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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 CHEMISTRY
the 60,000 shares of stock reserved for the public was oversubscribed eighty-three and a third per cent. By this cooperation between the government and the people, France will a t the close of the war trebly gain-realizing upon its surplus explosives plants, creating a domestic dyestuff industry and retaining a potential explosives industry which can quickly be made available. General Scott was a chemist as well as a soldier, and Mr. Hill c‘i patriot rather than a partisan. DR. ROEBER
1n“the stirring drama of the expansion of American chemical industries during the past three years, a unique figure stood out in the form of Dr. E. F. Roeber, whose death on October 17, 1917, was a shock t o chemists in every section of this country, Through the steady growth of his splendid journal, Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering, he exerted a wide influence. Filled with the spirit of the times, he labored unceasingly for t h e upbuilding of the chemical industries in the conviction t h a t in this way he could best serve the country of his adoption. Indefatigable in multifarious committee duties, he gave of himself ungrudgingly. Through such activities his name will live among us, and yet t o those of us who knew him personally, there was another side which will always be remembered: the genial man, the jolly companion, and the sympathetic friend whose hearty handshake carried with i t A aconstant message of good-will. THE EXPOSITION
The Third National Exposition of Chemical Industries has now become a part of the history of the country. Still another floor of t h e ’ Grand Central Palace was required t o booth the additional exhibits. The marked increase in attendance was a just measure of the increasing popular regard for chemistry. The stimulation of t h a t busy week is to-day being felt in every line of the chemical industries. Some there were among the exhibitors who, becoming overconfident of success, failed to give due thought to the attractiveness and intelligence of their exhibits. They are to-day paying the price, and indulging in regrets. The exhibits as a whole, however, made a wonderfully attractive and inspiring display. The addresses were well attended and appreciatively heard, in spite of a very badly ventilated auditorium. Plans have already been made for remedying t h a t defect next year. Again the managers of the Exposition have demonstrated their completely sympathetic cooperation with the Advisory Committee. It is a pleasure t o bear witness to the fact t h a t in no instance since the inception of the Exposition idea have the managers failed t o comply with any suggestion of the Advisory Committee as t o the proper policy for the legitimate and sound development of the Exposition. This attitude on the part of t h e managers has in turn resulted in the transformation of the Advisory Committee from an originally somewhat perfunctory body into an enthusiastic, thought-giving, working committee.
Vol. 9, No.
II
Again the press has done its full share in carrying the impress of the Exposition t o the public. True, a special edition of one evening paper was abandoned because the exhibitors would not respond with sufficient alacrity and unanimity t o the exhortations of its advertising manager, but this was lost sight of in the columns of space devoted to the Exposition in many papers which, in spite of the stirring character of world news a t the time, recognized the national import of such a display and means of interchange of ideas. Perhaps the most striking feature of the increased exhibits was the intelligent and carefully prepared displays of the natural resources of the South. I n this work a number of the progressive railroads of the South were particularly engaged. The results should prove a well defined addition to the wealth of the nation. The chief impression we received from the entire activities of the week was the conviction that the chemical industries are not isolated units seeking selfish advancement, but a coordinated group in our body politic seeking t o serve the nation. With such a spirit, the limit of growth is far from sight. A SPRING EXPOSITION AT C H I C A G O
I n response to invitations from the Chicago Association of Commerce, the Chicago Section of t h e American Chemical Society and Local Sections in adjoining states, there will be held next March, in the Chicago Coliseum, an Exposition of Chemical Industries under the same management which has so successfully conducted the three similar expositions in New York City. The growth of chemical industries in the Middle West, has kept full pace with the developments in other sections of the country, and, as in other sections, there is still room for greater and more codrdinated growth, Bringing together under one roof the splendid accomplishments of the past will serve to inspire confidence in the future. We predict for the Chicago Exposition the same phenomenal success which has characterized those already held. THE SLACKER RING AGAIN Far be it from us t o add t o the burden of work of any man or set of men in these busy days. Remembering, however, the resolution of the Jewelers’ Vigilance Committee: “RESOLVED, That we pledge ourselves t o discontinue and strongly recommend to all manufacturing and re tail jewelers of the United States that they in a truly patriotic spirit discourage the manufacture, sale and use of platinum in all bulky and heavy pieces of jewelry,”
and remembering also the activity of the Vigilance Committee in connection with this general subject, we record here for the information of the Committee the wording of a prominently placed advertisement card observed last week in a Detroit street car: WE ARE SHOWINQ T E E MOST EXTENSIVE S T O C K OF PLATINUM ENGAGEMENT RINGS ALL SET WITE PERFECT DIAMONDS SALLAN WOODWARD AT QRATIOT
