CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING
NEWS WALTER J. MURPHY, Editor
The Campion JPIan \JN SEVERAL occasions during the past few years scientists have pointed out the desirability of making available sizable sums of money to rehabilitate the fundamental research facilities in Europe destroyed during World War II. With th.e establishment of the Marshall Plan, efforts were renewed to have a part of the American financial aid ear marked for this purpose. Renewed emphasis for such a proposal came from Karl T. Compton, former president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and now head of the Research and Development Board of the National Military Establishment, speaking at the inauguration of his successor at MIT. "We should like to see," said Dr. Compton, "foreign science restored to its prewar vigor, not only in the interest of fundamental knowledge everywhere, upon which we and everyone can draw, but also because of the way in which a healthy body of science can contribute to economic and social recovery of all nations. "To my way of thinking" he continued, "it would be a helpful and legitimate thing if those countries whose pro grams of scientific research were most seriously disrupted by the war would see fit to include funds for the rehabilitation of those programs in their requests for United States aid under the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948. I be lieve that such requests should be sympathetically received, since sound plans for economic development must rest upon technology supported by fundamental research.. . .If only a small percentage of Marshall Plan funds were invested in this manner, there can be no doubt that rich returns of a long-range nature in material matters and in good will could be anticipated, beneficial alike to the countries concerned and to the United States." I t is of special significance that these words were spoken by the head of the Research.and Development Board of the National Military Establishment. We believe it can be assumed that the administration in Washington is sympa thetic to 1e idea. It is also of great significance that Dr. Compton, in advocating the allotment of Marshall Plan funds to restore the scientific research facilities of Europe, did not limit his plea solely to the desirability of assisting basic research but clearly indicated that sound plans, for economic development rest upon technological advances which, of course, in turn stem from a constant flow of information of a fundamental character produced by workers unhampered by immediate practical objectives. The uninformed may oppose granting funds for the pur pose of restoring the research facilities of Europe by saying, in effect, "Let us spend such money in our own laboratories, in our colleges and universities." This argument is not easy to refute, especially when one favors the establishment of a national science foundation in this country. We must remember, however, that the act of making available large sums for research does not in itself
guarantee results. The biggest factors in research are the ability and the number of researchers available. We have no monopoly on scientific brains. This country has just so many individuals who qualify as scientific research workers. Once these individuals are engaged, further expenditures of money are likely to produce little, if any, results. It is true that we have attracted many of the outstanding scientists of Europe and that talented young men in Europe are anxious to settle in the United States, but it is question able how far these trends should be permitted to continue. Permanent recovery is unlikely in countries from which scientists have migrated in large numbers. The whole pur pose of the European Recovery Program is to provide those things which will give economic stability and independence in the shortest possible time. The kind of aid advocated by Dr. Compton will accoinplish a great deal to restore the normal life of Europe necessary to the peace of the world.
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Profjnosticators
L HitouGH the hospitality of John Stauffer and his associates in the Stauffer Chemical Co., we enjoyed, while returning from the San Francisco meeting of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, the opportunity of viewing not only the chemical operations of that company at Henderson, Nev., but such scenic wonders as Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. While chemically the area within several hundred miles of Hoover Dam does not compare with the recent spectacular growth of the industry in the Southwest area close to Hous ton, Tex., it is reasonable to suppose that the chemical in dustry centering at the moment in the original Basic Mag nesium plant at Henderson will grow and will attract chemi cal consuming industries in. the not too distant future. Cheap power is available from Hoover Dam. A natural gas line is about to be installed from a main line passing through Williams, Ν . Μ., ensuring cheaper steam costs. Water is no longer the desperate problem it was prior to the construction of the dam. The mineral industries of the area need closer supplies of industrial chemicals, but perhaps of greatest immediate and long-term importance is the con tinued phenomenal growth in the population of West Coast cities, principally Los Angeles. The freight haul from Henderson to Los Angeles is about equal to that from Niagara Falls to New York City. As the population grows, chemical needs increase. Xt is easy to be optimistic about the industrial future of an area which continues to attract people even if the main attractions at the moment appear to be the weather and the one-armed bandits. Perhaps we are still under the spell of ratified atmosphere, but we suspect that Las Vegas and its environs will, within a decade, list industry—not tourists—as the number one activity of the area close to Hoover Dam.
