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'. 2031 RUSSIA. AND THE COMMUNIST CHALLENGE (An Interview) A. month or more ago, when your worthy toastmaster invited me to attend this meeting, he instructed me to turn in an expense acoount for the trip over from Chioago. I hereby give you due notioe, Mr. Toastmaster, that in view of your flatter- ing remarks, that expense account will probably include a new and larger hat. And I would suggest that if anyone in this gathering would be interested in a good used hat, size 7-1/8, will he please See me after the meeting. - While I appreoiate deeply the honor and privilege of address ing this dis- tinguished audience, I approaoh the assignment with misgivings, I am neither a leoturer, nor a oonnnentator, nor a politioian I do not profess to be an authority on Russia, I have no first-hand news from behind the iron ourtain My remarks will express merely indiVidual opinion and personal philosophy and'will attempt Bome measure of interpretation. based on a baokground of intimacy with the Russian pioture, I shall try to talk to you a.lt. one engineer to another, without bias or restraint, I hope that I ma~' thus be able to contribute a little something to your thinking on this orucial topic. Questionl We hear much about Russia's marvelous natural resouroes, Perhaps it would be well to start our disoussion from that angle. . >,' Answer I The basis of the industrial development of any oountry rests in its natural resources, If territory is a resouroe, the Soviet Union has it. From east to west it extends nearly half way round the world, covering 160 deg. of longitude as compared with our 60 deg, from Maine to the Paoifio, :- Most Amerioans seem to think that because Russia is a very large oountry, it is also a very rioh country, The truth is that in proportion to her huge size, Russia does not seem to be riohly endowed. Iron ore is one of the most important of resources Russ ill. has known, acoessible reserves of good quality ore about equal to remaining reserves of like quality in the United States. , Coal is to be found in twenty of our states. We are blessed with nearly half of the world's known reserves. Russia has comparatively few ooal deposits, totalling some 20 per cent of the world'S reserve A minor part of Russia's o,oal is oonveniently looated in the Ukraine. This coal is diffioult and costly to mine and none too good in cuality, The bulk of Russia's ooal is located in central Siberia, It is of excellent quality and easily mined, but it is 2500 miles from Moscow and 2500 miles from the Pacific. Russia has large timber reserves, about a fourth of the world'S supply. vast areas in the north, stretching across Siheria, are heavily wooded, But the rivers in this area all flow toward the Arctio Ooean, They are frozen over at their mouths most of the year. The timber is there, but most of it is likely to stay there for quite awhile, . -1-