The Chemical World This Week
WASHINGTON
JANUARY
30, 1961
CONCENTRATES
• Stimulation of basic research is the target of a proposal to grant tax concessions for contributions for basic research. Under terms of H.R. 3162, introduced by Rep, Thomas B. Curtis (D.-Mo,), corporations would get credit on their income tax for 7 5 % of the money spent on basic research up to a limit of 3 % of their total tax liability. Individuals would get a credit of 90% of their contributions to universities and nonprofit organizations for basic research up to a limit of 5% of their tax liability. • Notional medals of science may be awarded this year for the first time now that the official design for the medal has been approved by the White House. In 1959 Congress passed a law establishing a national medal of science (C&EN, Aug, 31, 1959, page 33) to be awarded annually to not more than 20 persons for outstanding contributions in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences. In one of his final official acts, President Eisenhower issued an executive order approving the medal design and setting standards for selecting candidates for the award* • Antitrust charges have been leveled against American Smelting & Refining by the Justice Department. Asarco's acquisition of stock in General Cable Corp. and Revere Copper & Brass violates section 7 of the Clayton Act, the Justice Department charges in a civil antitrust suit filed in the U.S. District Court in New York. Asarco controls 30% of the voting stock of General Cable and 35% of the voting stock of Revere, the suit alleges, and both General Cable and Revere purchase substantial amounts of refined copper from Asarco. This gives Asarco an advantage over other copper producers, eliminates General Cable and Revere as independent purchasers of refined copper, and gives these two films an advantage over their independent competitors, Justice says. The suit asks the court to order Asarco to sell its stock holdings in General Cable and Revere and to enjoin these two firms from purchasing refined copper from Asarco except on a freely competitive basis. In a companion suit the Justice Department asks the court to order General Cable to sell nine wire and cable companies acquired since 1955. • Six chemicals and minerals have been added to the barter list by the Department of Agriculture—cadmium, corundum, battery-grade
manganese, palladium, platinum* and thorium nitrate. Chemical-grade chromite, chemicalgrade manganese, and industrial diamonds have been dropped. A total of 16 minerals* metals, and chemicals are now eligible for the program under which USDA barters surplus farm crops for foreign strategic materials to be placed in the supplemental stockpile. ^ The Food and Drug Administration has granted a last-minute stay of the deadline for complying with the Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act to products which were not well defined in the act itself. With the Feb. 1 deadline just around the corner and FDA officials still wrestling with definitions for many groups, the penalty date has been moved up to Aug. 1, 1961, for toxic but not highly toxic substances, corrosives, irritants, strong sensitizers, products capable of generating pressure through heat decomposition or other means, and others. But the Feb. 1 deadline still holds for items defined as highly toxic* extremely flammable, and flammable, These, FDA feels, were clearly defined in the act. • The Kennedy Administration plans to make no sweeping changes in the federal budget. Changes will be limited to a relatively small number of items where the President wants to make major changes in the scope or direction of government programs, says David E. Bell, Director of the Budget Bureau. In a directive asking all agencies to review the programs and budgets of the previous Administration for fiscal 1961 and 1962, Mr. Bell says no changes in amounts for the fiscal 1962 budget will be considered "unless the agency head feels very strongly that some modification is unavoidable/* • Deadline for approval of food additives will be extended beyond March 6 if Congress approves a draft bill sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration. Where no danger to the public health is likely and where research and testing have been started before March 6, 1961, FDA proposes to extend the deadline for approval to those additives which have previously been given an extension of time. Reasons are that FDA won't be able to process before March 6 all the additive petitions on which time extensions have been granted and industry will not be able to complete all the necessary tests before the deadline. JAN. 30, 1961 C&EN
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