24 American Fisheries Society 



state that we are thoroughly convinced the only way to get action is through 

 a stringent law with heavy penalties. 



We surveyed the plants of our state, and sent out letters to each one 

 telling of the conditions and reciting the law on what was expected of them 

 and what they must do. Some of the mills responded that they would in- 

 vestigate and see what could be done. One plant in particular, responded 

 that they would refer the matter to their attorneys, and see what was nec- 

 essary to be done. That's the sort of cooperation you will get on the part 

 of some of them. We must insist upon our legislature passing laws that will 

 make these men take care of the situation in each individual plant. It is 

 preposterous to think that a state conservation commission or a board of 

 health can spend its time or the state's money to survey each of these plants 

 and then watch each individual to see that he obeys the law. These plants 

 have men that can work out a system of disposing of waste in a way that 

 will not pollute the streams. 



In our state the chemical engineer from the State University, who is 

 working with the State Board of Health, has looked over these plants, and 

 made plans and blue-prints of a system for taking care of these industrial 

 wastes and presented them to some of the firms. The law should compel 

 those men to take care of their own business just the same as the manu- 

 facturers of the state that are not interfering with the public welfare take 

 care of theirs. 



Prof. J. G. Needhmm, of Cornell University. Concerning the dis- 

 crepancy of views between Mr. Pratt and Mr. Adams. I think they are both 

 right. It is entirely feasible, when information is available and a method 

 is well known whereby pollution can be eliminated, for a commission to 

 help a factory towards getting rid of it. But suppose it is an unsolved prob- 

 lem, — and most of the problems of pollution are still largely unsolved — 

 it behooves us to compel factories to put a chemical expert on the job, for 

 the chemical expert is trained for the productive side. In almost every 

 case, he is not trained for such matters as are involved in the disposal of 

 the waste. 



There is a mode available to manufacturers, that is becoming more 

 or less widely used, one end of which we see at the University in the indus- 

 trial fellowship courses. A good many industries are appointing men to 

 come to us for the necessary training for work in their institutions and 

 factories, bearing directly on problems that have arisen in their factories. 

 These men get the benefit of the conference of views, bringing to the pro- 

 blem all sorts of knowledge available in the University, and work towards 

 finding a solution of the difficulty. That is industrial fellowship, a name 

 borrowed from classic literature. They are simply investigators hired at 

 first by the firms that need them. These industrial fellowships have resulted 

 already in solving many problems of pollution, and of getting rid of wastes 

 by turning them into something useful. 



It has so come about in many cases that large interests have been in- 

 volved, and that where a few people have supported a thing of this kind 



