Stock-Piling for Peace

ON May 5, the Washington, D. C., Section, A.I.M.E., devoted its meeting to the many-sided and perplexing question of mineral stock-piling for peace. Opening the symposium, Harry J. Wolf, of the War Production Board, outlined the problem under six heads: (1) Technical. Mechanical, chemical, or metallurgical importance of specified materials, emergencies that might arise, relative scarcity, and critical value of stock piles during emergencies. (2) Economic. Cost to Government, influence of Government stocks on commercial relationships and markets, effect of availability of items as a con¬structive influence on industry, Administration policies now and during postwar period. (3) Legislative. Need for immediate legislative action, need for legislation on postwar conditions as well as on current requirements, a constructive basic policy to prevent political manipulation. (4) Military. Consideration of re¬quirements and supplies bearing on national safety and needed for manufacture of equipment, and adequate reserves of scarce materials for research or experimentation by military agencies. (5) International. Interests of the United Nations in contradistinction to those of the United States; effects of nonisolation policy on nature, location, and administration of stock piles. (6) Negative stock-piling. Question of United Nations' legislation to prevent stock-piling by Axis nations after the war and who shall purchase stock-pile materials and during what periods.