March 20,1923
INDUSTRIAL
AND ENGINEERING
California Section Makes Additional Statement San Francisco, Calif., March 3, 1923 Mr. H. E. Howe, Editor, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Washington, D . C. DEAR SIR:
In the January 20th number of the News Edition of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry there was printed Secretary Parson's discussion of the letter of the California Section t o the Directors of the American Chemical Society, dated November 29, 1922. Our letter was not printed. We therefore ask you to publish the following communication in order that the position of the California Section in regard to the questions of policy there raised may be made clear to the entire membership of the Society. We resent the imputation that the action of our Section in precipitating an open discussion of the policies of the Society was in any way improper. The American Chemical Society is a democratic organization, in which the responsibility for policies rests ultimately upon the members rather than upon its directors or salaried officers. We neither made nor intended a personal attack upon any officer of the Society. In such an organization as the American Chemical Society it is eminently proper to bring questions of policy into the open and endeavor to secure a free and frank discussion of them. Moreover, the comment which we have received shows an extensive approval of our action. There is little in the Secretary's letter pertinent to the issues raised by the California Section. The point in which we take exception t o the policies now in force in t h e Society is briefly that too much money is being spent for purposes other than its chemical publications. These include management costs, propaganda, News Service and the large editorial cost of Industrial and ments now conducted in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. When the majority of our readers decide t h a t they desire a journal of another type, their wishes will be met. Meanwhile we would call attention to the Society of Chemical Industry which has made changes in its well-known publication to meet like wishes of its readers. These changes are largely in the direction of the policy of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. We cooperate and do not compete with other technical publications and trade journals. We do not cover their field nor do they cover ours. We enjoy friendly relations. We operate, thanks t c the cooperation of our readers, at a cost below that attained by other publications. B u t we must compete for the advertising dollar. T o do this with any success we must offer a journal that is attractive to those who can and do buy. Our problem is how to add to the net income of the Society and a t the same time perform the greatest service not alone to men in pure chemistry but particularly tb those in industrial chemistry. We are proud of the steady increase in the number of nonmember subscriptions. We are also proud of the showing made by this journal in its earning power for the Society and believe this will steadily increase. We hold that the statement of the Secretary was entirely pertinent to the situation and t h a t it covered every question and alleged fact of the first California letter and did not touch upon points not raised by it. We would suggest t h a t every member sufficiently interested who has not already seen a copy of the California letter obtain one from the Secretary and with it in nand again read the statement in the January 20 issue of the News Edition. We are quite content t o rest our case with the members of the American Chemical Society, whom we ask to review the need to meet which T H I S JOURNAL was founded, its history, and its record through more than fourteen years. The Committee on Progress in Society Procedure has made a thorough investigation of the points raised by California, and the Society awaits with keen interest its formal report.
CHEMISTRY
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Engineering Chemistry. The disposition of the Directors to effect economies at the expense of the chemical publications was indicated in the Proceedings for January, 1922, page 2 , from which the following is quoted: "The Treasurer reported that again the expenses o f the Society for 1921 would exceed the income and this year b y approximately $20,000.00. The budget as presented also exceeded the estimated income for 1922 by approximately $20,000.00. I t became immediately apparent that important retrenchment must be made, and, after discussing all possible estimates of retrenchment, it was voted that the Directors instruct the editors to cut 10 per cent from the estimated number of pages as presented in their budgets and to redraw their estimates on the basis of such cut, using the same figures for printing estimates as they did in their original figures and to ask them t o make all possible savings in their work. "It was further voted that the Directors consider t h e Formula Index a luxury rather than a necessity and that t h e y regretfully instruct the editor of Chemical Abstracts to incur no further expense on the Formula Index for 1921 et seq." The subsequent relief of the situation through support, from the Chemical Foundation does not alter the fact ttiat t h e proposed economy was to be effected through the curtailment of publications alone. Moreover, the budget adopted for 1923 shows that over half of the estimated increase in t h e Society's income is devoted to purposes other than its scientific and technical publications. The comparison made b y Secretary Parsons with certain national engineering societies makes no mention of t h e fact that these societies for the most part are n o t democratic organizations like our own. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, for example, has three classes of members, the requirements for full membership including an age of a t least thirty-two years and an active practice of the profession for a t least ten years. Full membership is thus largely restricted t o men who have attained considerable professional success, which implies an income much larger than that received by m a n y of our members. The requirements even for junior membership in this organization would exclude a portion of our membership, as they provide that the candidate must be at l e a s t twenty-one years of age and must either be a graduate of a n engineering school or have had equivalent experience in engineering work. If the American Chemical Society is t o be a source of inspiration t o young chemists it must remain democratic and have a broad membership with corresponding influence. This can b e attained only by holding the dues t o the lowest possible figure. We believe, with the Illinois Section (letter of December 27, 1922 to Mr. A. V. H. Mory, the Chemical Bulletin of Chicago, January, 1923), that Industrial and Engineering Chemistry should avoid any attempt to compete with existing trade journals. The interests of the technical men of t h e country will, in our opinion, be better served by a journal of another type i n which there is no place for editorials, propaganda, personal items, market reports, and the like. Its columns should be. filled with high-class technical material. The California Section has no other motive t h a n the welfare of the American Chemical Society. It believes t h a t there should be a full and free discussion of all such questions a s those we have raised. Sincerely yours,
(Signed)
CARL L. ALSBERG, WILLIAM C. BRAY, LIONEL H. D U S C H A K , RALPH H. GOULD, JOEL H. H I L D E B R A N D , ARTHUR LACKMAN, CHARLES W. P O R T E R .
