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facturing operations-science must have a place, an important place too. With this idea in mind, institutions of learning and industries in this country, but more especially abroad, are investigating and studying methods to bring about cooperation between science and industry. The Mellon Institute is proud that, while very young, it has been a pioneer in the field. I t s principal claim to distinction, apart from its contributions to specific industries, is based on the service it has been able to render to other institutions in demonstrating the practicability of a system which brings together science and industry for the development of a future and more gracious civilization. MELLONINSTITUTEOP INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH OR PITTSBURQH UNIVGRSITY March 1 , 1918
AMERICAN DYESTUFF MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION The Board of Governors of the American Dyestuff Manufacturers’ Association met on April 5 a t the office of its counsel, Benjamin M. Kaye, 149 Broadway, New York City, to elect officers, execute the certificate of incorporation, and adopt the constitution and by-laws. According to the incorporation papers the objects of the Association are : To promote the welfare and business interests of those engaged in the dyestuff manufacturing industry in the United States of America. To promote and encourage the manufacture and use of American dyes; to coijperate with Congress, the Tariff Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce and all other governmental agencies in order to secure adequate protection against unfair competitive methods employed by foreign producers. T o cooperate with the United States Bureau of Standards and other similar bureaus and departments for the purpose of establishing proper trade standards of dyestuffs in the United States. To collect and disseminate accurate information relating to the manufacture, sale and use of dyes, chemicals and kindred products in order that the statistics so gathered may be utilized in the effort to establish the manufacture of dyestuffs as one of the real industries of the United States.
In adopting its constitution, special consideration was given to eligibility to membership, and the first section adopted reads: All persons, firms or corporations engaged in the business of manufacturing dyestuffs or intermediates in the United States shall be eligible for membership in the Association. No concerns having affiliations with concerns doing business in those countries now a t war with the United States or its allies shall be eligible to membership. Officers were elected as follows: President: Morris R. Poucher, of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Del. First Vice Presidelat: L. A. Ault, of Ault & Wiborg, Cincinnati, Ohio. Second Vice Presidelzt: Frank Hemingway, of Frank Hemingway, Inc., New York City. Secretary: C. Cyril Bennett, Manager of the “Color Trade Journal,” New York City. Treasurer: Charles Jenkinson, of the National City Bank, New York City. Executive Board: President Poucher; August Merz, of Heller and Merz, Newark, N. J.; Robert C. Jeffcott, of the Calco Chemical Co., New York City; J. Merritt Matthews, of the Grasselli Chemical Co., New York City; Robert P. Dicks, of the Dicks, David Co., Inc., New York City. Within a short time the Association will issue propaganda in order to acquaint the American public with the enormous strides made in the dyestuff industry in this country since the start of the European war.
CHEMICALS DIVISION OF NATIONAL W COMMITTEE ORGANIZED
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No. 5
m SAVINGS
A Chemicals Division of the National War Savings Committee appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury has been organized with committee as follows: Chairman: Ellwood Hendrick, Consulting Editor, “Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering;” Vice Chairman: J. R. de la Torre Bueno, Editor, “The General Chemical Bulletin;” Treasurer: Jerome Alexander, National Gum and Mica Co.; Semrtauy: T. E. Casey, The Barrett Co.; Charles F. Roth, Manager National Exposition of Chemical Industries; Geo. W. Nott, Advertising Manager, “The Journal of Induztrial and Engineering Chemistry;” F. M. Turner, Technical Editor, Chemical Engineering Catalog;” Wm. H. Nichols, Jr., President, General Chemical Co.; T. M. Rianhard, Vice President, The Barrett Co.; J. B. F. Herreshoff, Vice President, Nichols Copper Co.; Charles H. Herty, Editor, “The Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry;” Franklin H. Warner, Secretary and Treasurer, Warner Chemical Co.; H. I. Moody, Treasurer, National Aniline and Chemical Co.; C. E. Sholes. Sales Manager, Grasselli Chemical Co.; C. P. Tolman, Manufacturing Manager, National Lead Co.; E. D. Kingsley, President Electro Bleaching Gas Co.; Charles F. Chandler, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Columbia University; J. M. Matthews. Editor, “Color Trade Journal.”
