CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING H A R R I S O N Έ. H O W E , Editor
PUBLISHED
NEWS
BY T H E A M E R I C A N
V O L U M E 20
CHEMICAL
DECEMBER 2 5 , 1 9 4 2
SOCIETY NUMBER 24
Harrison Estell H o w e 1881-1942
H
to become Editor of Industrial and Engi neering Chemistry in December 1921. This position he held at the time of his death, and also that of Editor of CHEMICAL
ARRISON E S T E L L H O W E , for 21 years
Editor of Industrial and Engineer ing Chemistry, died at his home in Washington, D . C., on December 10 in the 6 1 s t year of his life. Through his editorship and many other related ac tivities, Dr. Howe exerted a profound influence on the development of American industry through research. Under his guidance Industrial and Engineering Chem istry has come t o occupy a foremost place in t h e world's literature of industrial chemistry. Its Analytical Edition and
AND ENGINEERING N E W S .
CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING N E W S were
inaugurated and developed b y him into outstanding publications, the latter now a journal in its own right. The Technologic Series of AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Monographs has grown
under his editorship t o an important library of chemical technology. At the time of his death he was Editor of both the Scientific and Technologic Mono graphs. Significant, too, has been Dr. Howe's fruitful fostering of public under standing of the vital functions of chemistry and research, particularly through the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY N e w s Serv
ice, of which he was Director, as well as through many other activities having similar objectives. These services t o chemists and to chemical technology earned for Dr. Howe many well-deserved honors. Honorary degrees were conferred upon him by the University of Rochester (Sc.D. 1927), Southern College (LL.D. 1934), Rose Polytechnic Institute (Eng.D. 1936), and South Dakota School of Mines (Eng.D. 1939). In 1926 he was decorated Officer of t h e Crown of Italy, and i n 1942 was awarded the Chemical Industry Medal by the American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry. H e was a fellow of the American Association for the Ad vancement of Science, Harrison E. Howe was born in George town, Ky., on December 15, 1881, son of William James and Mary (Scott) Howe. In 1905 he married M a y McCaren and their union was blessed b y t w o daughters,
Harrison Estell H o w e
Mary (Mrs. Oscar Provost) and Betty (Mrs. F. B . Clinton), who have presented him with five grandchildren. He attended Earlham College, Rich mond, Ind., where he received the B.S. degree in 1901. Subsequently he studied at the University of Michigan (1901-02) and later received the M.S. degree from the University of Rochester (1913). His industrial career began as chemist for the Sanilac Sugar Refining Co., refiners of beet sugar at Croswell, Mich. He left this company in 1904 to join the staff of the Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., where he served in various capacities until 1916. In that year he became associated with Arthur D . Little, Inc., and its Canadian affiliate a s assistant to the president and manager of the Industrial Department, respectively. During World War I he was consultant to t h e Nitrate Division of the Ordnance Bureau, U . S. Army. In 1919 he became chairman of the Division of Research Extension of the National Research Council, which position he left
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During this active career Dr. Howe served chemistry, research, and industry in many other ways. H e was a member of the Executive Board of t h e National Research Council for several years, be ginning with the time of its founding; a trustee of Science Service; a director of the Purdue Research Foundation; and a member of the Advisory Board of the Lalor Foundation. He was chairman of the A. C. S. Committee on Cooperation with the Chemical Warfare Service and Colonel in the C. W. S. reserve. Dr. Howe was round-table and general con ference leader in the Institute of Politics, Williamstown, Mass., from 1926 to 1929. He was chairman of the Chemicals Group, Priorities Division, Office of Production Management, in 1941, and subsequently chairman of the Chemical Priority Ad visory Committee, W P B , as well as chairman of the Joint Committee on Miscellaneous Materials, National Acad emy of Sciences and National Research Council, advisory to the W P B (1941-42). He had served as chairman of the Chemical Advisory Committee to the Department of Commerce (1926-28), chairman of the Industrial Advisory Committee t o the Bureau of Indus trial Alcohol (1927-30), and later as executive secretary of the Council of Industrial Alcohol Users. While with the National Research Council he took an active part in the organization of the Crop Protection Institute and the Horological Institute and in the publication of International Critical Tables, helping to secure funds and serving actively on the board of trustees. H e had also been professorial lecturer in pharmacy and on scientific literature at George Washington University. Dr. Howe was a member of many organizations and contributed much t o all of them by his vigorous imagination, his
kindly humanity, and his huge capacity for work. His membership in the AMERI CAN
CHEMICAL SOCIETY
entailed work
on a long list of committees in addition to his editorial duties. Since he joined the AMERICAN CHEMICAL
SOCIETY in 1915 he had attended prac tically all of its national meetings, usually accompanied by Mrs. Howe. He had served as Councilor-at-Large, Divisional Chairman, Divisional Secretary, Local Section Chairman, Local Section Secre tary, and Local Section Councilor. As a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers he served two terms as director and represented that body on the American Engineering Council for 10 years, during eight of which he served as treasurer of the council. His clubs in cluded the Cosmos Club, Rotary Club, Torch Club, Alpha Chi Sigma, and The Chemists' Club (New York). Dr. Howe was a prolific writer on scien tific subjects, particularly for laymen. Among his published works were: "The New Stone Age", 1921; "Profitable Science in Industry" (with three co authors), 1924; "Chemistry in the World's Work", 1926; "Chemistry in the Home" (with Francis M. Turner), 1927; and a series of six Nature and Science Readers for school children (with Ε. Μ. Patch). He edited the two volumes of "Chemistry in Industry", 1924-25, prepared especially for use in connection with the A. C. S. Prize Essay Contest, of which he was chairman for five years. In 1930 at the request of Dr. Slosson's family he prepared the revised edition of "Crea tive Chemistry". H e was much in demand as a lecturer on science before business men's associations, chambers of commerce, Rotary Clubs, and engineering and other professional societies all over the country. As his principal avocation, Dr. Howe was deeply interested in Rotary Inter national. In this organization he served in many capacities: president of the Washington, D . C , Club, governor of the 34th District, member of the Magazine Committee, and Director of Rotary International (1936-37). Dr. Howe was always interested in people and traveled extensively. He was active in philanthropic movements and was a faithful attendant of the Calvary Baptist Church in Washington. His principal hobbies—his work might also be classed as a hobby—were garden ing and photography. His homes in Washington and in Woods Hole, Mass., were surrounded by flower gardens con
