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Waterside Sites for Chemicals Inland waterways attracted some 175 chemical and process industry plants and expansions in 1956 ATERSIDE SITES are b e c o m i n g
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creasingly popular. During 1956, all industry picked 570 major sites on waterways for new manufacturing plants a n d expansions, power plants and terminals. This figure contrasts with 480 sites in 1955 and 346 in 1954, according to American Waterways Operators. T h e appeal of waterside sites varies fro in company to company, of course, but certain factors a r i general: Barge transportation Is available; water for industrial purposes is usually unlimited; iow electric power rates are often associated with low-cost barge transportation of coal and fuel oil. T h e chemical industry led t h e way, planning 133 new plants or expansions along inland waterways last year. High among t h e process industries is p u l p with 24 sites; aluminum is using 20
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14; fertilizer, textiles, cement, and rubber are taking others. T h e year started off a t a high level. In fact at t h e end of the first quarter of the year, American Waterways Operators pointed out t h a t more waterside sites had been chosen i n that period than in any similar one since decentralization of industry began on a wide scale after World W a r I I . This rate continued to increase. During t h e first quarter, industry selected 138 sites; during the second q u a r t e r , 147; during the third, 1 7 3 . Thus t h e nine months' total of 458 was only slightly under the total for t h e entire year of 1955. Some areas served by inland waterways fare better than others. The Chicago Association of Commerce a n d Industry lists a 1956 plant investment of $500 million in t h a t area. Louisiana lists new plant construction in 1956
costing nearly $700 million, t h e bulk of it on tlie Mississippi River between Baton R o u g e and t h e Gulf of Mexico and on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and connecting inland waterways. T h e Ohio Valley Improvement Association lists plant construction in the Ohio Valley costing more than $1.5 billion last year. A n d the bulk of Alabama's S30O million plant construction during the year was along t h e W a r rior-Tombigbee W a t e r w a y and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
Lend o Helping Hand NAS-NRC committee asks industry's aid in finding jobs promptly for Hungarian scientists and engineers JLJLUXGAMAN T ESCAPEES arriving in this
country need jobs in many cases. Of those that arrived during 1956, more than 10f/r could b e classified under the Labor Department's "professional, technical, a n d kindred workers" listing. To h e l p identify a n d place those hav-
ing advanced scientific or professional training, the National A c a d e m y of Sciences-National Research Council has set up an office at C a m p Kilmer, N . J. It hopes to assist the professionally trained escapees in finding "suitable placement where they can m a k e full use of their talents to their own satisfaction and to the benefit of the institutions with which they become associated.' To aid in this program, the AcademyResearch Council would like to know of openings that may be available for persons of advanced training. It is particularly interested in openings that require the doctorate or an a d v a n c e d engineering degree. It will then bring such opportunities to t h e attention of those w h o appear qualified a n d it will provide a means for direct contact between t h e individuals a n d t h e institutions where openings exist. The Academy-Research Council points out that because of t h e limited facilities at C a m p Kilmer, it is necessary to place the escapees as rapidly as possible. Consequently, specific and detailed information is wanted a b o u t any openings. T h e following items should be included: 1. N a m e and location of institution. 2. Description of position available; field of work; nature of duties (e.g., teaching, research, development, engineering, m a n a g e m e n t ) . 3. Level of salary or other support. 4. Estimated starting d a t e and duration of employment. 5. L a n g u a g e requirements and availability of local training in English if necessary. 6. N a m e , address, telephone of representative for further negotiations. 7. Housing available (some escapees are accompanied by their families). 8. Group or organization willing to act as sponsor, if known. 9. This information previously given to 10. Other information that you consider helpful. T h e Hungarians are in t w o categories, those with visas for immigration (some 6500) and those a d m i t t e d on a "parolee" basis. In the first case the law requires a sponsor to g u a r a n t e e for a year that the individual will not become a public charge. In t h e second case the requirements are somewhat the same; responsibility must b e assumed for housing a n d / o r employment of the escapee. In both cases arrangements are usually m a d e in t h e community where t h e individual is placed, often with h e l p of local welfare agencies. Some language training courses have been arranged for escapees w h o do not speak English; others are b e i n g considered. Many who do not speak English speak French or G e r m a n .