The committee in a letter sent to all manufacturers of chemicals, dyestuffs, and chemical apparatus has requested each manufacturer to organize his establishment t o forward the sale of Thrift Stamps among his employees. They ask that one or more individuals connected with each company be made a distributing agent, and suggest that each department of a Iarge company have its accredited agent. The committee being advised of the appointments has a signed certificate bearing the name of the appointee sent from the Secretary of the Treasury. Each employee is privileged to purchase War Savings Stamps from the agent in his plant but because of the value placed upon them, the Government will allow no more than $1000worth to be sold any one person. The patriotic cooperation of all manufacturers with Uncle Sam is asked to make it easy for employees to purchase these stamps. The committee makes many suggestions as to methods of promoting thrift among employees, and the sale of stamps; i t must be remembered that an employee who has learned thrift is always responsible. All who would cooperate with the Chemicals Division are requested to communicate with Mr. T. E. Casey, The Barrett Co., I 7 Battery Place, New York City.
AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY The Northern Ohio Section of the American Ceramic Society met in Toledo, Saturday, April 6 . The program was preceded by a visit to the plant of the Buckeye Clay Pot Company where an experimental humidity dryer was of special interest. At the afternoon session, Dr. A. F. Gorton, of the Buckeye Company, gave a very interesting account of the result of three months’ operation of the dryer working on heavy blocks. A. S. Walden, foreman of the Furnace Department, of the National Carbon Company in Cleveland, presented a paper treatiyg of the points to be considered in the choice of refractories for various furnace conditions, The material presented was directly based on a large experience in the construction and operation of furnaces of greatly varying types. The charter granted to the Local Section by the Trustees a t the recent meeting of the National Society in Indianapolis was presented by Ex-President C. W. Parmelee, Department of Ceramics, University of Illinois. Prof. Parmelee’s address of presentation touched on the history and tradition of the American Ceramic Society and the part the Local Sections are t o take in the future development of the organization. A business session provided for a completion of the organization details of the section. Fol-
May, 1918
T H E J O l i R N d L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
lowing the afternoon program the members dined together and the meeting adjourned. This Local Section draws from a vrry active field of ceramics and a real live organization should develop from the present preliminary efforts. The officers of the section are as follows: Chairman: E. P. Poste, The Elyria Enamded Products Company, Elyria, Ohio. Secretary and Treasurer: Bryan A. Rice, The Elyria Enameled Products Company, Elyria, Ohio. Cou&Zor: Robert D. Landrum, Harshaw Fuller Goodwin Company, Cleveland, Ohio TECHNICAL ASSOCIATION OF PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY The Third Annual Spring Meeting of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry will be held at Dayton, Ohio, on Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17, 1918. Headquarters will be established a t the Miami Hotel, Dayton, and the business meetings will take place in Community Hall. On the afternoon of the first day papers and discussions will be given on the subject of Coal Conservation. The second day of meeting, Friday, May 17, will be given up to visits to mills in Dayton and vicinity. AI1 pulp and paper manufacturers should be represented a t
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this meeting by the technical men in their employment who are members, as they will gain a great advantage by meeting other technical workers for thc discussion of new developments, methods and procrsses. The Secretary, T J Keenin, 117 East 24th St., New York City, will be glad to assist in making reservations for members at the hotels. Details of the Program will be issued as soon as the Local Committee has completed arrangements. CALENDAR OF MEETINGS American Society of Mechanical Engineers--Worcester, Mass., C June 4 to 7, 1918. American Institute of Chemical Engineers-Aiinual Sumaer Meeting, Berlin, N. H., June 18 to 2 2 , 1918 American Society for Testing Materials-Atlantic C1tv N J June z j to 28, 1918. Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry-Thd Annual Spring Meeting, Dayton, Ohio, May 1 6 and 17, 1918. SYNTHETlC MATERIALS-CORRECTION In the note printed under the above litle in THIS JOURNAL, IO (ISIS), 314, the following correction should be made: Page 314, right-hand column, “Phenylmethyl” in the 6th line from the top should read “Phenylethyl.”