The Air Corps Act of 1926 has a similar provision: "No aliens employed by a contractor for furnishing or constructing aircraft parts or aeronautical accessories for the United States shall be permitted to have access to the plans or specifications or the work under construction or to participate in the contract trials without the written consent beforehand of the secretary of the department concerned." There are no other Federal laws which restrict the employment of aliens by pri vate employers in national war industries. There are no federal laws restricting the employment of foreign-born citizens of any particular national origin. 3. Where, under the law, permission to employ aliens is required from the War and Navy Departments, the alien shall go to the nearest office of the United States Employment Service, which will furnish him with application form, and assist him in filling it out. The completed form will then be submitted by the alien to the em ployer who willoffillaliens out the reverse side of UNTIL comparatively recently, theem-ployment in industry, espe the form, and then immediately forward cially war industry, was frowned upon and same to the department concerned. Upon sometimes forbidden. Today many em receipt of the application, the department will act promptly thereon, in the normal ployers seem to be unaware that the Gov case within 48 hours, and give its approval ernment's attitude in respect to the em or disapproval, either of which shall be ployment of aliens has been altered. This subject to change at any later time. was brought out in the President's state Special Groups Provided For ment published under Washington date line of July 11, 1942, and given wide circu 4. In passing upon applications for lation in the New York Times. That permits, the department will give special and expedited consideration to nationals statement reads as follows: of United Nations and friendly American Republics, and any other aliens, including 1. Persons should not hereafter be re enemy aliens, who come within the follow fused employment, or persons at present ing categories: employed discharged, solely on the basis A. Aliens who have served in the of the fact that they are aliens or that they armed forces of the United States and have were formerly nationals of any particular been honorably discharged. foreign country. A general condemnation B. Aliens who have, or who have had, of any group or class of persons is unfair members of their immediate family in the and dangerous to the war effort. T h e United States military service. Federal Government is taking the neces C. Aliens who have resided in the sary steps to guard against, and punish, United States continuously since 1916 any subversive acts b y disloyal persons, without having returned to the country of citizens as well as aliens. origin within the last 10 years. 2. There are no legal restrictions on the D. Aliens who have married persons employment of any person (A) in nonwar who, at the time of marriage, were citi industries, and (B) even in war industries, zens of the United States and who have re if the particular labor is not on "classi sided in the United States continuously fied" contracts, which include secret, con since 1924 without having returned to the fidential, restricted, and aeronautical con country of origin within the last 10 years. tracts. E. Aliens who have declared their in tention to become citizens of the United Contract Laws A r e Stressed States and who had filed petitions for naturalization before December 7, 1941. The laws of the United States do provide that in certain special instances involving 5. Any inquiries or complaints by government contracts an employer must aliens pertaining to specific instances of secure from the head of the government discrimination, or intentional failure to department concerned permission to em carry out the above procedure, should be ploy aliens. Section 11 (A) of the act of referred directly to the Committee on Fair June 28, 1940 (Public No. 671, 76th Con Employment Practice, Washington, D. C. gress, 3d Session), contains a provision This committee will consider the com that: plaints and take such action as may be warranted in the particular case. "No aliens employed by a contractor in the performance of secret, confidential, or 6. Any information concerning disloyal restricted government contracts shall be activities in war industries or elsewhere, or permitted to have access t o the plans or indications of disloyalty on the part of specifications, or the work under such con persons employed in war industries, tracts, or to participate in the contract should be reported immediately to the trials, unless the written consent of the nearest office of the Federal Bureau of In head of the government department con vestigation. Employees have the same cerned has first been obtained." duty in this matter as have employers.
taining many plants of prize-winning excellence, and his moving pictures and slides in color were outstanding. He also operated a farm near Richmond, Ind. His death brought to an end a par ticularly fruitful and active career, and created a vacancy in American chemistry and industry that cannot be filled.
Employment of
Aliens
in W a r Industries
The AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by contributors to its publications. Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, Publication Office, 20th & Northampton Sts., Easton, Penna. Editorial Office, 1155 16th St., N. W., Washington, D . C.; Telephone, Republic 5301; Cable, Jiechem (Washington). Advertising Department, 332 West 42nd St., New York, Ν. Υ.; Telephone, Bryant 9-4430. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Easton, Penna., under the act of March 3, 1879, as 24 times a year on the 10th and 25th. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3 , 1917, authorized July 13, 1918. Annual subscription rate, $2.00. Foreign postage to countries not in the Pan American Union, $0.60; Canadian postage, $0.20. Single copies, $0.15. Special rates to members. No claims can be allowed for copies of journals lost in the mails unless such claims are received within 60 days of the date of issue, and no claims will be allowed for issues lost as a result of insufficient notice of change of address. (Ten days' advance notice required.) "Missing from files" cannot be accepted as the reason for honoring a claim. Charles L. Parsons, Business Manager, 1155 16th St., N . W., Washington, D. C., U. S. A.
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