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T H E J O C R S A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
most notoriously protected and monopolistic remedies, both patented and trade-marked, escape the tax. I refer to the European patented remedies that have no competition in the
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United States because our Government’s protective laws forbid their manufacture here; and yet these remedies pass free according t o the courts’ decision. I am not criticizing our European friends who adroitly found a flaw in our law, big enough t o let them sell their patent medicines free of tax while most American patents must be stamped. I simply say, a law that waq intended to t a x all alike, foreigner and American, whoever makes a patent medicine, and every style of patent or trade-marked medicine, and yet is so defective as t o let either class escape, does the other class a wrong. No proprietary or patent medicine, simple or compound, foreign or home-made, should escape. Justice to those concerned demands that if the intent of the law cannot now be carried out by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the defective law should be promptly amended so as t o correct its defects. As it stands now it is faulty. There is a sequel t o this story which would prove extremely interesting t o t h e members of t h e Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and perhaps some d a y Prof. Lloyd will consent t o our publishing it, or, better still, perhaps we can persuade t h e author of “Stringtown on t h e Pike” t o write it himself in his own inimitable style. Meanwhile, we would again urge our congressmen t o consider from all angles a n y legislation adversely affecting t h e developing American coal-tar chemical industries, which are now rapidly supplying our country with those products for which we have so long been dependent upon Germany. I n doing this they are “doing their bit” in t h e program of national selfcontainedness, ANOTHER PHASE OF COOPERATION
M a n y of our universities and colleges have already adopted t h e policy of granting immediate graduation, without further examination, t o those of their graduating classes who have enlisted in t h e government service a n d whose enlistments have been accepted. There is another class of service, however, connected indirectly with t h e government, namely in those industries which are furnishing war supplies and whose present forces are now utterly inadequate for t h e demands made upon them. T h e call from t h e industries for t h e immediate service of t h e graduating class of engineers of Lehigh University has been so insistent t h a t , upon recommendation of its Faculty, approved by this Board of Trustees, all senior students so desiring will have their examinations advanced one month so t h a t they may be enabled promptly t o give relief in those oT-ertaxed industries for which they have been especially trained.
THE GREATEST CHEMICAL LIBRARY IN THE WORLD
Why should we not have such? The basis of t r u e progress in t h e chemical industries is a complete chemical literature on which active brains can with courage, confidence, wise forethought a n d adequate financial support continue t o enlarge t h e great
Vol. 9, No.
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structure of t h e applications of t h e science of chemistry. The skill a n d genius of American chemists and chemical engineers have proved themselves t o our people. T h e financial returns from such efforts have been abundant. It must not be forgotten, however, t h a t such returns have been obtained under conditions practically free from foreign competition. I n t h e coming struggle t o maintain and improve present advances, wise preparedness will not neglect this important foundation of t h e industrial structure. What have we of this nature now? Many partial libraries, housed in many institutions, educational and industrial, and more or less accessible t o chemists in t h e various sections of t h e country, b u t nowhere under one roof have we a complete literature, readily available, t o which a chemist could go in t h e certainty t h a t there he would find everything published bearing on t h e problem whose correct solution is his responsibility. We thought, at one time, t h a t America possessed in t h e Chemists’ Club library a literature a t least approaching t h a t ideal, b u t we were mistaken in t h a t conception as examination has proved. The laudable ambition of t h e club t o supply such a need failed, even though its volumes were increased by t h e addition of those belonging t o t h e American Chemical Society, a n addition authorized b y t h e unanimous vote of t h e Council of t h e Society. T h e reason for t h e failure was not far t o seek: t h e financial t a x upon t h e resources of t h e Club was too