WASHINGTON LFTTE-R By PAE&WooTos, Metropolitan
Steps are being taken by‘-the purchasing agencies of the Government to give advance notice of its requirements for drugs and chemicals. Since the United-States entered the war, large government orders have been placed with little anticipation. This has had the effect of unsettling the market and has been objected t o strenuously by other consumers. In numerous cases the reserve of certain drugs and chemicals has been wiped out entirely t o fill an unexpectedly large order from the government. When other buyers found stocks exhausted, a flurry often resulted, causing prices to reach fictitious levels. Manufacturers, as well as consumers, have objected to this unnatural condition. Had advance knowledge of government requirements been had, there would have been no difficulty in having ample stocks to meet it and the needs of the regular demands of commerce as well. Charges made in connection with the application of the California Trona Co., for patents covering certain lands in the Searles 1,ake region of San Bernardino County, California, have been disapproved by the Secretary of the Interior and the patents will be granted. The charges that were made are, substantialIy: that the claims do not contain a mineral deposit of the form and character contemplated by the mining laws as subject to entry; that all of the acts performed by the company on the properties were for the purpose of securing title in the interest of non-resident aliens; that a t the date of the withdrawal of the lands, the company was not the bona fide owner of the claims and that a t the time of application for patent, the company was not qualified to receive the patent because a large majority of its stock was controlled by aliens. In the decision, which was made after extensive hearings and a full investigation, it was stated that the scientific information a t the disposal of the department shows the commercial value of several substances found on these claims, and that, chemically, each and every one of them is a mineral. The rule laid down by the department is that whatever is recognized by the standard authorities as a mineral, whether metallic or non-metallic, when found in the public lands, comes within the purview of the mining laws. In view of these facts, the decision holds “that brine in a lake from which potash is procured in valuable and commercial quantities is subject to location and patent under the mining laws.” The alien ownership feature was disposed of quickly by the citation of a ruling in a previous case in which i t was held that “a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or of any state or territory thereof, may, under Sections 2319 and 2321 of the revised statute, occupy and purchase mining claims
Bank Building, Washington. D. C.
from the government, irrespective of ownership of stock therein by persons, corporations, or associations not citizens of the United States.” Preparations for big troop movements to Prance have interfered importantly with the plans of the Chemical Service Section of the National Army and of Charles L. Parsons, the secretary of the A. C. S., for securing the return of chemists to the essential industries. In many cases, where troops were ready to go to France, permission for transfers could not be secured, as commanding officers did not want to interfere even slightly with their organizations. Dr. Parsons has held a number of conferences with officials in regard to the matter, which he believes is in a fair way to be straightened out. -____
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By far the most drastic steps taken in the reduction of imports t o release ships are those of the War Industries Board in establishing partial and complete embargoes on many imports. One list of articles, the importation of which is to be restricted, already has been issued and others are in the making. Among the articles on the first list are all acids; muriate of ammonia; all coal-tar distillates, except synthetic indigo; all salts of soda, except nitrate and cyanide of soda; graphite and yrites. The embargo is not complete on pyrites and graphite. ?t permits the importation of 125,000 long tons, up t o October I . The imports are to come in on a graduated scale as follows: April, 40,000 tons; May, 30,000 tons; June, 20,ooo tons; July, 15,000 tons; August, 10,000tons; September, 10,000 tons. A substantial cut in the imports of manganese ore from Brazil is understood to have been decided upon by the authorities in Washington. The exact figures have not been made public, but it is understood that the imports of Brazilian ore for 1918 do not exceed 3j0,ooo tons. In 1917 they exceeded 500,000 tons. It is understood that there will be no limitation on the importation of ammonia, antimony, arsenic, bismuth, kainite, mica, tin, tungsten and vanadium. Imports will be restricted or cut off in most of the other important minerals.
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The Car Service Section of the Railroad Administration is on the point of taking drastic action to compel the loading of cars to their full capacity. The chemical industries have been offenders to some extent in this matter, it is reported. The Railroad Administration is keeping a record of light loading, and serious losses are likely t o be caused shippers who fail t o follow instructions in the matter of loading.
