Safety in Industry
WEfollowing ARE fortunate it, beiug ;hie to present inmediately the Chemic!al Safety Confereim lield in Wilmington, Delaware, May to 23, the first of a serics of articles on hazards and safety iii the chcmiml indust,ry. The Chemical Safety Conference, thc first of it itid, lrrouglrt togetlier the Cliemical Section of the Xational fct.y Coimril with the Delaware and South Jersey Sections of the AMERICAN CHP~XICA;. SOCIETY, the University of Delaware, and tiie following Delaware organizations-the du Pont Chemical Engineering Society, the Medical Assoeiatkin, the Industrial Accident. Board, and the Safety Council. Xearly one hundred and fifty pcople participat.ed in the conference, which discussed many important points affect.ing safety in the design, maintenance, and operation of chemical plants. The necessity of building safety into apparatus rather tiran adding some inconvenieiit acccssosy to eifeet it was specially stressed. I n our series we have liad in iriirrd the plant manager and industrial oxecutive who constantly tins before him the question of the employees’ welfare. Authors have been asked not only to present new data hut to emphasize again those hazards that are known to exist, that they may be rendered less and less dangerous by the use of combined experience. Although much has been published on safety from time to time, we helieve that this series in INDUSTIEIAI. A N D I ~ ~ G I N E E K ICHP~MISTRY NG will iiring to the plant man, as well as to the executives who determine plant policy, itcw itrfunnat,ion u&h, with the old, will focus Itis attention upon t.liis important subject. In this way we expect to render a distiiic!t service to the cheinicnl industry aiid tlroso empkiyed tlierein.
At Geneva T I l E daily preas has preseuted at length resolutions offered by Representative Burton on behalf of tlie United States a t the Geneva Conference, which was called to devise ways to regulate inbernational traffic in arms. Notwithstanding persistent efforts, we liave been unable to ascertain rvit,h whoin Mr. Burton discussed the text and possible effect of his resolut.ion, and chemists received their first information regarding Mr. Burton’s proposal fro111 tlie dispatches of the Associated Press. The proposal, according to the press dispatches, reads as follows: The use in war of asphyxiating poisonoiis gases and analogous liquids, materials, or devices has been justly
to which the majority of civilized powers are parties. The high contract-
ous. or other gasesadd & a l o p ~ ~ l i q u i d s intended or designed for use in connection with operations of war.
Much will occur to any chemist to indicate tile impossibility of administering such a provision. According to the Journal of Commerce for &lay16, the White House spokesman is certain that the President would favor limitation of the sale of poison gases, since treaties have already been drafted for that purpose as the result of the Washington Conference, but in providing for these limitations he feels there should be as little interference as possible with the peacetime operations of the chemical industry. It is riot our purpose to argue the provisioris of hfr. Burton’s proposal, for the rosolutioii is still to be considered by committees and the exact language has not been determined. It may even be that the smaller nations, without seli-contaiiied chemical industries, may prevent tiie adoption of the proposal which might deprive them of adequate defense. The point we wish to stress is-why are not representatives 3 THE 21st of April the I’emnsylvania S k t e College of our chemical industry consulted by statesmen rrlien such observed Scholarship Day, an everit too seldom listed questions are to be discussed and new policies formulated? iti tlie calendars of our educational instit.utions. We 2ia\-c It would not be amiss for our statesmen to have at their side iiome-coming days, when the most important football game citemists who know the significance of the various questions of the season is played, important class reunion days, whiclr raised, even while such a proposal is under discussion. The tend to keep slim the int.erest of the alumni in the progress layman in science can maneuver himself into difficulties and of tlie institution, and frequent.ly days upon which athletes einbarrassing situations quite as easily as can the scientist are rewarded for their etrorts. lint Scholarship Day is when he vcntures into another’s apecialty. Chemistry as sonietliing different. At State College the day is set asirlc a science and the various industries dependent upon it are to lioiior those whose academic work makes them outstanding 80 organized that it is iiot difficult for statesmen to obtain m o n g their fellows. The announcement is made of honor reliable opinions and authentic st,atements prior to eomsociety elections, of soliolarship awards, of fraternity sclidar- pleting their plans. The advice of the chemist may not be ship enps, and of the I’resident Sparks I’rize, a medal giicn followed, as was the case at the Washington Conference, but to tlie student of liigliest standiiig in the school. On the even then the precaution was taken to learn just what the ucrasion of the last celebration, the President of tlieA!m~uc~!i bechnical experts thought. CHEMICAL Socmi*Ygave ai! address to the student body oil With the growing importance of our science in international “Scholarship and Research.’’ as well as in national affairs, it is hoped that representatives Thc idea of a scholarship day appeals to us as worthy of of our profession will be taken into the confidence of our emulation. There niay be something in the plau that ran landers in government, and when that time comes we must lie rcaily to discharge the responsibi1it.ies involved. be utilized by schools of all grades.
Recognition of Scholarship