great; consequently t h e bibliographic service had t o be discontinued; t h e hope of a duplicate library which could be used as a circulating library for t h e benefit of chemists at a distance had t o be abandoned, though partially attained; and funds for subscriptions t o current literature were so inadequate t h a t i t was necessary t o resort t o receipt of many, many journals through t h e American Chemical Society, through various publishing houses a n d through t h e courtesy of individuals. A list of t h e current periodicals. compiled by t h e kindness of t h e libqarian, showed 16 journals received f r o m our office a n d 96 journals received from Chemical Abstracts. If a chemist therefore is depending upon this library t o keep completely up-to-date in t h e developments in any field covered by these I I Z periodicals, not t o mention many others, he must wait until this office has finished t h e perusal of its 16 periodicals (a number of which, b y t h e way, we have never yet seen in t h e office), or in t h e case of those received through Chemical Abstracts, he must wait until these have been allotted b y t h e editor t o t h e various abstractors, have been by t h e m abstracted, a n d have been returned t o t h e editor after being retained for purposes of correction a n d reference until publication of t h e abstract-if even then. No criticism is intended or implied in this outline of conditions in t h e library of t h e Chemists’ Club. Our purpose is t o point out t h a t such shortcomings can be overcome b y one method and b y one method only; and t h a t is b y a generous endowment of t h a t library. If some individual wishes t o confer a lasting blessing upon chemistry in America, or if all those who have profited b y t h e financial gains of this
remarkable period in the history of Aiiierican c h e m i c n l industry would unite, there might he forthcoming a n endowment of a half million dollars. T h e interest on this amount wisely invested b y a n expert a n d representative committee would enable t h e collection of a complete library in duplicate which would include complete sets of all journals, complete files of all current issues, trade journals, all editions oi books published (so important as shown by a recent espericnce of our own), consular reports, government reports, all patent files, especially those of Germany a n d Belgium. dissertations, etc.; i t would provide ample accommodation for t h e convenient housing of this material; i t would furnish sufficient clerical iorce t o administer the circulating library feature; it would
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assure t h e revival of the bibliographic service which was at one time so valuable a feature in t h e operation oi the library. T h e very presence in our midst of such a library would prove a stimulating influence wherever problems in chemistry await intelligent solution. These are days of great things: days w-hen the imagination is often astounded b y actual accomplishment. The genius of our people is t o do things in n big way; the endowments for educational institutions, for pulilic libraries, for special lines of research-all attest this national trait. May we not hope, therefore, that. generous impulse and broad-minded vision will lay such a foundation-stone for our chemical striicturc as is worthy of t h e highest American ideals?
JAPAN STARTS ITS DYESTUFF INDUSTRY
When tlie wurld's productioii of dyestuffs a n d intermediates was cut off from Germany b y t h e World War, countries other than the United States suffered tremendously from t h e dyestuff famine. Among these countries was Japan, whose consumption o i dyestuffs is less t h a n one-sixth of t h a t of t h e United States, b u t whose textile, paper, leather aiid other allied industries were dependent upon German dyestuffs and intermediates. T h e Japanese Government decirled t h a t it wished t o be in a n independent position
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SOMEOP rxii3ResEIncll LAoor~ronuS i r l i ? ,J A P A N DYESIUFP M A N U F A C T ~ YCZoNnC r ~ m u Lio. . AND
regarding tlie manufacture of dyestiill's, and t h a t i t would do all in its powcr t o encourage, foster and assist in the development of this new industry.
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S a k a y a , formerly Vice Minister of the Department of Communications. The Board of Directors consists of Uessrs. Nakaya, Uyemura, I'ujiyama, Ohashi. l n a h a t a , Watanahe, IIori; l t o , and Kuho. The Honorary Councillors are: Baron Shibusawa, Baron Okura. Ur. Jokichi Takaminc, and hiessrs. Kntaokn and Nakano. T h e Works Director is Dr. Kothro Shimomura. I-OC.\'TIti\ h X U B C I I . U I S G oL' l ' i A X ' i I n J u n e 1916, the Company purchased 3o,ooo
tsuho of laud (I,oXo,ooo sq. f t . ) , and leased a n additional quantity. This land is situated a t I
