408 CHEMICAL DISCOVERY AND INVENTION 



The Notodden factories produce not only nitrate of lime and 

 nitrite of soda, but have taken up the manufacture of concen- 

 trated nitric acid and nitrate of ammonia, and since nitric acid 

 is the basis or starting point for the production of many other 

 substances the development of industry in various directions 

 may be expected in the future. 



The following figures taken from Dr. Eyde's lecture to the 

 Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry at New 

 York in 1912, are interesting as giving some idea of the progress 

 of the industry, and the important influence it has had on the 

 prosperity of the country in which it was first established. 



H.P. Work- 



Dates. Factories, utilised. Employees. men. 



July, 1903. Frognerkilens Febrik 25 2 2 



Oct., 1903. Ankerlokken 150 4 10 



Sept., 1904. Vasmoen and Arendal 1,000 6 20 



May, 1905. Notodden 2,500 4 35 



May, 1907. Notodden and Svaelgfos 42,500 12 403 



Nov., 1911. Notodden, Svaelgfos, Lienfos, 



andRjukanl 200,000 143 1,340 



A few years ago at Saaheim as well as at Notodden the popula- 

 tion of the villages was limited to a small number of poor farmers. 

 While Saaheim had only 50 inhabitants it has now between 5000 

 and 6000 citizens, and at Notodden, while there were formerly 

 about 500 people, there are now upwards of 5000. 



The economic aspect of this industry is of the utmost im- 

 portance to the whole world for reasons sufficiently set forth at 

 the beginning of the chapter. Hence it is probable that efforts 

 to deal with the problem relating to the fixation of atmospheric 

 nitrogen already begun in countries other than those already 

 mentioned will be extended. 



So far as the British Isles are concerned but little water power 

 is available. There is, however, accessible water power in many 

 of the British possessions, in Canada and in South Africa for 

 example. There are also other sources of power in cheap pro- 

 ducer gas from coal or peat and from mineral oil, and the more 

 economical and efficient use of these materials is a subject on 

 which there is still room for much scientific research. 



