Nov., 1914
T H E J O C R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L AAVD EiVGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
quite a supply of yellow dyewoods which could be made available in a short time. With indigo, however, it is not probable t h a t the production could be much increased for several years, as this requires the careful planting, cultivation and harvesting of crops. The other alternative open t o us is the manufacture of dyestuffs in this country on a scale sufficient t o take care of our needs, both with respect to amount and kind of dyestuff. There is already a fair production of dyestuffs in this country, and there is no doubt but what this industry could be satisfactorily developed under proper conditions. It will, however, require time, organized technical effort, and capital, and I am sure we have all three of these commodities in this country, together with the other necessary raw materials for the production of coal-tar colors. But I leave the discussion of this feature of the case t o X r . Stone, who, being a manufacturer of dyestuffs, can tell you all about the possibilities of this industry. PROBLEM TO B E SOLVED BY CHEMISTS
In closing, I would say t h a t the textile industries of this country are very dependent on a proper supply of dyestuffs, and I am sure the textile manufacturers would heartily welcome the firm and permanent establishment of a dyestuff industry in this country, so t h a t we would be self-contained and not dependent on foreign countries. However, they feel t h a t this dyestuff industry must be developed independent of themselves, and while they are willing to give it all legitimate support and opportunity, I doubt if they are at all inclined to grow it as a hothouse product. They believe t h a t the dyestuff industry can be established here based on sound economic principles. The opportunity is here and our chemical manufacturers should lose no time in taking advantage of it. The appeal of the textile industry to the chemist a t present is: “We need dyestuffs, SO get busy and make them; don’t hem and haw, and make excuses, but get right on the job.” 50 EAST41ST ST.,N E W Y O R K C I T Y ~
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CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICAN DYESTUFF INDUSTRY B y ARTHURPRILL
The technical and commercial aspects of the campaign for an American dyestuff industry are on this program already in better hands than mine, but you may be interested in the publicity features of the movement, for nowadays nothing of moment t h a t effects the general public can be accomplished except by molding public opinion. You will perhaps permit me t o state a fundamental proposition upon which rests the reason for some of the publicity which has been given to the campaign for an American dyestuff industry. A newspaper has two functions, first, t o gather, collate and distribute news; secondly, t o make men think. The latter of these functions is by far the more difficult to accomplish, but can in a given instance be of the highest value. The newspaper man has a n advantage of position. in receiving news at the earliest possible moment. Hence, he is in a position to foresee coming events before the general public or sometimes even before a special industry gets any inkling of such future trend. Now, if under such circumstances he uses his knowledge t o show future possibilities t o the paper’s readers, he will find unbelievers, well meaning but often short-sighted. Further, if he advocates a change he is certain to arouse the enmity of the old system-hence, the need of a campaign. We ask two farreaching changes, patent revision and tariff aid. When foreigners obtain Uncle Sam’s protection for their brain-work, they should be compelled to use such protective ideas, in part, a t least, for the benefit of Uncle Sam’s citizens. Again, if we seek American capital to lay out funds for the construction of dyestuff factories, this capital has a right to demand that for-
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eign competition be kept out of the country until the whole industry has obtained a firm footing. I n the case of American dyestuffs such a campaign should not really be necessary. A three-fold genius who fully grasped the technical as well as the commercial aspects of the coal-tar situation and who also possessed rhetorical and literary ability t o place the matter adequately before all interested, would logically convince them and move them to act. As no decisive action for the establishment of an American dyestuff industry has as yet been taken, it is evident that this three-sided geniuq has not yet appeared, but the possibility of united action by such men as compose the American Chemical Society-you men here tonight could wage this campaign with certainty of success. The question which arises in your mind is, Should you take i t up and take i t up not merely in academic manner, but should you put into this campaign that practical effort and vital force which is essential to victory? The most apparent incentive is the fact that certain branches of the textile trade are today slackening for want of suitable dyestuffs. Not only are