INDUSTRIAL
4
AND ENGINEERING
CHEMISTRY
News Edition
Ethics in the Equipment Business
NEWS EDITION Published
by the American
Chemical
Society
Editor; H. E. H o w s Managing Editor; ROBERT P. FISCHSLIS Assistant to the Editor: N. A. PARKINSON Associate Editor: D. H. KILLEPFBR
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Entered as second class matter at Easton, Pa. Issued three times a month; Industrial Edition on the 1st; News Edition on the 10th and 20th Subscription to Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, $7.50 per year; News Edition only, $i.50 per year. Single copies, 10 cents. Subscriptions should be sent to Charles L. Parsons, Secretary, 1709 G St., N. W., Washington D C.
DECEMBER 10. 1923
Entertaining Invisible Audiences
The code of ethics adopted by the Chemical Equipment Association and reprinted on page 3 of this issue in dicates profound study and full recognition of existing fair and unfair practices, as well as a whole-hearted effort to stamp out the evils which have beset this particular business. The Committee which is responsible for the promulgation of this code has shown t h a t it knows the equipment business from all angles. The code is free from platitudes and high sounding phrases. I t gets right down to business, recognizes the possibilities of unethical practices and in plain words tells those who subscribe to the code what they shall and shall not do. After all, a code of ethics, which governs the rules of conduct of any business or profession does not have to be put in writing for the average man who does business on the basis of the golden rule hut it is essential to have such a code in black and white for those who would enter a business and profession without giving proper thought to their relation to competitors and customers. It is gratifying to note that in spite of t h e very stringent regulations laid down in the code referred to, many of which rule out practices t h a t we all know to be more or less common at present, an overwhelming majority of the members of t h e Equipment Association voted in favor of it. I t is thus given the backing of a strong organization, and that is half the battle. A strict enforce ment of the principles laid down will insure better relations between equipment manufacturers themselves and with their patrons. Those who purchase should do their part, as well as those who sell, in making these newly adopted ethical standards the rule in all transactions and exceptions OD either side should be frcrwned upon and exposed.
Popularizing chemistry by means of radio talks is hard work. Any one who doubts this statement ought to t r y it. There is little difficulty in getting the opportunity to broad cast a t least once but unless the talk has been carefully pre pared with due consideration of the fact that radio audiences Peace-Time Activities of the Chemical are subject to the same likes and dislikes as visible assemblages Warfare Service and that they are not compelled to be nearly as e polite, it is Honorable John W. Weeks, Secretary of War, in outlining the quite apt to be a failure. work of the Army, recently commented as fofiows When a radio talk on a scientific subject "goes over" it peace-time upon the activities of the Chemical Warfare Service: may be considered more of an achievement than a successful A former engineer officer is at present at the head of the Chemical Warfare popular lecture on the same subject, The visible audience, Service of the Army. General Fries has acquired quite a reputation, not even though bored, hesitates to show it and only in extreme only for his recent success in making himself unpopular with some of our cases does it pick up sufficient courage to leave. Not so with radicals, but also for his constructive efforts to apply his service to peace the invisible "listeners in." If you bore them, there is lots of time accomplishment. Last year several men were killed in San Francisco their efforts to fumigate a ship with hydrocyanic gas. The Public entertainment in the air to tune in on and they do not hesitate during Health Service was much concerned over this matter and appealed to the to make the change. War Department for suggestions. The Chemical Warfare Service cooper I t is not an easy task to talk to an audience whose re ated with them to develop a mixture of tear gas which is fully effective in the sponses cannot be "felt." We are reminded in this connection destruction of rodents and insects, and yet which will drive away human beings through inducing intolerable tears before its strength has exceeded of the business man who refused to employ a dictating ma one-seventh of that necessary to be injurious. This is a great development chine because, as he put it, "it is highly unsatisfactory to talk in the sanitation field and opens the way for many new discoveries. to an inanimate object." Teachers in university extension The latest development of the Chemical Warfare Service has been in the courses who have employed radio find it much more difficult to adaptation of the gas mask to civil pursuits. The protection of miners has long been an industrial problem. The Army succeeded in producing the give their