certain methods that can be adopted in the conduct of any manufacturing business. The days of large profits. cheap raw materials and labor have gone for good. IVith increasing prices and competition, all executires must be economists as well. Efficiency, in its broadest sense, should include promotion, capitalization, location, organization, equipment and operation. Great stress has been laid on the efficiency of labor to the exclusion of matters of equal or greater moment. .In exact knowledge of unit costs will reveal the weak points in any plant. The so-called efficiency engineer who spends three or four days
1
in a concern and antagonizes even-one from the bosses to the office boy. can accomplish little good. n‘eeks and months of study are required to get a t the details of the busincss: t o make improvements is a still greater task. The good-wilt of the employees must be gained and kept to make any progress in economy studies. Discussion and argument naturally follow any change in policy. The man who makes the change should be on the ground to defend himself and drive home the facts as he sees them. SYRACUSE, S . T.
I
PERKIN MEDAL AWARD
The Perkin Medal was conferred on James Gayley for his distinguished services in the field of chemical engineering and metallurgy a t the regular meeting of the Society of Chemical Industry, Chemists’ Club, New Tork, January 24, 1913. 3Ir. Gayley’s study of the blast-furnace reactions covering a period of many years and his subsequent development, on the basis of these observations. of the dry-blast processes, as well as numerous other inventions in this field are fully set forth in the presentation address by Professor Charles F. Chandler and the address of acceptance by 31r. Gayley. Professor Henry ill. Howe spoke on “The Value of Expert Opinion,” particularly as applied to 31r. Gayley’s work and Prof. Edward Hart gave a most interesting and intimate revien- of the career of the medalist. The program was completed by a n address on “The New Age” by Dr. Rossiter JV. Raymond. At the conclusion of the program, the Societl- and its guests were entertained a t an informal reception given by the Chemists’ Club. The addresses presented a t this meeting are printed in full in the following pages. [EDITOR]. PRESENTATION ADDRESS BY c. F. CH.4XDLER 31R. C H A I R M A S , BROTHER CHEMISTS .1SD J f R . GAYLEI.: I t is my very pleasant privilege, as the senior Past-President of the Society of Chemical Industry, residing in this country, to present to Mr. James Gayley, the Perkin Gold Medal, for important achievements in Industrial Chemistry. This medal has been awarded to 3Ir. Gayley by the Perkin Medal Committee of the Associated Chemical and Electrochemical Societies of America in recognition of his most valuable work in Chemical Metallurg).. James GayJey is the maternal grand nephen- of Sir H e n q Bell. who established steam navigation on the Clyde, where he launched “The C‘a?nt2l” in 1812. He was born a t Lock Haven, Pa., October 11, 1 8 j j , the son of Samuel -1.and Agnes (Malcolm) Gayley. He was educated a t \Test Nottingham Aicademy, Jfd., and graduated from Lafayette College in 1876 with the degree of Mining Engineer. In 1906 he received from the University of Pennsylvania the Honorary degree of Doctor of Science, and in 1912 the same degree from Lehigh Universit>-. I n 1908 he received the Elliot Crcsson Gold Medal for the Promotion of the Mechanic arts from the Franklin Institute. Mr. Gayley began his professional life as chemist for the Crane Iron Company, Catasauqua, Pa., 187;-’80. He was next superintendent of the JIissouri Furnace Company, St. Louis, and later was the manager of Blast Furnaces, E. S: G. Brooks Co., Birdsboro. Pa., 1880-’8j. In 188j he became manager of the Blast Furnaces at the Edgar Thomson n’orks, and he was subsequently promoted to the position of manager of the Edgar Thomson LTorks: he later became a managing director of the Carnegie Steel Company. In 1901, he was made first vicepresident of the U. S.Steel Corporation, remaining in this posi-
tion until 1909. He v a s the inventor of furnace improvements, bronze cooling plates; stand for ladle in pouring Bessemer heats and the dry air blast. Were it not that \re have with us to-night Mr. Gayley himself, it would be my duty and pleasure to give you a history of his various most valuable contributions to metallurgical chemistry. But as you would certainly prefer to learn this from his own lips, I will content myself with saying that I can not recall a more far-reaching invention than that of the dry air blast for the manufacture of iron, for which he has received, between October 23, 1894 and September j , 1911, no less than fifteen successive patents in this country.. I am told that his results in this direction alone mean a reduction of from one-half toone dollar per ton in the cost of producing pig iron, besides making it possible for the iron master to produce, in all weathers, a product of uniform quality. When one remembers that there were produced in the United States, during the past year, tuentynine millions of tons of pig iron, it will be seen that this, Mr. Gayley’s invention of the dry air blast, means a saving to the American people of from $ 1 j,ooo,oooto B29,0oo,oooper annum. I have presented to you very briefly the great achievements of Jlr. Gayley in the field of Applied Chemistry, but quite fully enough to satisfy you that your Committee is fully justified in placing Mr. Gayley by the side of Sir William Perkin and the previous recipients of the Perkin Medal, as one of our greatest Industrial Chemists and Chemical Engineers. To JIR. GAYLEY: I t gives me great plcasure, as the representative of the Society of Chemical Industry, and the affiliated Chemical and Electrochemical Societies, to place in your hands this beautiful token of the appreciation and affection of your fellow chemists. ADDRESS O F ACCEPTANCE By
JAXES
GAYLEY
MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIESAND GENTLEMES: I wish to thank the speaker for this medal which he has presented t o me with such gracious words. I wish also to express my thanks t o the awarding Committee and the societies which they represent in conferring this great honor upon me. I appreciate it still more because the Committee have stepped aside from what is purely the chemical industry t o another great industry, t h a t of metallurgy, which, nevertheless, is one in which the application of chemistry is the controlling factor, and this recognition of the broader field of chemistry brings with it a keen sense of appreciation of this rare honor and distinction conferred upon me. Again I thank you. The iron blast furnace is but the chemist’s crucible on a giganon chemical principles and the mechanical tic scale-operated appliances are instruments of precision, constructed and adjusted to carrying out in efficient manner the chemical reactions involved. The “rule of thumb” practice, which ended thirty-five to forty years ago, is well-nigh forgotten-that period in which
