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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 CHEMISTS AND THE DRAFT
Editor of the .Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: The information contained in the editorial in the January number of the JOURNAL under the caption “The Chemical Service Section of the National Army” must indeed be gratifying to the members of the Society in that chemistry is now accorded, for the first time, a definite and official place in the organization of the War Department’s activities. Naturally, the organization of such a new branch of service must be a t present in its infancy, and subject to such alteration and revision as experience may indicate. At the same time there comes up in the mind of the writer the question-and the same question must present itself to many others-of what will be the status of drafted chemists who may be assigned to this service; that is, whether a drafted chemist will be given the same rank as he might have been given had he sought a commission instead of waiting to be drafted. Any distinction between the rank assigned a volunteer chemist and a drafted chemist of the same training, who does the same type of work, must be an artificial one. Many chemists have been deterred from seeking commissions by considerations such as were expressed in Dr. Parsons’ recent circular letter to the members of the Society; they have had to face the dilemma presented, on the one hand, by the impulse to volunteer their services for work bearing immediately on the prosecution of the war, and, on the other hand, by the obvious desirability of a continuation in their usual work, which, though i t did not deal with explosives or poison gases or gun-metal, was yet a necessary contribution to the public welfare.
By P A U L
WOOTON,
IO,
No.
2
Is the drafted chemist to be given the rank of private, irrespective of what rank his training might reasonably be expected to entitle him to, merely because he has waited for the draft, the selective principle of which may be expected to utilize his ability most efficiently? The question might appear premature, if not foolish, were it not for the fact that some chemists called in the first draft have been put on chemical research in the capacity of privates. One inevitably draws a comparison to the conditions obtaining with regard to physicians. To the writer’s knowledge, physicians drawn in the first draft have been commissioned when they were assigned to medical work. There can be no essential difference between the two cases. To be sure, the term “chemist” (covering as it does everything from a routine analyst to a trained researcher) is a much more flexible one than the term “physician,” which in general represents a more uniform, though not always more intensive, degree of training. Yet it seems almost too obvious to say that the Ph. D. (or in many cases a lower degree) in chemistry, with some years of experience in the practice of the profession, represents as high a degree of training as does the M.D., often without any experience to back it up. The raw M.D. has been getting and does get a commission, if he is a capable graduate of a reputable school. May not the chemist expect equal consideration of the value of his services? The writer believes that some statement on these matters, derived either from information the Editor may have, or from additional information from the War Department, would be welcome and illuminating to many readers of THISJOURNAL. EDWINC. WHITE BRADYUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE BALTIMORE, M D . , January 16, 1918
JAMBS BUCHANAN
WASHINGTON LFTTER Metropolitan Bank Building, Washington
The outstanding feature of the month in Washington was the “workless day” order of Dr. H. A. Garfield, the fuel administrator. Many manufacturers of chemicals joined in the protests against the order which descended almost in the volume of an avalanche upon official Washington. Owing to the shortage in most chemicals, reasons were presented why many manufacturers of chemicals should be included in the exemption list. At the time this is written, however, J. T. Lewis Bros. Co., Lafayette Building, Philadelphia, manufacturers of chrome green, C. W. H. Carter, 8 Ferry St., New York, manufacturers of linseed oil, and all manufacturers of optical glass, are the only chemical industries which have been granted exemption. Numerous others were under consideration, however, and it is anticipated that various manufacturing chemists will be added to the exemption list. During the past two months, decided increases have been attained in the manufacture of many much-needed chemicals. I n fact, the achievements in this direction have been so decided thdt much of the uncertainty expressed as late as two months ago has been dispelled. Greatest concern just a t this time is centered on sulfuric acid, arsenic and ammonia, but the situation in each of these cases has been relieved measurably. Many of the uncertainties, which entered into estimates of the requirements of sulfuric acid for 1918, have been removed, showing that many of the estimates were too high. I n addition, it has been possible to increase the productive capacity of existing plants and it has been found that considerable restriction in the use of acid can be practiced without the serious unsettling of the industries affected. These conditions combine to make the immediate situation less serious, while the activities of the War Industries Board looking to the construction of new plants give reassurance for the future. In this latter work, M. F. Chase is prominent. His new duties made it necessary for him to relinquish his work with the chemical division of the Committee on Raw Materials. A. E. Wells, the superintendent of the Salt Lake City experiment station of the Bureau of Mines, has been assigned temporarily to the War Industries Board to look after the work on acids which heretofore has been handled by Mr. Chase. Mr. Wells has been specializing on sulfuric acid for some time and has just
Vol.
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D. C.
completed a personal visit to practically every acid-producing plant in the country. Special steps have been taken by the Fuel Administration to insure a shpply of coal for the sulfuric acid plants. In order that this may be done intelligently, each manufacturer of sulfuric acid has been asked to report the amount of coal on hand, his monthly requirements and the name of the company supplying the plant with coal. Commendation for Charles W. Merrill has been forthcoming from all concerned in the arsenic industry as a result of the arrangements which he brought about with regard to the regulation of profits and the restriction of use so as to insure ample supplies for noxious gas manufacture and for insecticides. The licensing system has been extended to all those engaged in importing, manufacturing, storing or distributing ammonia, ammoniacal liquor or ammonium sulfate. The enforcement of the regulations which have been drawn up to cover this trade will be in the hands of a n interdepartmental committee headed by Mr. Merrill. The other members of the committee, each of whom is identified, directly or indirectly, with chemical industry, are M. I,. Wilkinson and Carl I,. Alsberg, Department of Agriculture; Maj. Backus, Bureau of Ordnance; I,ieut.-Col. W. H. Walker, Chemical Service Section of the National Army; Maj. M. J. Whitson, Cantonment Division, Quartermaster Corps; Admiral Ralph Earl, Navy Department; Maj. J. T. Crabbs, Interior Department, and I,. I,. Summers, Council of National Defense. I n the campaign for the conservation of ammonia, a propaganda is being carried on looking to the harvesting of as much natural ice as is possible. A price of $75.50 per ton has been placed on the Government’s supply of nitrate of soda. Approximately IOO,OOO tons of nitrates were purchased by the Government in Chile and have been transported to several American ports. It is to be sold directly to farmers, who must agree not to re-sell and to use it on their own farms. Exports uf chemicals during the first eleven months OF 1 9 1 7 reached the unusual value of $171,942,221. This is more t h a n
