On Phosphates

In 1936, about 3,351,000 tons of U. S. phosphate rock were used, chiefly to make fertilizer for U. S. farmers and for export. At this rate, the estimated phosphate resources of the U. S. will last about 2,000 years. Nonetheless, President Roosevelt was moved last week to send Congress a message about the conservation of phosphates. His major points:

1) Phosphates are an important fertilizer and the phosphate content of some U. S. lands is already badly depleted.

2) Of the total 17,200,000,000-ton world supply of phosphate rock, the U. S. has 7,200.000,000 tons.

3) The U. S. supply lies mostly in two areas: Florida and Tennessee, which have 8.8% of the deposits, mostly privately owned (and last year were responsible for 97.5% of U. S. production); Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming, which have 90.8% of the deposits, mostly on Government-owned land.

4) About one-third the present production of phosphates is being exported.

5) Serious consideration should be given to the development of the Government-owned phosphate deposits. "It is . . . high time for the Nation to adopt a national policy for the production and conservation of phosphates for the benefit of this and coming generations. ... I recommend that a joint committee of the Senate and of the House of Representatives be named to give study to the entire subject. . . . "

Aside from furnishing a sound primer on an elementary chemical resource, this message provided Congress with speculation on Administration policy. TVA is already manufacturing phosphates, which are being used throughout the U. S. for demonstrations to farmers. "Development" of the Government's phosphate deposits may furnish a way of using some of the surplus power which Federal dams in the northwest will supply, may also mean bigger & better phosphate subsidies for farmers. "Conservation" of phosphates may mean some form of control over exports which can be used as a new kind of "sanction" to put pressure on Japan and Germany (chief customers for U. S. phosphates) much as U. S. control of helium is now being used to punish Germany for her warlike behavior.

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