, COMMITTEE ON
INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

EIGHTY-FOURTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

FEDERAL TIN PURCHASE PROGRAM

IN ALASKA

MAY 20, 1955

Printed for the use of the
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs

Serial No. 10

UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 1955

Collected Set

COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS

CLAIR ENGLE, California, Chairman WAYNE N. ASPINALL, Colorado

AL. MILLER, Nebraska LEO W.O'BRIEN, New York

JOHN P. SAYLOR, Pennsylvania WALTER ROGERS, Texas

J. ERNEST WHARTON, New York MRS. GRACIE PFOST, Idaho

E. Y. BERRY, South Dakota JAMES A. HALEY, Florida

WILLIAM A. DAWSON, Utah GEORGE A. SHUFORD, North Carolina JACK WESTLAND, Washington ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, JR., New York JOHN R. PILLION, New York ED EDMONDSON, Oklahoma

CLIFTON YOUNG, Nevada LEE METCALF, Montana

CRAIG HOSMER, California GEORGE H. CHRISTOPHER, Missouri JOHN J. RHODES, Arizona B. F. SISK, California

HAMER H. BUDGE, Idaho STEWART L. UDALL, Arizona

J. EDGAR CHENOWETH, Colorado CHARLES C. DIGGS, JR., Michigan

JAMES B. UTT, California J. T. RUTHERFORD, Texas

MRS. JOSEPH R. FARRINGTON, Hawall MRS. EDITH GREEN, Oregon E. L. BARTLETT, Alaska ANTONIO FERNÓS-ISERN, Puerto Rico

SUBCOMMITTEE ON MINES AND MINING

WALTER ROGERS, Texas, Chairman CLAIR ENGLE, California

A. L. MILLER, Nebraska WAYNE N. ASPINALL, Colorado

JOHN P. SAYLOR, Pennsylvania MRS. GRACIE PFOST, Idaho

J. ERNEST WHARTON, New York JAMES A. HALEY, Florida

E. Y. BERRY, South Dakota GEORGE A. SHUFORD, North Carolina WILLIAM A. DAWSON, Utah ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, JR., New York CLIFTON YOUNG, Nevada ED EDMONDSON, Oklahoma

JOHN J. RHODES, Arizona LEE METCALF, Montana

HAMER H. BUDGE, Idaho STEWART L. UDALL, Arizona

J. EDGAR CHENOWETH, Colorado J. T. RUTHERFORD, Texas

JAMES B. UTT, California
E. L. BARTLETT, Alaska

Statement of -

Henry A. Benson, Commissioner of Labor for Alaska..

Hon. B. Frank Heintzleman, Governor of Alaska -

Ralph Lomen, vice president of the Zenda Gold Mining Co., Nome,

Alaska.

Wylie F. McKinnon, Director, Office of Tin, Federal Facilities Corpo-

ration.

Charles W. Merrill, Chief, Division of Minerals, Bureau of Mines,

Department of the Interior.

A. W. Ramstad, treasurer and business manager of the Northern Tin

Co., Alaska

John C. Reed, Staff Coordinator, Geological Survey, Department of

the Interior..

28

1, 28

21

23

III

24

133 24

ALASKA TIN

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1955

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON MINES AND MINING OF THE
COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS,

Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:50 p. m., in the committee room, New House Office Building, Hon. Walter Rogers (chairman) presiding.

Mr. Rogers. The Subcommittee on Mines and Mining will come to order for the consideration of the Federal tin purchase program in Alaska.

The Chair has the names of the witnesses here, but I want to at this time recognize our able colleague, the Delegate from Alaska, Mr. Bartlett, for any suggestions he has to make on the order in which they should be called.

Mr. BARTLETT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no particular recommendations to make in respect to the order of appearance, although I think the way you have it there is probably very appropriate.

I want to express my appreciation to you, as well as the other members of the committee, for having given this Friday afternoon to this matter. Some of us feel—and the witnesses from Alaska who will appear before you will elaborate on this--that under proper auspices Alaska could be a substantial producer of tin for the United States, and I believe a hearing of this character is the best possible forum to bring out the facts, and this could be of great use to this country in the event our tin sources from abroad were cut off during war or for other reasons.

Mr. ROGERS. Thank you, Mr. Bartlett.
Mr. Charles W. Merrill; will you identify yourself for the record.
STATEMENT OF CHARLES W. MERRILL, CHIEF, DIVISION OF

MINERALS, BUREAU OF MINES, DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR

Mr. MERRILL. Charles W. Merrill, Chief, Minerals Division, Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior.

Mr. Rogers. You may proceed.

Mr. MERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I have no prepared statement to make. I was asked to come here by the Secretary to be available for questioning regarding tin in Alaska, particularly in connection with the Bureau of Mines activities there.

If you want me to make some general statements, I will, or if you want to proceed with the questioning, that might be more productive.