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nutrition, public health, fuel conservation and smoke prevention, research, professional ethics, patents, daylight saving, education, and highway traffic. The club holds monthly meetings and issues a monthly bulletin. There is the real substance of association of local technical men for mutual benefit and the good of their community. Meanwhile the Indiana Section of the AMERICAN CHEMICALSOCIETYcontinues as a prosperous organization, busy .with its own special problems, unfettered and unembarrassed. EVOLUTION IN ALCOHOL ADMINISTRATION
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No.
11
courteously and sympathetically by the authorities in Washington. Now the apparent difficulties have been overcome, and adjustments made which will open a new chapter in national chemical development. NOTES
The London letter was unfortunately received too late for publication in this issue. The Patent Office, which for some time past has been handicapped by a shortage of funds and personnel, is now in position t o resume the furnishing of photostatic prints of the specifications and drawings of foreign patents.
Alcohol, the chemical reagent, is t o receive some meed of t h a t official administrative consideration which Congress intended a t the time the National ProhibiThe new chemical laboratory fever has struck New tion Act was passed. Since the public hearing before England. Dartmouth College is expending from $3 50,the Bureau of Internal Revenue last summer Comooo t o $400,000 on such an addition t o its campus. missioner Williams has been thoroughly sympathetic, but inadequate funds for the administration of the Act A t Yale University plans for a new building for its. Department of Chemistry are practically completed. and t h e onerous work involved in enforcing the prohibition feature have made the problem difficult of solution. We must confess t o having re,ceived a severe jolt, in According t o announcement from Washington, the spite of our usual optimism, when a correspondent former Division of Technology has been replaced by recently wrote t h a t he had resigned his position bea Permit Division, in charge of Dr. A. B. Adams, and cause “the company was engaging a physician. t o a c t an Industrial Alcohol and Chemical Division, in as head of the chemical laboratory.” charge of Dr. J . M. Doran. The fact t h a t these competent chemists, both of whom have been connected Chemistry is not being neglected by the Swan with the Bureau for several years, are t o have charge of the new divisions, will inspire confidence and a de- family. While Dr. J. N. Swan heads the department a t the University of Mississippi, his three sons are in sire t o cooperate. The Permit Division will have general administra- training for the profession. Stewart D. holds a d u Pont tion of the features of Title I1 of the National Prohibi- Fellowship in the University of Chicago, William 0. tion Act, relating t o permits, bonds, etc. Strength t o has won a similar honor a t the University of Virginia, Dr. Adams in eradicating falsified applications for and Thomas H. holds an assistantship as a graduate withdrawal of alcohol, and wisdom in eliminating the student in Columbia University. That’s not a “bunch” a whole flock. aggravating requirements which now beset those who of chemists-it’s are acting in good faith! The Industrial Alcohol and Chemical Division will The success of the technical monographs now under have jurisdiction of ( I ) the general administration of preparation by the AMERICANCHEMICALSOCIETY all the features embraced in Title I11 of the Act, with depends on one thing-how far the heads of industrial particular reference t o tax-free alcohol, ( 2 ) the develop- concerns will allow their chemists t o “open up.” ment of uses of denatured alcohol by laboratory work Lasting contributions t o chemical literature, helpful and research, (3) the supervision of construction and t o the entire chemical industry, should 6e made through operation of industrial alcohol and denaturing plants these monographs. Here’s hoping! and bonded warehouses, and control of government offices assigned thereto, (4) the laboratory examination of articles manufactured under Section 4 of Title With so large a number of real specialists on exploI1 of the Act, and ( 5 ) the examination of samples ob- sives in government service and out of it, why did the tained under the Harrison Narcotic Act. To Dr. Department of Justice call upon Walter T. Scheele Doran and his associates there is entrusted the de- for a n exhaustive report on the Wall Street explosion? velopment of a work which contains untold poten- True, he had one receipt for a n explosive mixture tialities for our chemical industries, if carried out in a which he put t o diabolical purpose in blowing up ships thoroughly efficient manner. It is t o be hoped t h a t during the war, but this scarcely constitutes a claim Congress will provide adequate funds t o insure max- for preeminent qualifications as an expert, especially imum results. in view of the evidence of his lack of ability as a n The method of the evolution of this administra- explosives expert obtained by chemists in the governtive change gives genuine satisfaction. The matter ment service during his inteTnment. Suppose the Dewas presented earnestly but dispassionately by those partment of State should call on von. Igel or von. t o whom injustice was being done, and was received Papen t o solve some of its problems!
