EADLINES of the Month i
Events of Interest to Chemists, Chemical Engineers, and
EXeCUtiVeS--Reviewed
6 y the Editors
7 MAY 25. U. S. charges Soviet military administration with MAY 17. White House announccs after President receives kidnapping Germans and forcing them t o mine urahium ore in Atomic Energy Commission’s official report that tests involving Soviet zone of occupation. “L. B. Sebrell, research laboratory three atomic weapons of improved design recently proved director, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., announces t h a t W. E. successful in all respects at Eniwetok atoll’. “United Nations Morris, company’s research physicist, has developed a radioAEC after 23 months’ work votes 9 to 2 t o suspend all work active isotope gage for measuring sheets of photofilm and other toward international control of atomic power and recommends thin film. “President Truman presents John Wesley Hyatt t h a t unsolved problem of bringing East and p t together in Award-a gold medal, check for $1000, and a scroll-to John atomic agreement be handed over to the General Assembly in D. Cochrane, Jr., director of research and development for Paris this fall. --Senate-House Atomic Energy Committee Formica Insulation Co., for his “outstanding work in the deapproves by 11 t o 5 vote bill t o extend terms of present members of AEC for an additional 23 months or until June 30, 1 9 5 0 . ~ ~velopment of decorative laminates from synthetic and natural resins.” President vetoes bill which would permit Senate members of Atomic Energy Committee t o require investigations by federal 7 MAY26. Commerce Department further relaxes control on agents into “character, associations, and loyalty” of his highest synthetic rubber so that manufacturers can carry “any reasonable appointees t o AEC. “Aluminum Co. of America breaks ground normal inventories” and extends mandatory use of butyl in the for a n aluminum plant at Point Comfort, Tex.2 manufacture of inner tubes. --Davidson Chemical announces plans for construction of additional phosphate recovery facilities 7 MAY 18. Board of Inquiry reports to President Truman a t at its phosphate rock mine near Bartow, Fla.--O.I.T. agrees end of 60-day cooling off period deadlock persists in labor dispute to change its export licensing procedure on fats and oils t o put at Oak Ridge atomic energy plant.--Marvin Udy receives the squeeze on “fly-by-night” exporters. --Senate Small Jacob F. Schoellkopf award for 1948 of Western New Yorlr Business subcommittee on steel and oil shortages authorizes Section, A.C.S., a t ceremonies a t Niagara Falls, N. Y S 3 shipment of 15,000 tons of steel t o Saudi Arabia, for construction 11 MAY 19. Blaw-Knox rccciv’cs contract from U. S. Burcau of trans-Arabian pipe line. “Charles F. Kettering, vicc prcsiof Mines for enyinecring, prOCuI’emeht, and erection servicrs dent General Motors, reveals t h a t before a n annual wage rise of in completion of Fischer-Tropsch pilot plant at Bruceton, Pa. 3 cents was offered t o G M United Automobile Workers-C10, C. E. Wilson, G M president, asked whether engineering progress 11 A f 4 ~20. President Truman, in address at Girard Collegc, of company could underwrite such a commitment. Kettering, says the atomic age is greatest in history and t h a t U. S. is working delivering Charles M. Schwab Memorial Lecture at opening for world peace in a n atomic cra.-NOffice of International session of annual meeting of American Iron and Steel Institute, Trade announces export quota of 50,000 tons for shipments of says steel industry has a public responsibility to continue heavy manufactured soda ash in second quarter of 1948 and eases espenditures for research t o aid human progress..u-Lynn A. control on natural; applications for reasonable quantities of Watt, director development department, organic chemicals nat,ur a1 will be approved without restriction. “W. P. ter Horst, division, Monsanto, addrcssing the Flavoring Extract Manugeneral manager, Virginia Carolina Chemical Corp., says comfacturers’ Association in New York, N. Y., foresees use of elecmercial production has started on new synthetic fiber produced tronics for measuring pattern of vibrations set up by odorfrom vegetable protein for textile uses. bearing and flavor-carrying agents and subsequent use of these 7 MAY21. Large-scale plants for producing liquid fuels from vibrations in the manufacture of synthetic flavorings and percoal and oil shale are not justifiable a t this time, Gustav fumes. Egloff, director of research, Universal Oil Products, tells Inter7 MAY27. Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies announces national Petroleum Congress at meeting in Tulsa, 0kla.Nprogram under which qualified students from any university in Senate upholds President Truman’s veto of bill authorizing the country may complete their work for a doctor of philosophy investigation of nominees t o AEC.--Chemical Corps Asdegree through employment on research problems in atomic sociation at annual meeting at Army Chemical Center, Md., Truman presents Vannevar energy at Oak Ridge. “President votes t o change its name t o Armed Forces Chemical Association4. Bush and James B. Conant each with the Medal for Merit and
