What is the Policy of the Mineral Industry?

Abstract

I apologize for attempting to talk in a field in which I am by no means aspecialist, but some of the problems brought up have much in common with otherminerals. It touches the field in which we are all interested and it is a fieldin which our Mineral Inquiry has been giving special attention during the lasttwo years. While it is the primary business, of course, of this Institute toconsider the physical facts and technology of minerals, we now face thenecessity of considering the mineral industry in its broader economic, social, and political relationships. We have run into a traffic jam-as though a load ofhay had been spilled on the road. It makes no difference whether we are driversor passengers, technical or nontechnical men, we have to get the load off theroad before we can go farther. We are conscious of very many difficulties whichare outside of the ordinary range of cost accounting or methods of mining orthe usual thing with which we concern ourselves. We have extensivereadjustments to make in our social and economic and political contacts. It isup to us to find out what is the matter. As a matter of fact, we do not know what is the matter in any comprehensiveway. We have many suggestions as to difficulties here and there. Many peopleare working on the problem, but when the mineral industry as a whole is askedwhat is a reasonable course of procedure, what is its program, what would be areasonable state or national policy, I think you will agree with me that wehave no spokesman able to outline even a semblance of such a generalpolicy. We sit back and criticize when somebody else steps in, as Governor Murraystepped in, and as many others of our state governors and legislators arestepping in, to do things which we do not think are reasonable. When they say, "What is a reasonable program?" we find ourselves caught napping. Wehave not agreed on a program. The other day in talking with one of the leadersof the western radical movement, I was twitting him on having no sound andcomprehensive conservation program.