INTERNATIONAL
WORLD WIDE
CHEMISTRY
Team will study proposal to establish construction materials development facility in Latin A m e r i c a . . . U. S. signs Point Four agreement w i t h Ethiopia A FOUR-MAN research team from Armour -**· Research Foundation of Illinois Insti tute of Technology is making a threemonth survey of Latin American countries to determine the advisability of, and pos sible sites for, a construction materials de velopment and training center. A team of research and engineering experts from the foundation's interna tional division will visit Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and other countries desig nated by the State Department's Techni cal Cooperation Administration, sponsor of the Point Four survey. The research team, which will include chemical, ceramic, and structural engi neers plus a market research specialist, will also study road construction mate rials, and investigate building products and manpower Sources. In addition, they will indicate what equipment, machinery, and materials would be needed for the center. Any center that might be established would give small businessmen an oppor tunity to learn the latest techniques in using locally available construction mate rials and would stimulate interest in the construction materials field. It would also be used to train instructors and engineers from other Latin American countries and to demonstrate how the natural resources of each climatic region can be used. If the foundation's research team indi cates that such a center is practical, the foundation may be asked to start a threeyear project employing about 20 techni cians. This group would organize and operate the center which would be jointly staffed by foundation personnel and selected Latin American technicians. The center would have a wood preserv ing plant, a semichemieal and roofing felt manufacturing plant, a small sawmill, plus machinery for making concrete blocks, brick and tile, insulating materials, and aggregates. Techniques demonstrated at the center would be an improvement over methods now used in many rural areas and would be particularly directed toward meeting the needs of small rural enterprises. The foundation's international activities are under the direction of Thorias Ρ Collier, division manager.
Ethiopia to H a v e Technical Assistance Under Point Four Ethiopia and the United States have signed a technical cooperation agreement under President Truman's Point Four pro gram. Under a general agreement specific projects will be set up when careful sur 3024
veys of Ethiopia's needs have been made. In some sections of the country health and sanitation conditions represent a serious problem. In the low-lying tropical areas malaria, typhus, dysentery, trachoma, and tuberculosis are prevalent. Doctors and sanitary engineers will be needed to teach health education and to introduce clean water supplies to improve the living con ditions and health of the worker. The Ethiopian government has made formal requests for technical assistance in a rural development project in the Harar province; the establishment of an agri cultural college; aid to primary and sec ondary schools, including the establish ment of an Ethiopian-American educa tional service separate from the Ministry of Education in undertaking teacher train ing work with materials prepared in the United States and under the direction of American educators; equipping 20 sec ondary schools with science equipment and library books; vocational education for nurses and midwives; assistance in analyz ing Ethiopian resources for new develop ment projects; the establishment of a gov ernmental statistical unit; land registra tion; live stock census; mineral surveys; the establishment of marketing grades and standards; the analysis of specific indus tries, and fellowships for training along these lines; and a public health assistance program. Coal, copper, sulfur, potash, and salt are known to exist but are not developed commercially. Trade is chiefly in the ex port of hides and skins of cattle, goats, sheep, leopards, and monkeys. Imports are salt, cotton goods and yam, building materials, petroleum products, and indus trial and agricultural machinery. A po tentially rich source of income is natural rubber. Rubber trees liberally sprinkle the low tropical regions of the country.
India Does Research on Chromium-Manganese Steels Research work is being carried out a t Jamshedpur, India, on behalf of the Coun cil of Scientific and Industrial Research t o investigate the effect of replacing, partially or wholly, the alloying element, nickel, i n 18 Cr:8 Ni type of austenitic stainless steel by high-purity manganese metal, lately being produced in India. Studies have shown that low-carbon 18?r chromium steels in the alloying range of 4 to 12 manganese and 0 to 4r/c nickel hold con siderable promise of being developed i n dustrially to take the place of conventional 18:8 stainless steel for most commercial purposes. C H E M I C A L
However, it has been found that straight chromium manganese steels are inferior in corrosion resistance to some media, notably sulfuric acid. No low carbon chromiummanganese steel has a fully austenitic structure. It has been found necessary to raise the carbon and add up to 4% nickel in order to retain austenite completely on quenching. Such high carbon alloys suffer froir low ductility, are difficult to forge, and have poor atmospheric corrosion re sistance.
I r a n Offers Oil on C a s h - C a r r y Basis On July 14 Iranian officials disclaimed further obligations toward former cus tomers of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. and invited purchases from new or old clients on a "cash and carry" basis. When the Iranians began the take-over of Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. early in June they promised the British concern's customers priority in supplies if they renegotiated their contracts by July 13. At the deadline none of the old customers had applied to the new Iranian National Oil Co. This freed the company. to consider offers re ceived from would-be clients. The first offer acted upon was one from "Columexport" of N e w York. The firm was told to come with its own tankers and with cash in hand. The Iranians have had other similar offers both to purchase oil and to supply technicians to run the newly nationalized industry if the British carry out their de clared intention to withdraw. The main Iranian hope to replace British personnel would appear to lie in the Germans, ac cording to the New York Times, since a number of applications from German tech nicians have been received and many have had considerable experience. The nationalized oil company's princi pal problem now is to get their products moving out of brimful storage tanks and get revenue flowing into the country.
Scotland Sulfur Plans Henry Balfour & Co., Ltd., of Leven, Fife, chemical, food and gas engineers, have completed plans for the manufacture of a n e w range of units to recover sulfur from coal gas. They also propose to fabri cate similar equipment for recovering sul fur from blast furnace gas in steelworks and flue gas from power plants. This investigation has been in progress over a period of years under the super vision of Dr. Bahr, formerly attached to I G Farben. The Scottish company has acquired licenses for manufacture in Brit ain of plant to his design and processes. Actual production is scheduled to start before the end of summer 1951.
C&EN Foreign Correspondents Con tributing to This Issue: A. P. S O M , India V. S. S W A M I N A T H A N ,
A N D
Scotland
ENGINEERING
NEWS