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7 MAY24. Supreme Court rules N. Y . Circuit Court of Appeals has authority t o untangle a legal snarl in government’s antitrust suit involving a monopoly suit against Aluminum Co. of America, “John A. Herculson, chairman Maryland Section, A.C.S., announces selection of E. V. McCollum, Johns Hopkins University, t o deliver 1948 Remsen Memorial Lecture May 2 8 . ~ Frederick J. Cullen, executive vice president Proprietary Association of America, at association’s meeting in Atlantic City, urges better coordination between Government and industry in medical research. --House subcommittee, headed by Representative Richard B. Vail, has been holding secret hearings on Edward U. Condon for more than a week, it is disclosed. Chem. Eng. News 26, 1778 (June 14, 1948). Ibzd , 1602 (May 31, 1948). * Ibzd , 1580 ( M a y 31, 1948) 4 Ibid., 1702 (June 7, 1948). 1
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the Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for their atomic energy research work. ”Scientists at State Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y . , as a result of studies t o determine effect of slow and fast freezing on palatability, say vitamin content of peas and snap beans is the same after freezing and cooking regardless of whether they were frozen slowly or rapidly.--Attorney General Tom C. Clark says largest manufacturer of cellulose acetate rayon in France has replaced its 1928 contract with D u Pont with a new agreement tailored t o meet Department of Justice antitrust objections. f[ MAY28. Aluminium Laboratories, Ltd., subsidiary of Aluminium, Ltd., plans to construct a new research laboratory t o cost about $1,000,000 at Arvida, Quebec.
7 MAY 31. Senator ?aft says Republicans may let AEC appointees go unconfirmed if Democrats make any lengthy fight 1337
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
against the two-year extension bill.--G. S. Rubber says new synthetic tire treads outwear best natural rubber, “possibly by Century Fund’s special comas much as 50%.”--Twent,ieth mittee on cartels and monopoly urgcs U. S. to try to eliminate or curb international cartels.--Pope appoints six new members t,o Pontifical Academy of Sciences including Adelbert Doisy of Hume, Ill., professor of biochcinistry, St.Louis Univcrsity, and Edwardo Cruz Coke, professor of chemistry, Santiago, Chile.
71 JCNEl . , Secretary of Commerce Sawyer, testifying bcfore House Committee on Kational Science Foundat,ion bill, recommends t’hat 24-man board be full-time government officials rather than part-time advisers. --General Assembly of rirginia appropriates $20,000 to aid in establishment of Virginia Institute of Scientific Research at Richmond which will have t,xo branches-the Division of Basic Sciences patterned on Royal Institution of London and concerned Tvith fundamental laws of nature and the Division of Applied Science concerned with application of scientific knowledge t o solution of technical problems in industry.--Virginia Section, A.C.S., announces establishment of annual program of incentive awards for Virginia chemists and students and teachers6.--.SEC authorizes purchase of about 104,000 acres of leased land wholly within present> perimeter of Hanford, TTash., plutonium project. --Monsanto Chemical announces completion of new detergent plant at Trcnton, Mich., for manufacture of new nonionic controlled suds detergenW.
7 JCNE2. U. S. Tariff Commission report says changes in materials and processing techniques give C . S. edge in world plastics trade and will make it difficult for Japan to regain her strong prewar position in .\vorld’s plastics markets. --Atomic Trades and Labor Council AFL workers at, Oak Ridge, Tenn., plant rejcct 771 t o 26 proposal for a 10-cent hourly increase in pay made by Carbide and Carbon Chemical, operator of the laboratory for XEC. 7 JUNE 3. AEC firmly rejects a n AFL demand that it step into the labor dispute a t Oak Ridge, Tenn., atomic energy plant,.-Gulf Oil and Koppers agree to conduct cooperative research and development of processes for conversion of coal to gas and liquid fuels.--Thirtyone nations plan to increase nitrogen production 11.3% in the coming fertilizer year, replies t o a questionnaire sent to 66 nations by fertilizer subcommittee of International AssociaEmergency Food Committee, FAO, shovc-.--Nat’ional tion of Manufacturers goes on record as favoring Kat,ional Science Foundation bill but recommends specific changes including appointment of direct,or by the foundation and not by the President.--Manufacturing Chemists’ Association at annual meeting a t Skytop, Pa., re-elects Charles S. Munson, chairman cxecutive committee of U. S. Industrial Chemicals, and Air Reduction Co., president of the association. --New Jersey’s State Labor Commissioner Harper recommends that, continuously run chemical plants in state be supervised 24 hours a day including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, by a technically trained mechanical expert. --Roy A. Hunt,, president Aluminum Co. of America, says demand for aluminum is increasing a t a high rate but production has had to be curtailed because the nation’s electric power facilities cannot meet the need.