Executive Committee, California Section, American Chemical Society.
Meeting of Abstractors The Assistant Editors and Abstractors of Chemical Abstracts attending the N e w Haven meeting will get together for a dinner and conference on Tuesday, April 3, 5.30 P.M., at t h e Yale University Dining Hall. Each one w h o expects to attend is asked please t o notify Editor Crane at an early date so that reservations can be made.
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INDUSTRIAL
AND ENGINEERING
COUNCIL DINNER AT NEW HAVEN OPEN TO ALL A. C. S. MEMBERS E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e Gives R e a s s u r a n c e of A m p l e R o o m Accommodations There will be an innovation a t the Council dinner given in N e w H a v e n in that the banquet is given entirely under the auspices of the N e w H a v e n Chamber of Commerce who inv i t e their o w n guests. Numerous prominent citizens of Connecticut besides Councilors will be present. T h e dinner is given complimentary to Councilors of the American Chemical Society, b u t the privilege of attending the dinner is open t o a n y member of the Society, not a Councilor, provided h e pays the price of the dinner ticket, which is $4.00 per plate. T h e dining room space is limited, and it is, therefore, necessary to make reservations early. Reservations m a y be made and tickets issued through Professor Treat B. Johnson, Chairman of the Executive Committee, N e w H a v e n , Conn. T h e public address on Wednesday evening, April 4, a t N e w H a v e n , will be given by Sir. J. J. Thompson, F . R . S . A m p l e Room Accommodations in New Haven The Executive Committee in charge of the New Haven meeting of the A. C. S. wishes to assure all who contemplate attending this meeting that they can be easily and comfortably accommodated in the matter of rooms. Early reservations of rooms make it practically certain that the hotel capacity will be insufficient to care for the entire attendance. The New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the Young Men's Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Association of the city have furnished the Executive Committee a very large list of private homes, which are open to A. C. S. members and guests. The people of N e w Haven have volunteered to see that there will be no inconvenience or confusion in the matter of rooms. These organizations mentioned above stand sponsor for the standing and quality of the accommodations which they offer. Hence no one need hesitate in making arrangements to attend the meeting on this score. The Yale Dining Hall is able to care for serving meals to all who come. Dr. Ralph Langley, 84 McKinley Ave., N e w Haven, has charge of the matter of rooms, and all requests for reservations should be made through him as soon as possible. Every one will be taken care of, but it will make it very much easier for those in charge of the matter if they are notified well in advance of the requirements of A. C. S. members. Fraternity and Alumni Dinners The enthusiasm which has greeted the announcement that one evening from 5.30 to 8.00 is being set aside for fraternity and alumni dinners indicates that this will be one of the most popular features of the A. C. S. meeting in New Haven. These "reunion" dinners will insure the getting together of old friends and associates, which is one of the pleasant things that draw chemists to meetings of the A. C. S. In order that preparations may be adequately made, it is uiged that all groups planning such dinners communicate immediately with Dr. Arthur H. Smith, 84 Woodlawn St., Hamden, Conn. A l p h a Chi S i g m a I n i t i a t i o n a n d B a n q u e t The Yale Chapter of the Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity wishes to announce that Friday afternoon immediately following the close of the section meetings, they will hold a formal initiation followed by a banquet; the entire affair being concluded before the hour set for the reception in Woolsey hall in the evening. .The initiation will be held at the Sterling Laboratory. Full information will be given in the Yale Alumni Weekly which will be published in the form of daily supplements the first days of the meeting. The Yale Chapter is especially anxious to make this essentially a get-together of the "old timers" in the fraternity, and urges that all Alpha Chi Sigma men arrange their engagements so that they will be able to attend.
