CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING The Présidentes
Message · · ·
NEWS WALTER J. MURPHY, Editor
ACS Problems of 1 9 4 7 M ANY
decisions affecting the future of the CHEMICAL SOCIETY must be made during 1947. Some of the problems arise from conditions peculiar to the SOCIETY itself and others from the stresses' and strains resulting from the recent war. The former concern mainly matters of organization and of the types of activity to be pursued. The organizational problems are the inevitable result of the phenomenally large increase in membership. The lines to be followed may not be clear in detail, but sound organizational procedure indicates that certain changes may be desirable. The Hancock Committee report will be a very useful guide in this connection. The problems concerning types of activity which the SOCIETY should follow are less concrete and are open to considerably more debate. The budget of the SOCIETY for 1947 is the largest in the history of our organization and provides for a wide variety of activities. However, despite expanding income there will not be money to perform all of the tasks which have been or could be suggested by members. Careful decisions must be made as to the lines to be followed, and these decisions must be based on full discussion by the membership of the SOCIETY. This is a period of economic unrest, and it is but natural that many members should feel deeply concerned about the failure of their remuneration to keep pace with rising costs of living. There are others who feel that the chemist is not adequately recognized as a professional man. How to continue to improve the economic status and the professional standing of chemists and chemical engineers constitute major problems confronting the SOCIETY. The officers, directors, and committees need the constructive suggestions of the members for their efforts on these important matters to be effective. In return the members need and will receive full information concerning what is being done. Many of our younger members have been charged with heavy responsibilities both in war years and in subsequent reconversion operations. However, the large number of students in universities today may lead eventually to a surplus of trained AMERICAN
personnel, and the economic status of the chemist in future years is some cause for worry. What should the SOCIETY do? The remedies suggested seem to be no more than temporary palliatives. However, this large increase in students taking chemistry is an indication that the public at large respects this science and believes that it affords good opportunities for service and earning a living. In