lectures and certainly quite uninspiring to sit before substitute suitable for their protection against the deadly carbon mon a broadcasting apparatus and talk without having the least only oxide. Other materials have been developed for protection of firemen and idea from facial expressions or other signs of interest or lack chemical workers. The chief handicap in the use of these materials has been of it, on the part of the students, whether they are succeeding that the masks caused the workers too much discomfort, and they preferred the dangers. It was impossible t o speak through the masks, and for those in their task or not. who must be in constant communication masks were plainly impracticable. All of these difficulties are naturally offset by the great The Army has finally developed a mask which avoids the difficulties. There advantage of reaching large groups of people in widely is a phonographic mouthpiece which gives at least 80 per cent of the efficiency scattered localities with your message by radio. We have of the voice. The mask is very comfortable in use and a special process has no desire to discourage this means of spreading the gospel eliminated the blurring eyepieces. When designed as an "all-purpose" the result is a complete protection against not only monoxide, but of chemistry but these Unes are written to urge those who mask, ammonia fumes as well, and this mask should be widely used by the members broadcast chemical information to remember that their of fire departments. audiences are not made up of doctors of philosophy but just The Chemical Warfare Service has also accomplished results of cooperation plain folks who like to know about science but want to be with the Department of Agriculture in pest elimination. In the Philippines told in their own language. Nothing can kill radio talks on flame throwers have been used advantageously against the locusts, which chemistry more quickly than lack of proper appreciation of periodically ravage the islands. In this country progress has been made in the direction of a solution for the boll weevil, the corn this fact by chemists who are given the opportunity to experimentally borer, and the potato hopper troubles. These dangers seriously threaten broadcast. our agricultural prosperity, and are a real menace to the life of the nation
December 10, 1923
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
{Continued from page j ) Offers or authorizes an employee or representative to offer quotations on work already contracted for or completed by another manufacturer. 3 . Seeks or authorizes an employee, or representative t o seek the cancellation of orders previously placed with a competitor. 4 . Attempts t o tamper with or misadjust goods sold by a competitor for the purpose of discrediting him with a customer. 5. Sells or offers to sell below cost or at less than fair profit for the sake of embarrassing a competitor in obtaining business. F. I t is within the spirit of the ethics of the Association that this formulation of them shall in every instance be liberally construed as applying to every possible product and service coming within the field of chemical equipment, within the interest of its membership; t o every class of business represented among that membership, whether manufacturing, designing, erecting, distributing, consulting or what not; and t o every business and professional relationship, as of maker t o user, seller to buyer, engineer to client, or competitor to competitor, that normally arises or a t any time may arise, involving a member of the Association as a party and the field of chemical equipment as the Association has or may define it, as its base. 2.
Mining Engineers to Meet in February The annual meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers will be held in N e w York City February 18 to 2 1 , inclusive. Dr. Albert Sauveur, professor of metallurgy a t Harvard, will deliver the Henry M. Howe lecture a t this meeting. This lectureship was recently established by t h e Institute in memory of the late Dr. Howe, who was its president in 1893, and who for many years occupied the chair of metallurgy in the School of Mines of Columbia University. Dr. Sauveur, a native of Couvain, Belgium, has been a member of the Harvard teaching staff since 1899. He has been associated with the steel industry, and is a member of numerous learned societies both here and abroad. He is t h e author of works dealing with the metallurgy of iron and steel.
Civil Service Examination The United States Civil Service Commission announces the following open competitive examination:
ASSISTANT EXAMINER
The examination will be held throughout the country on January 9, 10, and 11, 1924. I t is to fill vacancies in the Patent Office, a t an entrance salary of $1500 a year, plus the increase of $20 a month granted by Congress. Applicants must select one of the following optional subjects: Chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, electrochemistry, general chemistry, or mechanical engineering. Competitors will be rated on t h e subjects of physics, mechanical drawing, technics, mathematics, language (French and German), and the optional subject chosen.