mills hampered in production, but human beings are suffering for lack of their usual means of livelihood. Further, every housewife in the land, when she goes into a department store today, finds t h a t her dollar will buy only eighty cents worth, in some cases ‘only fifty cents worth of textiles, as gauged by prices which ruled three months ago. As a result, the household budget of every family in the land suffers more or less. Bnother incentive, although little argument need be wasted upon it, is t h a t every country should as far as possible be independent in its industrial activities. America, above all, with her wonderful natural wealth, offers unlimited raw material t o the coal-tar:dye maker. But humanitarian and patriotic reasons might not budge you far if a certain other incentive be lacking. The dominating factor in all commercial questions is “Would it pay you to take action?” Here, in the dollars and cents equation, we have the real obstacle t o the campaign for a n American dyestuff manufacture. It is useless for anyone to cry “American dyes for American textiles,” while the majority of persons directly connected with the dyestuff industry get their bread and butter from non-American dyestuff makers and while these persons retain control of the so-called campaign I have met many a technical man in the last three months who said: “Yes, we could in from one t o two years establish local manufacture of dyestuffs within certain limits perhaps, but sufficient to supply pressing needs. We can do this if we get revision of our patent laws and tariff so as t o protect American capital in such venture but-my salary or my retainers come from so and so who do their dyestuff making not far from the Rhine. I can take no action without ruining myself financially, I beg you not t o publish a word of this conversation.” The Daily Trade Record, having served the textile business for some twenty-two years, also has some good friends among the milfmen, to whom we can go in confidence. We,recently called the attention of certain of these t o an advertisement in a textile journal which ran as follows: “Do not worry about lack of dyestuffs; we herewith assure our customers that we can supply all their needs ” The Daily Trade Record asked the mill men: “You know this is not true: you yourself have tried to buy dyestuffs from that firm without getting what you were after. Will you back us in our campaign by allowing us to prove the facts by your own business correspondence”’ The mill men replied: “If we did, the chances are we would get no dyes a t all; this firm would be black-listed by all the importers and practically have to give up business.” Under such conditions, i t is evident that the only way to obtain the necessary patent and tariff legislation is to arouse widespread public sentiment among people whose bread and butter
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T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
does not depend on the enemies of the movement. You, chemical engineers, if you act as a body, are independent; you could lend the weight of your professional reputation and technical knowledge to prove t o the country that we can overcome the technical obstacles. Ten million people in the United States from mill t o clothing merchant are dependent on the textile trades and t o show these where their bread and butter lies is your problem. Win their votes and you win this campaign. The opponents of American dyestuff manufacturers never mention tariff or patent-revision-they know such proposals would meet with public approval. The foreign makers’ agents simply reiterate: “You cen not do it.” If you take hold of this subject as a society, show America that we can do it and explain to the other technical organizations in the country how profitable it would be t o the United States to develop her coal-tar resources, and through your technical publications and publicity departments obtain the aid of the great American newspaper world, you will certainly succeed in so laying the facts before the American public t h a t the solution we offer will be accepted and appreciated. Home manufacture of dyestuffs is the only solution. Since a carpenter’s union and a n iron worker’s organization have brains enough t o work together for their common good, why could not chemists and civil engineers, even the botanist and the astrologer, possess acumen enough to take united action? Technical workers are the one great intelligent force of civilization, although they hardly seem to understand their strength. I n such a campaign as this they could use their strength. If we do arouse the all powerful public sentiment of the American people, compelling needed legislation a t Washington, there will result increased chemical activity not only in dyestuffs, but in all other branches of those numberless industries which are based upon the work of chemists. Your profession will rise t o higher and unattained heights in the estimation of the country; financial recompense will similarly multiply as the call for your service increases and future generations will, due to your efforts, worthily call this early twentieth century the “Dawn of American Chemistry.” .-.