Engineer Positions Open The U. S. Civil Service Commission announces an examination on April 24 and 25 for positions of assistant dust explosion prevention engineer and junior dust explosion prevention engineer a t entrance salaries ranging, respectively, from $1440 t o $1800 a year and $2500 to $3000 per year.
CHEMISTRY
News Edition
PERSONALS N. H . Moore, who for three years has been employed in the research department of the Calco Chemical Co., of Bound Brook, N e w Jersey, has taken up his new work as a member of the research staff of The Texas Co., at Port Arthur, Texas, after completing a short visit with his parents in Lonelady, Texas. Joel Starrels, former manager of the Hydrol Co., of Niagara Falls, New York, has gone to Chicago to take charge of the Chicago office of the N e w York firm of J. P. Grant & Co., engaged in the brokerage business. F. Gordon Green, who for some time has been chief chemist and later superintendent of the Wallace Process Shale Plant, in Canada, operated by the Anglo-Persian Oil Co., has for several months been employed as superintendent of the N-T-U Company's Shale Plant near Santa Maria, Calif. J. L. Brakefield, formerly engaged as assistant professor of chemistry at Baylor University, Waco, Texas, is on leave of absence to work toward tlie Ph.D. degree in physiological chemistry at the University of California. Edwin Sartain Gault, who for the past few years has been director of pathological laboratories at the Sacred Heart Hospital, Ailentown, Pa., has become a member of the Green Gables Sanatorium staff at Lincoln, Nebr., where he is directing the work in X-ray and clinical laboratories. W. P . McOsker, who has been associated, for the past three years with the test department of the A. T. & S. F. Railroad, assisting in chemical engineering tests and in charge of the department's laboratory, and who at one time was connected with the Gulf Refining Co., has gone to the East Chicago Plant of the Anaconda Copper Co., where he is engaged in plant operation work as assistant to the metallurgical statistician. W. O. Mitscherling has resigned from the Atlas Powder Co. to accept a position as director of research work on cellulose at the. new institution of the James P. Hooper Mfg. Co., in Baltimore, M d . George Biumrick, who for five years was research chemist with the Welsbach Co., Gloucester City, N e w Jersey, and later became chief chemist of the Pinco Paper Co., Camden, New Jersey, has gone t o Chicago, Illinois, to become chief research chemist for the Mantle Lamp Co. of America. T. T. Read, chief of the information service of the Bureau of Mines, has been appointed a supervising mining engineer. During the absence of F. J. Bailey, assistant to the director, on a visit to the mine, safety cars and stations. Mr. Read will serve as the acting head of the operations branch of the bureau and will later be assigned to appropriate field duties. C. E. Julihn, of the Bureau of Mines, has been recalled from service as chief mining engineer of the War Minerals Relief Commission and made chief of the information service. Francis Winslow, now connected with the division of war minerals supply, has been assigned t o serve with the War Minerals Relief Commission as its chief engineer. J. W. Furness, who has been working with the war minerals supply division of the Bureau of Mines, has been given a permanent appointment in that division. Hugh S. Taylor has been appointed to a full professorship~in the department of chemistry, Princeton University, with the title of professor of physical chemistry. Henry T. Chandler, chemical engineer, formerly research engineer, Ford Motor Co., has been transferred to Newark, N . J.t where he will be in charge of the operating department of that branch. S. Willard Jacobs, chemical engineer, of wide experience in chlorine production and utilization, has succeeded D . K. Bartlett, resigned, as sales manager, Electro Bleaching Gas Co., 18 East 41st St., N e w York- City. Meyer Bodansky, for the past four years instructor in the department'of biological chemistry, University of Texas School of Medicine, Galveston, Texas, has been granted a leave of absence for the remainder of the year. H e is now completing his graduate work at Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y .
OREGON'S SILVER PRODUCTION The preliminary estimate of the production of metal in Oregon in 1922, prepared by Charles G. Yale, of the United States Geological Survey. Department of the Interior, gave the esti* mated output of silver in Oregon as 47,000 fine ounces. More complete data, especially from the Bay Horse mine, near Huntington, in Baker County, indicate that the production of silver was 173,000 fine ounces.
