final report of the Royal Commission on coal supplies: House of Commons, London, vol. 16, 1905.