president's address — SECTION B. 37 



staffs of these various institutions responded enthusiastically to the 

 call, so that innumerable problems involving chemistry, physics, 

 engineering, and in fact every branch of science, were rapidly 

 solved as they arose, and thus the smooth working of this gigantic 

 war machine was made possible. 



In this way the Department of Explosives Supply accumulated 

 an. immense and varied amount of most valuable inTormation ; and 

 it was Mr. Quinan's earnest wish that, when the war was won, this 

 information should be made available for the benefit of the in- 

 dustries, and especially the chemical industries, of Britain and her 

 Allies. Fortunately this is now being done, the necessary editing 

 having been placed in the able hands of Mr. William Macnab, 

 who was himself one of Mr. Quinan's foremost colleagues on the 

 Head-Quarters Staff of the Department. The first instalment 

 of these reports, entitled Prelim inari/ Studies for H .M . Factory 

 Gretna^ and Study for <in Installation of Phosgene Manufacture, 

 has already been published. The latter poirticn of this report 

 contains a detailed discussion of the layout of a plant to produce 

 about 250 tons of phcsgene per week, and affords an excellent ex- 

 ample of Mr. Quinan's creative methods for attacking a new 

 problem. The plant in question was in course of erection at the 

 close of the war, and would have proved a valuable asset had 

 there been any further campaign. These reports will be of the 

 greatest value both to designers of chemical pxant and to students 

 or chemistry and chemical engineering, and should be added to 



the library of every university and technical school. 



ft 



It should be mentioned that the Department of Explosives 

 Supply also derived most useful help from the disclosure by private 

 firms of information on various matters, which before the war had 

 been jealously guarded as "trade secrets." This pooling of in- 

 formation already in existence in itself enabled great advances to 

 be made. British chemical industry has been heavily handicapped 

 in the past by the exclusiveness and secrecy of mdividual firms, 

 whilst, on the other hand, its rivals in Germany and in the 

 United States have derived great benefit from the exchange of 

 knowledge amongst themselves. The commanding position of the 

 British engineering trades has no dombt been largely due to the 

 fact that in their case this policy of secrecy has for the most part 

 been impossible, so' that a discovery or invention made by one 

 firm is at once of advantage to all. 



My reason for dwelliirg so long on the work ot ±5ritish chemists 

 in the war is twofold. In the first place, the record of that work 

 affords what should be convincing proof tliat chemistry and 

 chemists are indispensable factors in the constructive work of 

 peace. In the second place, the term " Briliish " in this con- 

 nexion includes " Australian," for Australian chemists fonned 



