1146
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
Vol.
12,
No.
12
EDITORIALS PRESIDENT-ELECT HARDING’S VIEWS
Frequently, since t h e recent election, we have heard t h e query “ W h a t is t h e attitude of t h e Presidentelect towards chemistry and t h e chemical industries?” Happily, we are i n position t o answer i n t h e words of Senator Harding himself. An invitation t o a t t e n d t h e Sixth National Exposition of Chemical Industries was sent t o each member of Congress. T h e following acknowledgment was promptly received from Senator Harding: MARION, OHIO, MR. CHARLES H. HERTY,
Sept. 11, 1920
Chairman Advisory Committee, National Exposition of Chemical Industries, Grand Central Palace, New York City, N. Y. MY DEARMR. HERTY: I beg t o acknowledge, with thanks, your letter of September 8th, inviting me to attend the Sixth Annual Exposition of Chemical Industries. If my engagements permitted I would be more than glad to accept for I am really tremendously interested in the work and progress that will be represented at the Exposition. The war taught us what we needed to make us truly a self-sustaining, independent nation and much will depend upon the success of our chemical engineers and producers to remedy the deficiencies which then became more impressibly apparent. May I ask you to convey to the members of your committee my thanks for the courtesy of the invitation and the regret of my inability to make acceptance. With best wishes for your success, I am, Sincerely yours, (Signed) W. G. HARDING T h a t is a fine sentence: “The war taught us what we needed t o make u s t r u l y a self-sustaining, indeQendent nation and much will d e p e n d upon the success of our chemical engineers and producers to remedy the de$ciencies which then became move impressibly apparent.”
should be freed from riders, such as Section 9 thereof, in the Senate bill, which might delay or jeopardize the passage of the bill, urgently recommends that members of the Society cornmunicate with their representatives and senators in Congress urging action in accordance with the said resolution. T h e rider referred t o was attached t o t h e bill b y t h e Senate Committee on Patents, giving power t o t h e Federal Trade Commission t o receive assignments of patents a n d t o grant licenses thereunder. There is a difference of opinion among chemists as t o t h e wisdom of granting t o t h e Federal T r a d e Commission t h e authority t o receive assignments of patents, a n d t o grant licenses thereunder. There is no difference of opinion about granting t o t h e P a t e n t Office t h a t full measure of relief contemplated in t h e original measure. Let each t u b s t a n d on its own b o t t o m a n d let t h e P a t e n t Office be enabled t o measure u p t o t h a t full possibility of its usefulness which can so deeply serve t h e interests of our people. T h e bill has been sent t o a Conference Committee, t h e members of which include Senators Geo. W. Norris, of Nebraska, F r a n k B. Brandegee, of Connecticut, and William F. Kirby, of Arkansas. T h e members from t h e House have not yet been appointed, b u t following custom, Representative John I. Nolan, Chairman of t h e House Committee on Patents, will undoubtedly be a member. Write t o t h e m ! T h e request of t h e Committee on National Policy is made of each member of t h e Society individually. Each resident member of t h e Society has a representative i n Congress. Let him know your views. Do i t to-day! PLAYING THEIR GAME
Two interesting pieces of printed matter were received i n our mail o n t h e morning of November 1 7 , T h e following resolution a n d recommendation have 1920. T h e first was t h e November Bulletin of t h e been unanimously adopted b y t h e AMERICANCHEM- American Electrochemical Society, issued over t h e ICAL SOCIETY’S Committee on National Policy (Ad- official signature of Jos. W. Richards, Secretary. visory Committee) : Among t h e items i n this Bulletin was one giving t h e (I) BE ITRESOLVED, That the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY,s t a t u s in Congress of House Bill 778 j (the Bacharach representing 15,500 chemists, affirms its great interest in the bill), one feature of which is t h e repeal of Section 5 7 3 United States Patent Office, and believes that it is vitally essential to the welfare and progress of the industries of the United of t h e Tariff Act of 1913 giving t o educationaI inStates. Representatives of the Society have endorsed most stitutions t h e privilege of importing scientific instruheartily the Nolan Patent Office Bill, H. R. 11,984, as passed ments, etc., duty-free. All interested in our educaby the House of Representatives last spring. We are very deeply concerned at the reduction in the examining and clerical forces tional institutions were urged b y t h e Secretary t o and in the salaries provided, which was made by the United write t o t h e Chairman of t h e Senate Finance ComStates Senate in passing this bill. The numbers and salaries proposed in the original bill, we believe, are as low as they can mittee a n d request t h e elimination of this feature of possibly be made, and stjll relieve effectively the present des- t h e bill. perate situation in the Patent Office. The AMERICANCHEMT h e second bit of interesting material was a pink ICAL SOCIETY accordingly urges most strongly that the numbers of the examining and clerical force for the Patent Office, sheet, printed fore a n d aft, which a H a r v a r d correand the salaries provided in the bill as passed by the House of spondent forwarded us. This sheet covered t h e same Representatives should be restored. The Society also recornmends that the bill should be freed from riders, such as Section ground as t h a t covered b y Professor Richards’ remarkable exhortation, only a t much greater length g thereof, in the Senate bill, which might delay or jeopardize the passage of the bill. We also urge that the bill should be a n d shot through with sentences which plainly sugmade a law at the earliest possible moment. (2) The AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY having, on the ~ 5 t h gested Teutonic English. We looked for t h e signature day of November 1920, passed a resolution urging the restora- a n d found t o our surprise merely: Friends of tion to their original values of the numbers for the examining Science, interested in its development. T h a t sounded afld clerical forces of the Patent Office and the salaries therefor like t h e early d a y s of war-tim,e hen t h e “Friends in the Nolan Patent Office Bill, H. R. I I ,984,and that the bill A HURRY CALL
