March, 1928
INDUSTRIAL A X D ENGINEERIXG CHEMISTRY
233
and lead the discussion. It is one of the high points in the chemistry of the year. You will want to note future announcements.
membership, will enable them to achieve even greater things for American chemistry as applied to our great petroleum industry.
Industries, Attention
St. Louis Expects You
H E annual report for 1927 of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, carries much that is of interest, but what arrests our attention are the paragraphs relative to fundamental chemical research. KO one can question the success of the du Pont Company. Its affairs have been so conducted throughout the years since its establishment in 1802, that i t has properly escaped much of the criticism levied by a Foorly led and a t times unthinking public against business organizations. Of course there are other factors which contribute to the advance of such an organization, but surely its attitude toward fundamental chemical research is one of the outstanding reasons for its success. We call the attention of industry generally to the following paragraphs quoted from page 15 of the report cited:
F COURSE for months you have carried in your engagement book the item of the seventy-fifth meeting of the SOCIETY, St. Louis, April 16 t o 19. You have now noted the preliminary program which appeared in the February 10 News Edition, and if you are a t all forehanded have long since made your hotel reservation. You have noted particulars with respect to reduced railroad rates, and if you intend to present a paper, you have by now notified the secretary of your division. See to it that without delay you forward to him a t least an abstract and, better yet. the complete paper itself, to aid in the advance publicity for the meeting and to facilitate the publication work of the SOCIETY. The increase in the number of members attending the semiannual meetings indicates the growing conviction tha$ one cannot afford to be absent. A nucleus of a few hundred may always be counted upon, and it is gratifying to find how eager those in the vicinity of a meeting place are to take advantage of the opportunity offered. The older members need no special urging to be present a t these meetings, and even the younger have rapidly come to evaluate properly the advantages afforded. Fortunately, the number of those who feel that they can work on successfully without intimate contact with their profession is decreasing to the vanishing point. One might almost say that increase in attendance, publication, and chemical activity are proportional. St. Louis expects you. Of course you will not disappoint our host..
The diversified chemical industries which constitute your company’s business are basically closely related. This relationship consists of similarity or identity of raw materials and processes of manufacture. The more far-reaching changes and improvements in chemical processes and products go back to the fundamental facts in chemical science and have usually come about through the application of fundamental research to the problems of chemical industry. In addition to a vast amount of applied research, your company has always carried on a certain amount of fundamental chemical investigation. Since it is so essential to the development of the art, it has recently been decided to place increased emphasis on fundamental research. Accordingly, additional equipment essential t o this type of investigation is being provided from time to time as the need arises, and a personnel especially adapted to carrying on imestigations of this nature, and selected with particular reference thereto, has under investigation definite problems in the category of fundamental research. The proper conduct of fundamental research of this nature furnishes added assurance of consistent progress, making available to our applied research information of prime importance not otherwise obtainable.
We recommend the repetition of these paragraphs by the directors of industry to their stockholders and the widespread adoption of the principles enunciated.
An Attainable Objective HE Petroleum Division of the SOCIETYnow numbering three hundred and thirty-two, has decided that its mernbership should include a t least two members for each of the three hundred and ta-enty-eight petroleum refineries now in operation. It has undertaken to spread the gospel that to keep abreast of the developments in petroleum industry the technical men must participate in the activities of the Division, use its facilities for furthering acquaintanceship, and benefit directly by participation in programs and by following the discussions presented a t the meetings of the Division. I n a recent letter to Division members was included a membership and refinery survey, showing the number of plants in the various states, the daily crude capacity of these refineries where plants are operating, the number of members that should be obtained, and the number of members now in these refineries. Five states and the District of Columbia are without refineries yet have members in the Division, while four foreign countries are represented in Division membership. There are but twelve states where no members of the Petroleum Division are to be found. m7e congratulate the Petroleum Division upon its efforts and the vision of its officials which, with the backing of the
Failure Despite Research HAT a little knowledge is a dangerous thing is another way of saying that failures in business begun upon what seemed to be an adequate research foundation occasionally occur. R e have in mind a firm which began production just as soon as enough research had been completed to indicate one method of manufacturing its commodity. This concern had a full six yearq’ start in its field, but when it came into production attention was centered upon problems incident thereto and upon sales, advertising, business policy, and the like. Research work was not continued on an adequate b a s k Other methods of making its sole item of commerce were not perfected or even seriously investigated. Its business grew, but more slowly than would have been anticipated. Six years later another group began to put into commercial production material developed over the entire period of time. It had found other ways of making the product. It had concentrated upon the various scientific phases of a complex problem. It had been undiverted from its principal ambition to know as much as possible about the subject before the plant was erected. Today this group is the leader and the first concern, unable to compete with its younger rival. has gone into a different type of business. The moral is plain. Resist the temptation to go into commercial production before you are really ready. Under no circumstances undertake a new project until you are prepared to continue active research which will make it impossible, or a t least extremely difficult, for another group to be enough better trained to displace you in your chosen business.