7 JUNE 4. Commerce Department makes available list of 30 steel companies, representing 90.3% of the industry, which will allocate steel products for use of atomic energy projects. 7 JUNE 5.
AEC says world’s most, powerful atomic cannon will be built a t Los Alamos, K. Mex., and will be an electrostatic accelerator capable of firing nuclear projectilcs a t energics up to 12,000,000 and in special cases 30,000,000 electron volts.
7 JUNE6. President Truman signs bill extending second Chem. Ene. N e w s , 26, 1756 (June 14, 1948). “bid.. 1706 (June 7 , 1948). 6
Vol. 40, No. 7
Decontrol Act of 1947 to June 30, 1949, over tin, antimony, fats fertilizers used during and oils, and fertiliz’ei-s.--Commercial 1947 hit new high of 15,000,000 tons.--Gustav Egloff, Universal Oil Products, tells Illinois Bankers’ Association that Bureau of Rfincs and oil companies’ pilot plant synthetic fuel research should be completed before commercial production is undcrtaken, and brands as “highly immature” govcrnment proposal to build commercial plants to produce 2,000,000 bbl. of synthetic oil daily. --American Tung Oil Sssociation n4thdraws its complaint of Sept. 15, 1947, regarding alleged dumping of wood (tung) oil froin China, Treasury Department announces.
7 JUSE7. A. A. Beckwith, chairman Independent Merchant Exporters Association, says merchant exporters case against “price criteria” method of selecting alkali export applications for validation will be presented to Secretary of Commerce by special committee of chemical exporters chosen by executive board of association.~N~T-atson Davis, director of Science Service which administers the Science Talent Search annually through Scicncc Clubs of America, says a high school senior named in 1949 as most promising young scientist with research ability in America will receive a Westinghouse Science Scholarship amounting to S2800, the largest, sum yet given; 39 other science scholarships ranging from $100 to $2000 will also be awarded.
7 JCSE8. C . S. Department of Justice opens ant’itrust paint inquiry involving Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., Glidden Co., Sherwin-Williams Co., D u Pont, and others. --Carborundum Corp. awards a 82,500,000 contract t o chemical plants division of Blaw-Knox Co. to construct a silicon carbide plant a t Vancouver, m’ash. --Commerce Department lifts controls on distribution and use of quinidine and cinchona bark held or originating in government-owned stocks, effective May 31.
7 J u s c 0. An anonymous Columbia University graduate establishes $1000 fellowship for a graduate xvoman studcnt in chemistry a t Columbia. 7 JUSE10. Ilarry 4. Winne, vice president’ General Electric, whose company plans construction of first nuclear energy plant a t Knock Atoniic Power Laboratory near Schenectady, dcsigned primarily for production of power, says plant will be completed in 2 t o 4 years. 7 JUNE11. U. S. calls on UN Securit,y Council to approvc outline of a powerful international control agency. W-Gcrman bizonal authorities receive permission to use existing cart,els or crcatc new ones t,o get German economy back on it,s feet.
7 JUNE 13. Medical research laboratories, University of Pennsylvania, announce first effective crystallization of heinoglobin, which makes possible spectroscopic analysis of blood in circulation, by David L. Drabkin, professor of physiological chemistry in Graduate School of Medicine. --Bargaining averts plant tie up a t Oak Ridge which threatened t’o halt atomic energy research. 7 JTXE14. J. E. Rouse, vice president in charge of operations, says construction work on Stanolind Oil and Gas Co.’s hydrocarbon synthesis plant a t Garden City, Kans., d l begin July 7 .--Senate passes bill extending Reciprocal Trade Act for one year and empowering Federal Trade Commission to fix so-called “peril points“ beyond which it feels the President should not go in making trade pacts. 5 JUKE 15. B. F. Goodrich Co. dedicates multi-million-dollar six-building research center, on a 260-acre site a t Brecksvillc, Ohio, midway betxeen Cleveland and Akron, termed “the most complete industrial workshop of science in existence”; atomic energy’s usefulness and effects in rubber and related material will be studied in one of laboratories.-NU. S. Department of Agriculture authorizes exporters to ship abroad some government stocks of gum turpent,ine.
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