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NEWS
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purpose is credited with the saving of property to the value of millions of dollars in industries where dust hazard exists. The official twenty-fifth birthday party of the institute, held on the evening of December 8, was replete with a huge birthday cake, birthday congratulations, and real good fun. Features of the entertainment were the presentation of a souvenir medal to S. D . Kirkpatrick in recognition of his preparation of the review of the history and activities of the institute forming the anniversary volume, the fashion show of 1907 authentically presented b y young ladies of Washington, and the singing by both the members of the institute and its quartet—Geo. P. Adamson, EUery Wilson, E. R. Weidlein, and H. E. Howe. The result of the election of officers for 1933 announced at the meeting was the reelection of J. V. N. Dorr as president, A. 23. Marshall as vice president, Frederic J. Le Maistre as secretary and executive secretary, and Martin H. Ittner as treasurer, and the election of F.a"W. Willard, Chas. R. Downs, S. D. Kirkpatrick, and H. E. Howe as directors. The registration reached 226, a high point for winter meetings. The next meeting of the institute will be held in Chicago in June, 1933. WASHINGTON-IDAHO BORDER SECTION ELECTS OFFICERS
THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS have been elected to serve tiie Washington-Idaho Border Section for the year 1933: Chairman, L. I. Gilbertson, Department of Chemistry, The State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash.; Councilor, J. A. Kostalek, University of Idaho, Moscow. Idaho; Secretary-Treasurer, Otto Turinsky, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho.
MILWAUKEE SECTION ANNOUNCES N E W OFFICERS
THE OFFICERS recently elected by the Milwaukee Section to serve during 193S are: Chairman, C. R. McKee; Vice Chairman, Walter McCrory; Secretary, W. M. Higby; Treasurer, George Buffet; Councilors, Walter Kline and James Lawrie; Trustees, A. C. Orthmann and C. B. Dickey.
Off the Press REPORT OF INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL COMMISSIONER THE COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL, J. M. Doran,
has issued his annual report in the form of a mimeographed statement accompanied by a statistical pamphlet of some 150 pages. Bus report deals at some length with the various divisions and sections of the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol and includes a number of interesting details. In addition to examining nearly 178,000 samples, an increase of some 30,429 over the previous year/ the chemists in the Washington and field laboratories spent an appreciable amount of time attending court proceedings and revocation hearings, a s well as on special investigations and inspections where technical knowledge is essential. The Washington laboratory devotes practically all of its time to research and technical matters involving the denaturing of alcohol, as well as the study of preparations and processes involving the use of alcohol which are submitted for approval. The policy of limiting the production of alcohol to the actual needs of legitimate industry, initiated January 1, 1928, continues to b e followed with success. The manufacture of synthetic ethyl alcohol from ethylene gas reached a total in excess of 14,000,000 proof or 7,000,000 wine gallons during the year. The report contains a number of interesting statistics relative to plants in operation for various purposes and points out that, during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932, the number of proof gallons produced at industrial alcohol plants was 146,950,912.76, a decrease of more than 19 million gallons under 1931. Of this amount, equivalent to 78,329,517.34 wine gallons, 34,298,235.54 were completely denatured, the remainder being specially denatured according to authorized formulas. NO material changes were made in the bureau organization or i n the field offices, but considerable progress was made i n coordinating various ideas looking toward improving administrative procedure in the field. A number of manuals intended to facilitate proper methods of inspection and to instruct permit inspectors in the field were issued. Of the series of five manuals, three have been completed and printed, while two others await funds for publication.
THE CALIFORNIA SECTION has elected J. H. C. Smith, Chair-
man, and Ludwig Rosenstein, Secretary-Treasurer for 1933.
POWER SHOW T H E TENTH NATIONAL EXPOSITION OF POWER AND MECHANI-
CAL ENGINEERING, held at the Grand Central Palace, New York, December 5 to 10, exceeded expectations both as to exhibits and attendance. Three hundred manufacturers of power and mechanical equipment gave evidence of their confidence i n business recovery by displaying many improved lines and entirely new designs. The attendance was 98,741. Compared with some former years, there were fewer actual displays of very large heavy equipment, but in their stead there were drawings and colored diagrams, as well as models, that served to convey real information. Instruments and control equipment were well represented. Among these was an entirely new design of mechanical flow meter; an absolute pressure recorder; a new frequency and time deviation recorder; a supersensitive pyrometer that permits the temperature recording of rapidly moving objects; and an instrument known a s tne "Chronoflow" which records over a telephone circuit the steam or water flow through a Venturi meter. Exhibits of valves and fittings showed latest developments in the use of alloy steels. A very complete model of a large steam-generating unit i n stalled in a sugar-refining company plant was shown. There was a smoke recorder in which the density of the smoke 13 recorded on a chart and at the same time causes signal lamps of different colors to light, the color corresponding to the density. In this same group, devoted to air measurement, was a wind direction recorder and automatic airfilterwhich charts the smoke density in comparison with a standard scale and permits calculation of the dust content per cubic mile. Another new development was a steam-ejéctor water cooler used for air-conditioning on railway cars. At the same booth was a compact air-conditioning unit designed for use in the home. Among new applications of existing products may be mentioned the display of very thin copper sheeting backed by various fabrics. At tne students' conference on Saturday morning talks were iven by A. A. Potter, president of the American Society of lechanical Engineers; Glenn Mufflv, past president of the American Society of Refrigerating Engineers; and F. Paul Anderson, past president of the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers.
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Vol. 10, No. 2 4
CHEMICAL UTILIZATION OF WOOD THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON WOOD» UTILIZATION has issued
as i t s twenty-second report a 151-page book on "Chemical Utilization of Wood," prepared by llenry K. Benson, chairman of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of the National Research Council, Washington, D . C. The report discusses physical properties and chemical composition of wood, sawdust, and ground wood products, wood-processing and manufactured products, chemical wood pulp, wood distillation and naval stores, tanning and wood extracts, carbohydrates from wood, sulfite waste liquor, and wood research laboratories. As stated i n the foreword, the use of wood as a substance in chemical and technological processes for industrial purposes is a matter of growing importance. The proper coordination of by-products industries, with the sawmill as the center, is an essential step toward more efficient and complete utilization· of wood. Such a plan would also materially lessen the annua! drain on our forests and encourage tree-growing as an industry. This bulletin brings up to date previously published data on the subject and discusses on a broad basis many new uses in the field of chemical utilization of wood. Copies are available from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C , at 15 cents each. INDIAN
CHEMICAL SOCIETY ISSUES J U B I L E E N U M B E R
IN: COMMEMORATION of the seventieth birthday of Sir P. C .
Bay, the founder, the foundation president, and a patron of the society, a jubilee volume is being published b y the Indian Chemical Society, containing contributions from many eminent chemists in India and abroad. The volume will consist of approximately 350 pages. The price for fellows is Rs 3 / - and for non-fellows R s 5/-. Orders should be sent to the Secretary, Indian Chemical Society, P . O- Box 10,857, Calcutta. STEEL CASTINGS THE TECHINICAL PAPERS presented in the Symposium on Steel
Castings, held at the joint meeting of the American Foundrymen's Association and the American Society for Testing Materialsat Atlantic City on June 21, 1932, have been published as a 254page book, available at one dollar a copy from either of t h e societies participating in the symposium.
