2J6 



NATURE 



[May 15, 1919 



was enormous, but that an output could have been 

 achieved is a significant tribute to the potentialities 

 represented by the large German fine chemical fac- 

 tories. Both in Britain and in Germany production in 

 chemical manufacture has been multiplied during the 

 war, but necessarily in a different manner. Our large 

 production is almost entirely of war importance, and 

 most of the works installed during the war must now 

 be dismantled as a result of the cessation of hostilities ; 

 the German expansions, on the other hand, constitute 

 a permanent addition to the potentialities of peace 

 manufacture of staple marketable products. The war 

 has left Germany with vastly increased resources as a 

 manufacturer of much-needed chemical products. 



The view that our country is superior to Germany 

 in the possession of creative scientific power has always 

 been maintained in modern times by students of philo- 

 sophy and history ; the correctness of the view has 

 been amply demonstrated during the last four years. 

 Whilst our nation has overcome its initial handicap 

 by a continuous flow of novel scientific devices of 

 niilitarv value, our enemies passed through the war 

 with little more in the shape of novel effects than 

 those laboriously elaborated during the preceding 

 vears of peace. The more brilliant position which 

 Germany has so long held in applied science arose 

 from the keen appreciation exhibited by German public 

 and official authorities of the rich economic fruits to 

 be reaped from the systematic exploitation of scientific 

 industry as compared with the neglect of scientific 

 effort shown by corresponding classes in this country. 

 Even yet but small encouragement exists for those 

 who desire to see pure and applied science flourish as 

 it deserves in Great Britain. Although it may be long 

 before the scientific industries of Central Europe 

 regain their former predominance, there seems but 

 little prospect of sufficient official encouragement being 

 given in this country to scientific and industrial initia- 

 tive to ensure our position in the competition with 

 other nations. 



In this connection it is interesting to notice what 

 is happening in the United States. Immediately after 

 her entrv into the war America initiated a census of 

 chemists,: and in Julv, 1917, a fully detailed descrip- 

 tion was available of some 15,000 chemists resident 

 in the States; a research staff consisting of 1200 

 technical men. with appropriate assistance, was en- 

 listed for the Research Division of the Chemical War- 

 fare Service alone. Since America was only in the 

 war for about eighteen months, this powerful 

 organisation had not time to make its efforts pro- 

 perlv felt. .'Kpart from small improvements or changes 

 in detail, practicallv all the American chemical equip- 

 ment, for both offence and defence, was manufac- 

 tured on the detailed plans furnished by Great Britain 

 or France; the available time was too short to allow 

 full play to American genius for novelty and for 

 magnitude of production. The necessity for co-opera- 

 tion brought large numbers of young and active 

 American chemical officers to Europe ; it gave those 

 officers for eighteen months the entry to practically 

 every chemical works of importance in England and 

 France, and unrivalled opportunities for accurately 

 iudging European chemical methods and markets; 

 Those men have now returned to their ordinary 

 scientific and technical pursuits in the States, and it 

 cannot be expected that they have left behind them 

 the unique experience which they have gained of 

 European conditions. 



We may anticipate that competition in pure and 

 applied chemistry between Europe and America will 

 become increasingly keener during the years to come. 

 The competition is alreadv intense, and gives little 

 promise as yet of turning in our favour; it is, in 

 ifact, difficult to see how manv of the staple products 

 NO. 2585, VOL. 103] 



of fine chemical manufacture can hold their own in 

 Great Britain against American competition under 

 the conditions which arose during the first three years 

 of the war. During these years peace production 

 flourished in the States free from Government con- 

 trol, whilst in this country the establishment of a 

 fine chemical industry in war-time was naturally 

 rendered far more difficult by State control of works, 

 materials, and labour. 



The bearing of this may be made clearer by an 

 instance. The manufacture of saccharin was in- 

 stalled in England after the outbreak of war, but the 

 production was controlled in that the manufacturers 

 were only permitted to sell at a profit of 10 per cent, 

 on the cost, this profit being, in turn, subject to the 

 excess profits tax; further, to prevent the economic 

 difficulties which were foreseen if saccharin competed 

 with sugar, the price of English-made saccharin was 

 fixed at a figure which involved the very large addi- 

 tion of 30s. per lb. to the price, this addition being 

 appropriated by the Government. Simultaneously, 

 saccharin was manufactured free of all control in the 

 States ; it came into this country unrestricted and 

 on such terms that the American producer took the 

 30s. per lb. just mentioned in addition to the con- 

 siderable profit previously made by reason of lower 

 cost of manufacture. America, having thus been 

 assisted by our Government to build up a large reserve 

 of profits, is now actually selling saccharin in England 

 at 115. per lb. — a price at which it cannot be produced 

 here — apparently with the legitimate trade purpose of 

 destroying the English manufacture and afterwards 

 running up the price. 



Many cases may be quoted as closely analogous to 

 that of saccharin, notably in connection with acetic 

 acid, glycerol, acetone, and methyl alcohol and their 

 products, in which British procedure has facilitated 

 profiteering in foreign countries during the war. The 

 excess profits tax operated insidiously in tempting 

 British manufacturers to keep prices high so as to 

 retain a margin with which to write off capital ex- 

 penditure in spite of the tax; the foreign competitor, 

 free from Government control of raw materials and 

 exempt from the excess profits tax, was able to take 

 full advantage of the ruling high rates. It will be of 

 fnterest to see how the problems introduced by these 

 actual occurrences are to be solved advantageously 

 for Great Britain in the great reconstruction upon 

 which our administrators are now engaged. 



Sufficient has probably now been said in justifica- 

 tion of the rapid appreciation of science, and especially 

 of that branch of science with which we are 

 particularly concerned, in the public and administra- 

 tive eye. The sudden incidence of new scientific 

 modes of military and naval attack, and the quick 

 improvisation and development of equally scientific 

 means of reply, both of which have been so frequently 

 exhibited during the past five years, must have seemed 

 uncanny to the lay observer, who only realised the 

 effects, but did not understand the causes. 



.^t the present time, however, most fellows of this 

 society have little leisure to reflect upon the ghastly 

 tragedy in which it has been our privilege to assist; 

 the curtain has fallen upon this, but is rising again 

 upon the greatest epoch in the history of the world. 

 The coming struggle for scientific and industrial posi- 

 tion, upon the results of which must rest the whole 

 intellectual, artistic, and material future of our race, 

 will call for longer, greater, more persistent, and more 

 intelligent effort than any which we have hitherto 

 exerted. We are forced to consider whether we have 

 reason to hope that the recent lessons have been well 

 brought home, and whether the free play given to 

 scientific creation and production during the last five 

 years is to persist unhampered in the future. For 



