Directions of progress in economic geology

The subject chosen for my address this morning is of rather general character and one that should permit a retiring president to exercise his privilege of indulging in retrospective as well as in prospective views and of expressing ideas which, although possessing little novelty, may, nevertheless, be worthy of consideration. My own work in economic geology has been mainly with ore deposits, and if in the present address that particular aspect of geology seems to receive disproportionate attention, this is due to the limitations of my own experience and not to any desire to minimize the significance of geology in relation to the occurrence of oil, coal and other non-metallic resources and to problems of engineering in connection with the construction of dams and reservoirs, the driving of tunnels, and other projects in which the character and structure of the rocks and the geologic history of the region may be of fundamental importance