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IN T H E
h e n t e d h f o n the Division of Industrial axad Engineering Chemistry at the 121st &ting of the American Chemical Society. Buffalo. N. Y.
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U RECENT articles concerning Xew E n -
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o p h m m and of pessimism for this part of the United States have been evident. Some insight into this fluctuating trend can be achieved by examining the position of this area, its resouroes for the chemical industry, aa a whole, in relation to the rest of the country, and then some of the leading chemical industries of the region. One general conclusion which may be drawn on the basis of this symposium is that most of the production in the chemical and chemical process industries is based on processing imported raw materials-a logical conclusion in view of New England‘s dearth of mineral resources. A notable exception to this is the pulp and paper industry. This industry ranks fifth in the United States, with New England being in third place in the industry. Incidentally statewise, Maine is serand to Washington in pulp production, although it exceeds Washington in paper production. Selection of plant locations for large firms is becoming a precise technique which embraces a wide range of considerations. The first two items which come to mind in considering plant location are the availability of raw materials and accegs to markets. For the most part little can be done about the raw material supply. The situation exists, and industry must adapt to it, unless transportation costs can be altered. The most profitable approach for the New England chemical industry as a unit would be to concentrate on high “valueadded-by-manufacture” products. This is, in fact, the pattern that exists.
%arkets are slightly more susceptible to change by the producer, but, by and large, must also be accepted as they are. New England, however, is close to its principal market, the highly industrialized Middle Atlantic mea, and to its potential market and source of raw material, Eastern Canada. It is also very favorably located for trade with Europe. Availability of lahar also is important in selecting plant locations 89 is the existence or lack of union organization among chemical workers. Chemical plants are often operated by relatively few m orkers in comparison to the value of the products produced and are thus particularly susceptible to arbitrary work stoppage if union and management do not work smoothly, The industry in general considers that workers must be of average or higher than average intelligence, as the judgment of a plant worker often plays a determining role in plant production, and particularly in plant safety. Technically trained manpower, therefore, is an important resource for the chemical industry, and proximity to educational centers such as New England offers, although not a controlling factor, can often be helpful in the operation of a plant. New England’s greatest natural resource is the people who live there, “Yankee” has become a synonym for ingenuity and resourcefulness and these have lrelped to make New England the important manufacturing area that it is.
JOHN B. CALKIN
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