I'KKSIDKNTIAI. ADDKKSS SKCTION I:. 87 



commencement of the war on tliis latter subject, ownig to the 

 tact that the textile industries ct ( ireat Britain were so abso- 

 lutely dependent on Clerman}- for these products, that, for a 

 short time, their position was extremely critical. This sul)ject 

 is, to the chemist, certainly one of the most attractive within 

 his vision, but it would be sujjerfluous to deal with it here, 

 because 1 am of the opinion, that the day is yet distant when its 

 institution can Ite i)rotitably discussed in South Africa. On the 

 other hand, if war and the creed of a spurious superman are to 

 continue tlicir existence, the manufacture of explosives from 

 our own resources is a necessity, neglecting for the moment 

 their use in mining, engineering and agriculture. These, how- 

 ever, are not the only substances which would justify the incep- 

 tion of a tar distillation industry in this cotintry, as a perusal 

 of the short list given will readily show. 



The second point of view put forward is, that conservation 

 of natural resources should constitute one of the primary func- 

 tions of Government, and as, according to the statistics of the 

 world's coal resources collected recently by the International 

 Geological Congres-, the (piantity of coal we possess is but 

 four-fifths of one per cent, of the total amount known to exist 

 in the world, this statement should require no advocacy on my 

 part with respect to a substance so rich and fertile in its already 

 known potentialities. 



Parenthetically, I may remark here that the subject of 

 national conservation is one Avhich has not yet been taken up 

 by this Association, but its close and intimate connection wit.i 

 development should make it a matter for serious consideration 

 even now. In the United States of North Amercia. which is 

 one of the portions of the earth most richly endowed by nattire, 

 mtich preliminary work has been done upon this subject, and 

 the publications of the (lOvernment Commission, as also the 

 addresses and papers of some of its foremost scientific workers. 

 are worthy of careful study. South Africa is still a young 

 country, but in the evolution and development of its heritage it. 

 must seek to take advantage of the experiences of this nature, 

 which other coimtries can show. 



The late Lord Beaconsfield on:e .'^aid that the pros{)erity 

 of a country could be gauged by the extent of its chemical indus- 

 try, a statement which was received by his contemporaries with 

 scorn and derision. The years which have elapsed since then 

 have proved, as is often the case, that his words were not the 

 accident of an impulsive verbosity, but the reasoned verdict of a 

 deliberative mind. The realisation of this dictttm has been most 

 profoundly shown by the stujjendous j>rogress in chemical indus- 

 try made by Gemiany during the last forty }'ears, more especially 

 in the domain of organic chemistry. 



It m.ay appeal to some to state here, that their great chemical 

 factories, each with a capital of from one to two million pouwds, 

 paid dividends out of profits varying from 14 per cent, to 30 



