SYMTOSIUM ON SCIENCE AND RECONSTRUCTION 95 



force in the past should be instituted to eliminate this ma- 

 terial from the coal before it is furnished to the public. 

 Certainly the material has not been removed from the coal 

 nearly as effectively as it might be, nor possibly have the 

 means adopted in individual cases been especially applic- 

 able to the form of pyrite present. Some blame attaches 

 to the miner for not obeying the rules and to the operator 

 for not enforcing the rules in regard to clean coal. But a 

 large part of the blame attaches to the general public in 

 not insisting that all coal be subjected to some adequate 

 form of preparation at the tipple. It is a glaring economic 

 sin to use an unmanufactured product such as raw coal 

 when with a little foresight we might be getting several 

 times the return now^ obtained. The first step in repent- 

 ance should be an insistence that all operators properly 

 prepare their coal for the trade. 



In summary: The pyrite inventory in Illinois has 

 served its immediate purpose of furnishing the nation 

 definite data concerning its suppl}^ of one of the essential 

 war minerals. Aside from furnishing desired information 

 along the original lines of the investigation, the pyrite in- 

 ventory has some economic bearing upon the industry in 

 the normal times of peace. In connection with search for 

 low-sulphur coal, it has effected a definite delineation of 

 areas of coal suitable for special purposes, such as the 

 manufacture of metallurgical coke and city gas. It has 

 also furnished information relative to the varieties of free 

 pyrite found in the higher sulphur coals which possibly 

 may lead to a better understanding of the various condi- 

 tions affecting the production of clean coal at the shaft 

 head. This information is preliminai-y to a more system- 

 atic adaptation of tlie means of cleaning coal to the vary- 

 ing conditions of occurrence of the impurities whose elim- 

 ination is desired. The pyrite inventoiy was an investi- 

 gation conducted to safeguard the public safety. It had 

 uncertain commercial application and was of such a 

 nature that private capital could only with difficulty have 

 been found to carry it through. It is such services that 

 can best be accomplished with public funds such as are 

 allotted to the State Geological Survey. 



