RIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY P U B L I S H E D BY T H E A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L S O C I E T Y
W A L T E R J. M U R P H Y , E D I T O R
In Keeping with the Times
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that would prove most useful. As a result of these plant inqmtion trips and frank discussion with plant operating officials, the three topics were selected as a beginning; others may be added in the future. We and the Contributing Editors welcome constructive suggestions and criticisms on how these new services c’an best be directed to serving our readers.
NE cannot visit the chemical, petroleum, and metallurgical plants of America, particularly the newer ones, without being greatly impressed with the increase in the utilization of recording and control’devices of one kind or another. Because of the critical shortage of technical manpower during the war period, it is unlikely that we could have performed the production miracles which are now a matter of Controlling German Industry record if control and recording instruments had not been ONSIDERABLE interest and speculation have demade available in great quantities. Unquestionably we will veloped in Washington and other parts of the country see in the postwar era further adoption of automatic devices. over a news release, under date of October 17, entitled “A Indeed, many of our plants constructed during the war period Job for the Antitrust Men”, written by Herbert J. Seligmann, have been forced to employ a minimum number of such of the Overseas News Agency. instruments, but this condition is being remedied rapidly. Seligmann, after giving credit to the Antitrust Division of Even casual inspection of the newer plants indicates not the U. S. Department of Justice for furnishing the Army Air only the trend toward instrumentation, but rather revoluForce Intelligence Service accurate target information on tionary new developments in plant equipment and design. German and Japanese industry, then goes on to state: One of the favorite topics of discussion today among chemical It is now suggested in Washington that the same group which engineers is speculation on postwar chemical engineering so thorou hly and carefully analyzed the flow of German industry techniques, particularly the introduction of continuous operaand the @bottlenecks of the cartel system, and which knows European industry as well as anyone can in the United States, tion replacing batch operation. be sent overseas to deal with the specific problems that control of Not all the problems that will confront plant managers in postwar German industry will pose. the postwar period will be strictly chemical and mechanical. In some quarters in Washington, the Overseas News The return of former employees from the Armed Forces, labor Agency story is viewed as being inspired and as the opening relations, improved cost-finding methods, employee incentive gun in a campaign by the Antitrust Division to secure domiplans, simplified production records, plant housekeeping, nant representation on any board or boards created to control and plant safety problems, are some of the potential headGerman industry in the postwar period. aches in store for plant managers. The Overseas News Agency release also states, “It can be All this is lherely an introduction to an announcement said on unimpeachable authority, that the Antitrust Division that INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRYwill include of the Justice Department, which successfully helped the each month, beginning with this issue, three new departArmy analyze German industry for war purposes, is not being ments: Equipment and Design, Instrumentation, Plant called upon for any of the detailed planning with regard to Management, We have secured an outstanding expert in the future of that industry”. In fact, Seligmann, again using each of these fields and believe that their contributions will the same unimpeachable authority states, “It is doubtful assist materially in the solution of three of the most important whether any such detailed planning is now going on.” phases of postwar production. Reverting to the well-known newspaper ambiguity of The subject of Instruments ntill be covered by a l p h H. “informed sources”, the Seligmann story continues aa follows: Munch, specialist of the Monsanto Chemical Company, who This, say informed sources, is the more absurd inasmuch as is in charge of matters concerning automatic recording and the Antitrust Division is virtually the only agency in the United control devices in all Monsanto plants. Charles Owen Brown, States Government that h e had experience in ?organizing industry from the oint of view of restoring competitive condiwell-known New York chemical engineering- consultant, tions from monopo5 domination. will discuss over-all problems on equipment and design, and Continuing, the Overseas News Agency release states: Waiter von Pechmann, industrial engineer with fifteen years of production experience and now associated with the Ansco It is now contended that these same men who know more about the d e steel, chemical, optical, and electrical industries Division of General Aniline and Film Corporation, will than some ortthe hi h officers in the bi corporations, are the ones comment on various phases of plant operation and manageto send to Euro e for the purpose of ioing the same kind of job in dismantling &e immense German cartels whch helped prepare ment. More detailed biographical sketches of the three conNazi Germany for World War. tributing editors will be found Qn advertising pages 58,63,69. That the members of the staff of the Antitrust Division are The Editors of INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINHERING CHEMISTRY better informed on chemical matters or will handle such over the past several months scrutinized most carefully matters more judiciously than the officials of chemical comoperations in hundreds of plants located throughout the panies or the outstanding technologists of this country, will country and questioned plant managers as to what, in their be doubted by most capably informed individuals. opinion, this publication could add to its editorial program 969
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I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY
I n a recent editorial entitled “Planning Postwar Germany”, this publication advocated that German industries be directly supervised for many years to come by scientifically trained individuals who will be able to detect and prevent the prostitution of science and industry for war purposes. We have in this country a number of highly trained chemists, chemical engineers, and technologists in every branch of science, of highest integrity and free of any entangling alliances with industry who are available for the purpose of controlling German industry. It is suggested that men of this caliber be selected, rather than a group consisting largely of politicians, lawyers, and statisticians. Problems to be met and questions to be answered will have technological angles which only scientifically trained minds can properly analyze.
