ABSTRACT

The United States is a country richly endowed with natural resources and perhapsmore self-sufficient than any other state in the world.But the requirements of an advanced industrial civilization are so varied and so complex that even the wealth of the North American Continent is inadequate to supply the multitudinous demands ofher economy.A vast fleet of steamers from every port in the world must bring its cargo to her warehouses and factoriesi n order that peace time production may continue uninterrupted.Modern war demands an even greater output,particularly in so-called war industries.It creates avast increase in the demand for the raw materials that goin to rifles,guns,ammunition,armor plate,and tanks; the motors and power plants that make mobile warfare possible;and the airplanes that fight the battles of the skies.Preparation for war is,therefore,partly a problem of increased industrial production and partly a problem of procurement of raw materials.With the first we are not here concerned.Our problem is the position of the United States in regard to the availability of the raw material snecessary to fight a modern war.