176 



ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 45 



There has been considerable public discussion of late that indicates 

 a wide divergence of opinion as to where we stand with respect to 

 future mineral supply. From some quarters we hear that the United 

 States is about to become a "have-not" nation and about to experience 

 the evil consequences such a situation would entail. Others claim 

 that we are still a treasure house of stored-up mineral wealth, the 

 surface of which barely has been scratched. It is believed that the 

 data to be presented this evening support the conclusion that neither 



1880 1885 1890 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 



Figure 1. — Trends in value of mineral production in the United States, 18S0-1944. 



of these viewpoints is correct and that we are far from exhaustion of 

 those mineral resources that are basic to our industrial economy. How- 

 ever, exhaustion is well advanced in a number of important subsidiary 

 minerals so that we can no longer drift along with the easy-going 

 philosophy that the earth will provide. The time has come when we 

 must recognize the true situation and do something about it. 



EXPANSION OF MINERAL PRODUCTION RAPID 



The vigorous manner in which the United States has forced the 

 earth to yield its mineral treasure is attested by figure 1, which shows 