Information should be sent in duplicate, tHe original to: National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, 2101 Constitution A v e , NT. W., Washington 25, D. C. Attn: Office of Scientific Personnel. And a carbon copy to : National -Academy of Sciences—National Research C c a c i l , c / o President's Committee, Building 1305, C a m p Kilmer, NT . J, Tob>eT)f greatest assistance, information o n employment opportunities should be k e p t up t o date as circumstances change.
Carbide claims first and largest commercial morpholine production, making it from diethanolamine which, in turn, is made from ethylene oxide. Construction of new morpholine facilities is an integrated part of a program of ethanolamines and ethylene oxide expansion. A new ethanolamines unit has just been completed at Seadrift, Tex., and t h e company's new ethylene oxide-ethylene glycol-polyethylene plant at Torrance, Calif., is now in production. Morpholine at present is used as a component of fugitive emulsifiers in rubless floor polishes, as a corrosion inhibitor in boilers, and as a raw material for rubber accelerators.
Manganese Firm Formed A c o m p a n y t o produce manganese from domestic o r e has been formed u n der t h e name U . S. M a n g a n e s e Corp. Another subsidiary is one of t h e parent companies, Vitro Corp., has b e e n a w a r d e d a contract by t h e General Services Administration for pilot testing of t h e p r o c e s s the new firm will use. GSA.'s contract extends 19 months and totals S270,541. Under it, Vitro labs will equip, operate, a n d maintain a manganese pilot p l a n t at its W e s t Orange, N. J., labs, This pilot unit is designed to develop economic factors for full scale production b y t h e SheerKorinan high intensity arc process for making metallurgical-grade manganese from rhodonite. Rhodonite is a -Highly refractory, manganese-rich ore which exists in Colorado. Vitro says lab tests indicate that treatment of rhodonite with t h e arc miikes the ore a m e n a b l e to m a n ganese recovery by conventional methods. The new company is o w n e d 4 0 % by Vitro; 4 0 % b y Sheer-Korman, which supplies t h e process and patents; a n d 20 9v t>y Great Divide, whose deposits will supply the rhodonite. Some 8 0 ^ of the world's supplies of manganese Tiave come from Russia, India, a n d Africa. Russia alone accounts for some 4 0 % of t h e world's supply. New sources have b e e n developed in Brazil, however. Vitro hopes that the Sheer-Korman process will allow recovery of manganese from t h e plentiful manganese silicate deposits which h a v e not he-en suitable to conventional processing methods.
Upping JVIorpholine Output Planned expansion of Carbide & Carbon's morpholine facilities at South Charleston, W. Va., will double capacity there and substantially increase national o u t p u t . This expansion will be completed this ye-ar.
• California Research Corp., a subsidiary of Standard Oil of California has installed a 2 m.e.v. Van de Graaff particle accelerator for petroleum research. • Interchemical Corp. has opened a new pilot lab at Hawthorne, N. J. to augment its central research labs in New York City. The new lab will reproduce normal lab procedures on a scale ranging from 10 to 500 pounds. • General Electric has an order from Diamond Alkali to install w h a t it calls the nation's largest germanium power rectifier system at Diamond's Deer Park plant near Houston. The order calls for an installation rated at 35,000 k.w.—250 d.c. volts. Diamond will use the equipment to provide direct current to a chlorine cell installation. • Foster G r a n t will establish a part of its new nylon plastics manufacturing operation at Lamex Chemical Corp.'s plant at Manchester, N . H. • Union C a r b i d e & Carbon offers nonexclusive, nonassignable licenses allowing plastics processors to make plastisol-fabricated vinyl plastics using Monomer M G - 1 . Plastisols based on MG-1 produce resins with a hardness range never possible when conventional plasticizers alone are used as dispersants, the company says. • Girdler is designing and building a packaged Girbotol plant for Delta Refining Co., Memphis. T h e plant will purify 1500 barrels per day of propanebutane liquid hydrocarbon mixture by removing 10,000 pounds of hydrogen sulfide. • A. E. Stcsley Mfg. has its new addition running at Decatur, 111., for processing oxidized a n d other modified starches. • ACF Industries sells its fifth atomic reactor, this one to Comitato N a z i o n ale Ricerche Nucleari of I t a l y . The JAN.
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