Southern California Section Awards New Medal to Its Chairman On the evening of November the ninth the Southern California Section held its second meeting of the season. After the dinner at which 102 persons were present, Dr. Wm. C. Morgan, vice president of the section, presented to Chairman W. A. Schmidt the "Gherkins and Pickles" medal from this section of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Morgan surpassed himself in his oration upon this occasion p.nd rose to flights of oratory unsuspected even by his admirers. A t t h e conclusion of his oration he declared that: "In the name of the section he presented this medal to Walter August Schmidt, the most widely traveled, the best loved member, the most accomplished 'raconteur/ and the most celebrated 'bon viveur* of tb section." Tremendous applause followed, after which the recipient gracefully responded in appropriate terms. After a five-minute interval a brief business session was held, at the conclusion of which Dr. William Conger Morgan delivered a masterly address upon t h e subject of "Photosynthesis." The speaker showed that he was fully up to the minute on ail the details of this interesting and intricate subject, and the questions asked after the lecture was ended showed the interest felt in the matter by the audience. President W. A. Schmidt, who has just returned from an extended European trip, then gave a very entertaining and illuminating talk upon incidents occurring during his travels. This address was illustrated by maps and b y numerous samples of the German currency. While Chairman Schmidt modestly disclaimed that he had arrived at any conclusions regarding foreign affairs, yet his audience felt that they had been privileged to get a first-hand glimpse into the very heart of conditions in foreign countries. With a vote of thanks to both speakers the meeting adjourned.
Toledo Section Hears Paper on Dental Cements The 57th meeting of the Toledo Section of the American Chemical Society was held in the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, N o v . 20, 1923, after a dinner at Gruenk's cafeteria. Dr. W. B. Holmes, of the Ames Laboratories, at Fremont, Ohio, gave a very interesting talk on "Chemistry of Dental Cements" and some of the problems involved. He gave a general classification of dental cement and stated that most of them use the principle of hydration. One of the most common difficulties encountered by the manufacturers is to avoid that chemical combination which will cause discoloration of the cement when in service. Dr. Holmes related some very interesting uses of dental cement outside of the dental trade. The lecture was concluded by a practical demonstration of the mixing and setting of dental cement. The secretary read a letter from the Metric System Committee of the A. C. S. which resulted in a very interesting discussion on the question and called attention of some of the members t o effects of the metric system which they had not thought of before. A communication was
•5
also read announcing the intersectiona meeting at Christmas time at Cincinnati After some discussion it was decided to try the cafeteria idea for the dinner again next month. Twenty-four members were present.
Missouri University Section Entertains Notables The University of Missouri Section of the American Chemical Society was given a rare opportunity to entertain some chemists from other sections of the Society, recently. The occasion was the formal inauguration of Dr. Stratton D . Brooks as president of the University of Missouri. Over one hundred distinguished guests were entertained by the University. As some of them were chemists, the local section entertained them at a dinner on Friday evening, November 16th. Dr. Herman Schlundt presided and called on the following guests: Dr. Samuel Avery, Chancellor, University of Nebraska; Dr. P. F. Trowbridge, Director Agricultural Experiment Station, University of North Dakota; Professor W. D . Turner, Missouri School of Mines, RoUa, Missouri; Professor H. I,. Dunlap, Missouri School of Mines, Rolla, Missouri; and Dr. C. J. Monroe, Missouri School of Mines, Holla, Missouri. Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Dunlap who were also present at the inauguration were among the guests at the dinner. Dr. Trowbridge was formerly chairman of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry of the University of Missouri, leaving there in 1918 to become director at North Dakota.
Scholarships in Mineral Economics Two scholarships in mineral economics are being offered by the Washington University of St. Louis, through the Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior, to mining engineering graduates who have completed some work in economics. These scholarships, valued at $1500 yearly, will enable the holders to study for two years at the graduate school of Washington University in Washington, D . C , for a Ph.D. degree in economics. The students will work under the technical guidance of Bureau of Mines engineers.
German Dye Production for October The total production of eleven German dye plants during October, 1923, was 12,404,112 lbs. distributed as'follows: Alizarin red, 863,968 lbs., indigo paste, 2,539,008 lbs., v a t colors except indanthrene blue GCD, 238,032 lbs., indanthrene blue GCD, 17,632 lbs., alizarin colors other than red, 149,872 lbs., direct colors for cotton, 2,680,064 lbs., direct colors for diazotization 211,584 lbs., acid colors for wool, 1,251,872 lbs., chrome colors for wool, 670,016 lbs., basic colors, 705,280 lbs., sulfur colors, 2,777,040 lbs., and lake colors, 299,744 lbs. A new formula for denaturing alcohol t o be known as C D . N o . 7 has just been issued. It calls for 100 parts pure ethyl alcohol, two parts of approved benzol, two parts of approved benzine and one part of approved aniline oil.
