INDUSTRIAL
4
AND ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING
CHEMISTRY NEWS EDITION Published
by the American
Chemical
Society
Editor: H. E. H o w e Managing Editor: ROBERT P. FISCHBLIS Assistant to the Editor: N. A. PARKXNSOH Associate Editor: D. H. KILLEFFBK BorrouAi, Orvics: 810 Eighteenth St., 1ST. W. Washington, D . C.
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Entered as second class matter at 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 I,. Parsons, Secretary, 1700 G St., N. W„ Washington, D . C.
OCTOBER 10. 1923
Chemistry's Contribution to the Coal Problem One of the favorable results of the coal strike of last year has been the thorough investigation of the coal business in all its phases. In addition to the investigation carried on by the United States Coal Commission, independent investi gations were carried on at great expense by the coal oper ators as well as the organized mine workers. The result is that more is now known about the actual conditions of all phases of the coal business than probably any other line of activity. The interest of the Government was naturally in the direction of protecting the consuming public and its investigation when made public in detail, after Congress appropriates the necessary funds for printing, will doubtless throw light on many factors which need illuminating very badly. The separate investigations carried on by the opera tors and miners were probably prompted by the governmental investigation. The time will come when these organizations will have to defend themselves against findings of the govern ment agents and real information will have to be forthcoming to satisfy the public. The entire matter is of interest be cause of the minuteness of detail with which the investi gations were and are still being conducted. In their final analysis these investigations represent a piece of industrial research of unparalleled magnitude which may be drawn upon for information in planning other similar investigations. In connection with the general coal problem, a committee on storage of coal has been at work for over five months gathering data on the storing of coal by industrial concerns. This committee is sponsored by the Federated American Engineering Societies. Information is being gathered from all classes of industries which will enable the committee to develop for each industry the coal required per unit of pro duction and the coal stored per unit of production, from which it will be possible in the future to develop the amount of coal used and the percentage of this coal which is stored, from the commodity figures which are collected monthly by the De partment of Commerce. Thus it is hoped to secure an accu rate conversion factor which will make the question of coal consumption, coal storage, etc., a definitely known quantity from month to month. Naturally, the storage of coal involves possibility of spon taneous combustion and deterioration. The organizers of
CHEMISTRY
News Edition
the committee realizing that this was a chemical problem appointed a chemist on the committee to study that phase of the matter. Prof. S. W. Parr of the University of Illinois was assigned the task of developing the effects of spontaneous combustion, deterioration of coal in storage, effects of break age and allied subjects. This will constitute chemistry's contribution to the coal storage problem. It is hardly necessary to point out that practically every modern in dustrial problem has a chemical phase somewhere and the very gratifying thing about it all is that there is always an outstanding American chemist available who can and will solve that part of the problem.
An Educational Asset The success of the "Students' Course" on the "Fundamen tals of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemical Prac tice," held in conjunction with the recent Chemical Exposition under the direction of Dr. W. T. Read of the Chemistry Faculty of Yale University, stamps the exposition as an educational asset as well as a commercial enterprise. What greater opportunity could an instructor in chemical engineering or industrial chemistry desire to acquaint Ms students with the latest designs in equipment than to let them spend a week under proper direction and with actual full time instruction in a place where representative manu facturers of chemical equipment and chemical products have placed their wares on exhibition? T h e registration of students totalled 117 on the first day of the exposition and 21 institutions were represented. The course was outlined in the News Edition of August 10 and while many of the lecturers were representatives of com mercial concerns, all of their talks were free from sales propaganda. Each speaker discussed the fundamental principles upon which the process, machinery or other appa ratus he discussed was based and all did it so well that in spite of t h e long hours, the interest of the students kept up. About fifty of the students took examinations at the end of the course. Twenty-eight of these were Yale students who will receive academic credit for this course. B y the time the next exposition is held there should be sufficient interest in the educational value of the exhibits to induce more of the colleges, especially those in and around New York, to follow the lead of Yale and give credit for the work done by students at the exposition under proper direc tion. The course as given this year dispelled all doubt as to its practicability and in fact it demonstrated its right t o a place in the curriculum of every chemical engineering course.
Employment Information I n each number of the New Edition nearly two pages are devoted to listing employment information. Chemists looking for positions may find a satisfactory opening and employers looking for chemists may be able to select the man or woman with just the type of training desired, by consult ing these pages, Occasionally we receive a letter of thanks from a chemist who has secured a satisfactory position through the advertisement he has had inserted free of charge in the News Edition by virtue of his membership in the American Chemical Society. Such letters are always encouraging and are gratefully received. There are few scientific organizations which render a greater service to their membership in as many directions as is the case with our society. Helping the chemist to find the right position and filling positions with the right chemists is an extremely important service and the News Edition desires to render this service as efficiently and fully as possible in behalf of the American Chemical Society.
