INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
4
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING
CHEMISTRY NEWS EDITION Published
by the American
Chemical
Society
Editor: H. E . HOWE Managing Editor: ROBERT P. FISCHELIS Assistant to the Editor: N. A. PARKINSON Associate Editor: D . H. KILLEFFER EDITORIAL OFFICE:
810 Eighteenth St., N . W. Washington, D. C.
ADVERTISING
DEPARTMENT:
19 11. 24th S t . New York, Ν . Υ .
Entered as second class matter a t Easton, Pa. Issued three times a month; Industrial Edition on the 1st; News Edition on the 10th and 20th Subscription to Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, $7.50 per year; News Edition only, $1.50 per year. Single copies, 10 cents. Subscriptions should be sent to Charles L. Parsons, Secretary, 1709 G St., N. W., Washington, D . C.
JULY 10, 1923
Chemical Sales Contracts On another page we print a form of chemical sales contract devised and approved by a committee of representatives of the chemical industry. It is the hope of this committee that universal adoption and use of this contract will eliminate most of the difficulties that arise between buyers and sellers of chemicals when no agreement of purchase and sale is made or when such agreements are not equitable for both parties. The chemical sales contract and sales contracts in other fields have long been a bone of contention and the present effort to devise a form that would be fair and binding on both sides has grown out of the wholesale canceUation of agree ments to purchase which occurred immediately after the close of the World War. Sales contracts seemed to be mere scraps of paper to many concerns, which had contracted for long time deliveries of large quantities of chemicals, when the armistice was signed and their production had to be curtailed. Those who were on the buying end of a contract wanted to cancel while those on the selling end insisted on the fulfilment of the agreement; human nature perhaps, but rather detrimental to the mutual confidence necessary for sound business relations. It was an unusual situation and compromises had to be effected. There were losses on all sides. It should be borne in mind that fundamentally this condition was the result of war—not of faulty contracts. And so, in the future, agreements to pur chase and sell may be made in the best of faith and on the fairest and most binding form of contract, but unusual situa tions beyond human control may arise and then we shall have a factor not covered in the contract. Contracts are not necessary to cover transactions between parties whose ethical standard is up to the mark set by pres ent-day business associations, but until we reach that Utopian period when business organizations will all live up to the creeds that have been put forth to guide them, we must have some form of protection against tricky methods and sharp trading practices. The committee which labored diligently to meet the various factors entering into chemical sales transactions and produced the suggested contract form is deserving of much praise for its efforts. Doubtless the new form of contract is fair and adequately covers all the factors in the average transaction between buyers and sellers of chemicals.
News
Edition
The Call to Milwaukee The preliminary program of the coming semi-annual meet ing of the American Chemical Society printed in this issue, although incomplete in some respects, indicates that those who are planning to journey to Milwaukee in September will be provided with a wealth of scientific discussion and enough entertainment to occupy their time, profitably, enjoyably and very fully. The Milwaukee Section, well known for its hospitality, is hard at work through its committees in making this a meeting long to be remembered. The location of Milwaukee and the time selected for the meeting are calculated to draw a large attendance. Vacations can be so planned as to begin or finish them with a trip to Milwaukee. Whether the trip is taken by rail, boat or automobile, there is opportunity for enjoying the exceptional beauties of nature in the early fall season, no mat ter from what direction this city is approached. The trip from Milwaukee to Madison, where the State University and the Forest Products Laboratory are located, will take the visitors to one of the most beautiful spots in that section of the country and of course the scientific interest which attaches to such a trip cannot be overestimated. There will be a wealth of valuable contributions to all branches of chemistry and the symposia planned on sub jects of timely interest make it imperative for those who are anxious to keep abreast of progress in their fields to be in attendance and take part in the discussions.
Local Section Programs The suggestion that program committees of our local sec tions get together for the purpose of arranging suitable itineraries for prominent speakers has been made a number of times. There is no disagreement on the suggestion but nevertheless it has not been acted on to any great extent. It would save much time and expense if it were possible for a number of sections in contiguous territory to have a speaker, whom all want to hear, make one trip of several days' dura tion and appear before these sections on successive evenings. The expenses of the speaker could be pooled and small sections which ordinarily could not afford to entertain prominent men from a distance would thus be enabled to enjoy the same advantages in this respect as their more numerous neighboring sections. Now is the time to discuss and put such a plan into effect. Program committees which are really active, always plan their meetings far in advance and many have already made tenta tive arrangements, at least, for their fall meetings. At the Milwaukee convention of the American Chemical Society a period has been set aside for a meeting of local section officers. That seems to be the most opportune place and time to begin work on a plan of coöperative local section programs. In the meantime such local section program committees as have made their plans for the coming season might send copies of their programs to neighboring sections and either bring or send them to the meeting referred to above, so that other sections may plan to take advantage of the coöperative idea if they care to. There is no good reason why such a plan cannot be put into operation. The annual visits of the Presidents of the American Chemical Society to local sections indicate clearly that satisfactory itineraries can be arranged. The speakers will undoubtedly be willing, so it remains only for the individual local section officers to get together and to act. The News Edition will gladly announce the proposed trips of prominent chemists but such information should be sent in sufficiently in advance in order to be helpful to Section program committees.
