Transcriber’s Notes Texts between _underscores_ and =equal signs= represent texts printed in italics and bold face, respectively. Small capitals are transcribed as ALL CAPITALS. ~U~ stands for a U-shaped symbol rather than for the letter U. More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text. POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL GEOLOGY AND THE WORLD’S MINERAL RESOURCES [Illustration: _McGraw-Hill Book Co. Inc._ PUBLISHERS OF BOOKS FOR Coal Age ▽ Electric Railway Journal Electrical World ▽ Engineering News-Record American Machinist ▽ Ingeniería Internacional Engineering & Mining Journal ▽ Power Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering Electrical Merchandising] POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL GEOLOGY AND THE WORLD’S MINERAL RESOURCES A SERIES OF STUDIES BY SPECIALISTS J. E. SPURR, EDITOR FIRST EDITION SECOND IMPRESSION Royalties received from the sale of this book will be assigned to an institution of learning to finance further studies along the lines followed in the volume. McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK: 370 SEVENTH AVENUE LONDON: 6 & 8 BOUVERIE ST., E. C. 4 1920 COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY THE MCGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, INC. THE MAPLE PRESS YORK PA. PREFACE The purpose of the accompanying series of studies is to shed light upon the vast importance of commercial control of raw materials by different powers, or by the citizens of those powers, through invested capital. The question of domestic and foreign governmental policies of the United States is closely involved. It appeared to many of us who were engaged (as all the authors of these papers were) in studying the mineral problems during the war, that our Government had never grasped the vast political significance of commercial domination, and especially of the control of mineral wealth; and that other more seasoned nations had done so, and thereby affected the interests of America and her policy very deeply, without her being aware of the circumstance.