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CONCENTRATES
WASHINGTON Royalties may be required for photocopies of copyrighted books and journals if a suit now before the U.S. court of claims in Washington is decided in favor of Williams & Wilkins Co., a Baltimore, Md., publisher of medical and scientific journals and books. The suit, which could result in a precedent-setting decision, was filed in February 1968. It alleges copyright infringement by the Federal Government through photocopying of parts of some of the publisher's journals by a National Institutes of Health library and the National Library of Medicine. A Williams & Wilkins official expects a decision from the court early next year. Tough new air pollution legislation reaches the Senate floor for a vote this week after emerging virtually intact from the Senate Public Works Committee on an 8 to 6 vote. A possibility of extending, by one year, the 1975 deadline for tighter emission controls on autos (C&EN, Aug. 31, page 10) is the only major change from the bill drafted by the Muskie subcommittee. Tight curbs on CPI emissions that could close some plants and authorization for citizens suits remain. Committee sources expect major opposition to come from the auto industry. The U.S. Tariff Commission will investigate the impact of imports on U.S. industries at the request of President Nixon. Slated to open Nov. 4, the hearings will probe competition of imported and domestic products in the U.S. market and the effect of that competition on U.S. industries. In his request to the Tariff Commission, President Nixon pointed out that "the information obtained in this investigation will be particularly useful in determining our future policies and trade actions, including the possible need for any detailed investigation under . . . the Trade Expansion Act." Allied Chemical will limit mercury discharges to 8 ounces per day at each of two chlorinecaustic soda plants at Solvay, N.Y., under an agreement with the Department of Justice. This average total net discharge meets the target set earlier by Department of Interior officials. Allied has also agreed to measure mercury content of effluent daily, submit weekly reports to the Federal Water Quality Administration, and come up with a proposed schedule of future reductions of mercury discharges by Dec. 1. Under the agreement, Justice's request for a preliminary injunction and trial is continued until Dec. 7. Allied is one of eight firms sued by Justice over alleged mercury pollution. FWQA found it to be discharging 4.4 pounds of mercury per day into Onondaga Lake on July 14, 1970. At press time Interior Secretary Walter J. Hickel reported that mercury discharges nationally had been cut 86% by some 50 firms, including the 10 which Interior asked Justice to file charges against ( C&EN, Aug. 3, page 14 ). Commerce has consolidated business agencies and technical information activities. The former Business and Defense Services Administration and Commerce's 42 field offices now come under a new Bureau of Domestic Commerce; the Bureau of International Commerce has been beefed up by adding the Office of Foreign Commercial Services and reactivating the post of National Export Expansion Coordinator in BIC. Meanwhile, the Clearinghouse for Scientific and Technical Information has been taken away from the National Bureau of Standards and its functions merged into a National Technical Information Service. NTIS will provide information for business and industry as well as science and technology. SEPT. 21, 1970 C&EN 23