Vol. 36, No. 11
Surplus Property
what to expect and permit them to prepare counter measures immediately. Thus not only is the element of surprise destroyed, but thousands of lives may be sacrificed. Despite the talk of reconversion, demobilization, postwar planning, and Allied victories in Europe and in the Pacific, the was is not yet won and we can msume that it is only when Germany and Japan have capitulated. We still face the possibility of tremendous loss of lives. One heedless remark may mean that the toll of the flower of our manhood may be increased and the war needlessly prolonged. Those who are actually engaged in secret research work are the least likely to talk about the details. The greatest danger comes from outsiders who speculate on war projects. If each and everyone of us practice personal censorship over our own remarks, our enemies will continue to remain in the dark and, when we are ready to launch new weapons, they will really come as a complete surprise.
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U.0.P.-A.C.S.
HE Surplus Property Bill recently passed by Congress has, in the main, throttled the plant disposal program of the Surplus War Property Administration. Under the new law a three-man board appointed by the President has replaced the Surplus War Property Administration. The most general criticism made of the new law is that a threeman committee, so to speak, will not operate so quickly and so effectively as an agency with but one head. Another criticism is the proviso that no property costing over $5,000,000 can be sold until 30 days after the report has been filed and 30 days after Congress is in session. Within the next three months the new board must submit to Congress recommendations for handling seven major types of surplus facilities-aluminum, magnesium, synthetic rubber, chemicals, aviation gasoline, iron and steel, and pipe lines. Obviously the chemical industry and industries closely allied to it are concerned with the methodp employed to market some, $3,600,000,000 worth of plants in these fields. Somewhere three outstanding individuals with integrity and ability must be found to solve this major problem.
Practice Personal Censorship
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HIS publication views with deep concern the growing tendency on the part of some sections of the press, and a few columnists, to publish items purporting to give inside information on matters connected with our war effort. It sounds very smart to hint at these matters, and the authors of such gossip expect to convey the impression that they have special access to highly confidential information, when, in all probability, they are merely repeating some remark they have overheard. Technologists must recognize that they have a very special responsibility to maintain absolute secrecy on all technical and scientific information. I n all military programs of any size it is necessary that many people have access to considerable information of value to the enemy, but it is definitely wrong to assume, because relatively large numbers know or suspect some of the phases of such programs, that it is safe to discuss or even mention them. Two of the most important angles of all new military developments are suspense and surprise. Idle gossip destroys much of the practical value of secret weapons. Advance information, no matter how meager, may tip off our enemies on
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ATURALLY, considerable interest has been evinced by members of the AMERICANCHEMICALSOCIETYand others concerning the status of the offer by the owners of the Universal Oil Products Company to give the company to the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. Creation of a trust under which the Guaranty Trust Company of New York is trustee of securities of the Universal Oil Products Company in Chicago for the benefit of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETYhas been announced by Thomas Midgley, Jr., President of the SOCIETY.The trust, known as the Petroleum Research Fund, was set up to administer the gift made by a group of oil companies owning securities in Universal, one of the leading research and development enterprises of the country. The management and operation of Universal Oil Products Company will be under the direction of a board of directors to be appointed by the Guaranty Trust Company of New York as trustee. The donors are Shell Oil Company, Inc., Standard Oil Company of California, Standard Oil Company (Indiana), Standard Oil Company (New Jersey), The Texas Company, and N. V. de Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij. The donor companies made known their proposal to relinquish their holdings of securities of Universal Oil Products Company for the benefit of the SOCIETYat the 108th National Meeting of the SOCIETY in New York on September 13, 1944. At that time they offered to give all their securities of the company to the SOCIETY. The Board of Directors of the SOCIETY accepted the offer in principle and appointed a committee to work out the details. The negotiations culminated in the agreement creating the Petroleum Research Fund with the Guaranty Trust Company as trustee. The net profit from the Universal Oil Products Company will flow to the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY,to be used for purposes of research in the petroleum and natural gas fields. The SOCIETY will have no obligation in so far as the management of Universal Oil Products Company is concerned. The SOCIETY,on the other hand, will have absolute discretion in the matter of selecting the research projects. The SOCIETY can withdraw at any time it feels that it should not act further and it can then disclaim any interest in the trust. Complete details, including the trust agreement, will appear in Chemical and Engineering News for November 10.
