Jan., 1918] The Relation of War to Chemistry 71 



ufacturing or production. Because their aim is production, 

 these two fields have been largely dominated by war con- 

 ditions for the past three years. On them the war has had two 

 mutually antagonistic effects, the one retarding or injuring 

 and the other developing and benefitting. 



war's damage to chemical industry. 



The main factors vital to success in any chemical industry 

 are: 



1. Thorough knowledge of an assured market. 



2. Possession of at least one well studied and workable 

 chemical process and chemical ability to handle it economically 

 under varying raw material and finished product markets. 



3. Possession of engineering ability to carry out and 

 maintain in operation the chemistry involved in the process. 



4. Sufficient margin of profit to attract capital and business 

 confidence in chemical and engineering ability in meeting the 

 problems of the field. 



Anything or anyone who weakens or strikes at any of these 

 four factors is an enemy of chemical industry and does damage 

 to it. 



When war was declared in Europe stagnation set in at once 

 in the chemical industries and indications of disaster were the 

 rule in many of them. Petroleum refining, turpentine, rosin 

 and wood products among others were, hard hit because we 

 are strong exporters and such industries as mixed fertilizer 

 manufacture also, because we import heavily of potash. This 

 stagnation could not last long, since the chemical industries 

 underlie the whole fabric of modern industrial development 

 and civilization, and production is necessary to life. Eventually, 

 therefore, the chemical industries were forced to resume oper- 

 ations but great uncertainty as to markets rendered operations 

 difficult and held back many changes in processes and equip- 

 ment, rendered necessary by changes in source or k'nd of raw 

 materials. The nature of these industries is often such that 

 the failure of supply of one chemical raw material even if used 

 in but limited amounts may prove fatal by rendering the 

 product unsatisfactory to the market if indeed it is not entirely 

 valueless. A good illustration of the vital importance of 

 accurate knowledge of the market in these chemical industries 

 is furnished by the dye situation, where we had recently the 