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COAL TAR COLORS OF AMERICA By I. F. STONE
MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN: It gives me great pleasure to be able to appear before you this evening, to clear up, if I can, the general skepticism which seems t o exist in connection with the manufacture of coal t a r dyes in the United States. DYE INDUSTRY IN THE u. s. FOR 30 YEARS T h a t there is such a n industry in the United States is a fact and has been for over thirty years. That we cannot compare with Germany in magnitude is of course true, and that we shall be able to increase our production in the near future to take over all of the colors now supplied by Germany is also manifestly impossible, but that it is possible to increase the American production very materially is a fact, depending on certain conditions of which I shall speak later. That there has been more or less prejudice against dyes made in America is also true, and these dyes are fully as good as any made in Europe, although it has been a struggle t o prove that the latter statement is absolutely true. Even a t this late day there are people who would always give the preference t o European dyes a t the same price and quality, if they had an opportunity to do so, and they are abetted in their belief very naturally by the European representatives. Only a few days ago, among other letters we have received asking about the manufacture of dyes in this country, was one from a very substantial trade journal which circulates largely among the textile mills. Among other things it says: “No one believes t h a t the American dyestuff manufacturer can com-
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Pete with the German. The Germans are counted wizards in dyestuff chemistry and I doubt if you could interest a great number of manufacturers in a domestic product at the same price as quoted on exactly the same thing from Germany.” After a couple of pages of such argument it finally suggests that we take up the matter of advertising with them to change the sentiment of the buyers, which is very naive to say the least. But the point is, if a journal with the influence of this one should express such sentiments among its subscribers, how unfair it would be to the American manufacturers of dyes, and it is simply an instance of one of the small things against which we are struggling. On the other hand, in the past few weeks we are encouraged by numerous letters from actual consumers of dyes, among them some of the largest textile mills in the country, complimenting us upon the way we have been handling our products during the present abnormal conditions, and advising us that they would in the future give their preference to American colors whenever we are able to offer them in competititon with foreign colors; i. e., when we can supply them with the quantity of colors consumed, which hitherto we have not been able to do by reason of not having a production sufficiently large t o take care of all the trade. So life does have its compensations and the American dyestuff industry from now on starts out on an equal footing with the German industry, as far as the good-will of the consumers is concerned. It is therefore only a question of being able to produce a large enough quantity a t competitive prices to insure a large proportion of the business of the United States for the American manufacturers. Barely two months ago a comparatively small percentage of the population of the United States knew anything about aniline dyes or dyestuffs, those who did know something being mainly connected with industries which used these products. Even those who did use them had only a vague idea, as a rule, what they were and their’ source, except in a general way, that they were made from coal t a r and t h a t Europe was the principal source of supply. They were even regarded by a large percentage of the consumers as a mere detail of their business, and were put in among the sundries with such items as oil, soap, and I might almost say paper, string, and such miscellaneous supplies, notwithstanding t h a t it requires the highest order of scientific training to produce these colors and a long experience and knowledge of them in order t o sell them successfully. The average dyestuff salesman was received only with tolerance and usually referred to some minor employee for his interview. Suddenly something happened. A great war was declared, and the great source of supply was one of the principal nations involved. Some buyer, more intelligent than the ordinary one, discerned that the stock of dyestuffs would be more or less limited if not entirely cut off under these conditions, and immediately made attempts t o secure a good supply for his future wants. The news SOOR spread among others until there was a general scramble for dyestuffs and men who ordinarily gave the matter very little attention are now looking after it personally, and interviewing and corresponding with the heads of such firms as they think can accommodate them. The newspapers took up the matter and published columns of more or less accurate information as to the situation. The general public was therefore given a n idea of what was going on, and now know more of the source and supply of aniline products than they ever knew before. The unfortunate conditions now prevailing have a t least been of some good in demonstrating to our people that they should be as independent as possible of other nations in connection with their supply of such products as are needed in this country, and there is now a general demand that the production of aniline dyes as one item should be imn-ediately developed to such an extent that we may be independent of all other nations.
