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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 E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
chemists as a result of t h e remarkable showing made a t t h e Second National Exposition of Chemical Industries. Chemists, however, as a class are not capitalists. Their work is the transformation of matter by reagents, in apparatus, on land a n d in buildings supplied b y enlisted capital, and few are t h e cases where efficiency in manufacturing is immediately attained. I n t h e enlistment of such capital t h e chief restraining influence is t h e question of foreign competition. No greater blessing, therefore, has come t o American chemical industries t h a n t h e creation of t h e Tariff Commission, which will report t o t h e President or t o Congress impartial studies of existing facts and conditions. With t h e publication of such reports invidious questions as t o motive in asking compensatory protective legislation will be removed or, equally important, capital will be encouraged t o invest in such industries without t h e imagined necessity for such legislation. Bewildering, however, will these studies be, if no member of the Tariff Commission has intimate knowledge, along broad lines, of t h e inter-relations of these industries, of t h e technical problems involved, of relative domestic a n d foreign conditions of manufacture in this complicated field, and of t h e blending of these threads into t h e warp a n d woof of t h e national industrial organization. Realizing this the Directors of our Society forwarded t o President Wilson a n endorsement of Mr. Ellwood Hendrick, of New York City, for nomination as a Member of t h e Tariff Commission, believing t h a t in Mr. Hendrick would be found those qualities which would insure t o t h e nation expert knowledge, balanced judgment, business experience. disinterestedness and conscientious discharge of duty. It is a matter of all-round congratulation, as presaging future cooperation, t h a t in this endorsement t h e American Chemical Society has been joined by t h e American Electrochemical Society, t h e Manufacturing Chemists’ Association of t h e United States, t h e American Institute of Chemical Engineers, t h e Chemists’ Club, the .4merican Pharmaceutical Association, t h e National Wholesale Druggists’ Association, t h e National Association of Manufacturers of Medicinal Products, a n d t h e Technical Association of t h e Pulp a n d Paper Industry. THE NEW PRESS-AND PUBLICITY COMMITTEE Among the many noteworthy features of chemical achievement during t h e week of September Z j , 1916, none was more striking t h a n t h e admirably planned a n d thoroughly executed work of t h e Press and Publicity Committee of t h e New York Section of our Society. Many were amazed a t t h e results attained, i n spite of t h e space demands made upon t h e daily press b y the presidential election, t h e European war, a n d the threatened strike of eight hundred thousand laborers in New York City. At former meetings we had often witnessed the hopeless efforts of reporters t o select f r o m t h e mass of technical papers presented material for some kind of story interesting t o t h e newspaper-reading public. T o all t h e sight of this new machinery in action was
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inspiring. No mystery surrounded t h e proceedings; men high in t h e ranks of chemistry sacrified their desire t o participate i n t h e varied program, pulled off their coats and were daily “on t h e job” in Room D of the Chemists’ Club. With keen neyspaper sense, they prepared abstracts of papers in language which even t h e veriest layman could understand. At appointed times the reporters were met and from this prepared material they made selection ad libitum. TO this effort of chemists t h e press in t u r n responded splendidly. The work, however, was not t o end with t h e close of t h a t memorable week. T h e New York Section continued t h e Committee as a local activity a n d appropriated funds for its use. Regular meetings have been held a n d t h e publicity campaign has gone merrily on. During t h e past summer a Publicity Committee of t h e American Chemical Society, also a working committee, studied carefully t h e publicity methods of allied organizations a n d submitted a report t o t h e Council which was approved by t h a t body a n d referred t o t h e Directors. It is a pleasure t o record t h a t a t the annual meeting of t h e Directors, December 9, 1916, these two committees were consolidated as the Press and Publicity Committee of t h e Society, with Mr. Allen Rogers of t h e P r a t t Institute, Brooklyn, New York, as Chairman. A modest appropriation was voted for t h e clerical expenses of t h e enlarged committee. More extensive plans can now be Iaid t o continue t h e task of effectively bringing together t h e public a n d the chemist. AN OPEN LETTER
HOUSEO F REPRESENTATIVES O F T H E SIXTYF O U R T H CONGRESS: SIRS: On t h e closing day of your last session legislation was enacted, as a part of t h e General Revenue Bill, for t h e avowed a n d express purpose of promoting a n d encouraging t h e development of a n American dyestuff industry. This action of t h e Congress, controlled in both Senate and House b y a political party long opposed t o protective duties as a stimulus t o industrial development, has been justly interpreted b y t h e country as a patriotic answer t o t h e nation-wide call for a domestic industry, peculiarly intricate in its character, which would free this country from t h e domination of a foreign monopoly; which would relieve manufacturers and laborers i n many other lines from threatened distress; a n d which would furnish a nucleus of superintendents, foremen and workmen who would be needed for training others in the manufacture of high explosives, in case a t a n y time our country should be involved in a great war. The legislation was not hurriedly framed. Extensive hearings were held, a n d after considerable delay, a conference was held between members of both t h e Senate a n d t h e House, in charge of t h e matter, a n d representatives of both manufacturers and consumers of dyestuffs. This was no secret conference for i t was freely mentioned on t h e floors of both Senate a n d House in t h e course of public debate. T h e result of the conference was satisfactory, though t h e To
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