Marcu 19, 1914] 
NATURE 71 
Ewen, which deals with the nature and causes of the 
brittleness of even the purest metals at temperatures 
near their melting points. Mr. H. Garland, of Cairo, 
contributes a paper on the micro-structure of ancient 
Egyptian metal specimens, showing that the meta- 
stable structure of cored solid solutions has persisted 
through many thousands of years. Prof. Hoyt deals 
with the constitution of the ‘‘kalchoids,’’ by which 
repellent name he denotes the alloys of zinc, tin, and 
copper, while Prof. Guertler, of Berlin, contributes a 
discussion of the relation between alloy constitution 
and specific volume. All the papers attain a very high 
standard of scientific and technical interest. 
HYDROLOGY IN THE PACIFIC.! 
T is a “far cry’? to the Sandwich Islands, and 
equally a ‘‘far cry’ to the days of Captain Cook 
with his intrepid crew, pioneers in the exploration of 
Polynesia. Many changes have taken place since the 
black day in 1778 when the renowned navigator came 
to his tragic end on the snowy sand beach of Hawaii. 
The modern traveller who wanders so far will find 
the Hawaii of to-day a fully civilised community, the 
streets of the principal town of which, Hono- 
lulu, besides being laid with tramways and elec- 
tric mains, are so covered with a network of telephone 
Wires as to give the impression of a huge spider’s 
web amid the palm-trees, 
The Sandwich or Hawaiian, Islands are eight in 
number, forming a chain about 4oo miles long, distant 
some 2,000 miles from the North American continent 
and from the United States, of which they constitute 
a territory. The principal unit is Hawaii, which gives 
its name to the group, and is in area more than 
double any of the others. The capital lies on the 
island of Oahu. The industry is chiefly agricultural. 
Practically the whole of the exports—gg per cent.— 
are products of the soil (rice, sugar, taro, etc.), and of 
these 93 per cent. are either absolutely dependent on 
irrigation for growth, or require the application of 
water at some period or other to stimulate their 
development, and produce the most satisfactory yield. 
Such being the case, the administration and conserva- 
tion of the water resources of the islands are matters 
of obvious and fundamental importance, in regard to 
which the United States Government shows no sign 
of neglecting its responsibilities. | The volume just 
published is an account of the investigations made 
during the period 1909-11 into the conditions and 
factors influencing the flow and economic development 
of the surface waters. It is replete with statistical 
data and full of strange names of streams and places, 
the pronunciation of which (Awaawapuhi, Puuwaa- 
waa, Kukuihaele, for instance), though no doubt 
musical enough when correctly rendered, seems to be 
beset with difficulty for the uninitiated. By; 
THE RESEARCH CHEMIST AND THE 
TEXTILE INDOSTR Y.? 
HE textile industry of this country shows a gross 
value amounting to the considerable total of 
333,000,0001.; materials to the value of 235,000,000l. 
were used in their manufacture; and 1,253,000 persons 
were employed in their manipulation. |The power 
used amounted to 1,987,000 h.p., and 77 per cent. of 
the firms engaged in their work made a return that 
they had used during the same period 8,137,000l. 
1 “Water Resources of Hawaii, 1909-11.” Prepared under the direction 
of M. O. Leighton by W. F. Martin and C. H. Pierce. Pp. 552+11 plates 
+3 map-. (Washington. Governient Prirting Office, 1913.) 
* From lectures delivered before the Institute of Chemistry, October and 
November, 1913, by W. P. Dreaper. 
NOZ 2356, VOL. 93| 
worth of coal. These figures indicate that there must 
be under modern conditions an ever-increasing call for 
research chemists in this industry. If the standard 
that one chemist is required for every 2000 persons 
employed in the textile industry were set up, there 
would be room for no fewer than 620 highly trained 
chemists, who would each be dealing with an ‘‘ aver- 
age gross output”’ of the value of more than 500,000. 
per annum. 
When it is remembered that a Continental combine 
in the aniline dye industry employs more than 600 
chemists, the above estimate of ultimate requirements 
cannot be considered unreasonable. The effect of this 
army of chemists working in the interests of the 
textile industry would naturally lead to astonishing 
developments and to considerable improvements in 
detail. 
The student who enters a works on the research 
side, after having received a university education (or 
having equivalent qualifications), will, undoubtedly, 
possess a knowledge of chemistry which will rank as 
an immediate asset. In a way, the college training 
will also have prepared him for actual working con- 
ditions by indicating their nature. 
In addition to this knowledge of theory, the student 
will make immediate use of any experience he may 
have gained in ordinary analytical operations. It will 
often be necessary to devise new methods of analysis, 
or, at least, modify old ones, before they can be utilised 
in industrial investigation. A knowledge of the prin- 
ciples which underlie such work is, therefore, a very 
necessary equipment for the young investigator. This 
also involves a training which has a special value to 
those entering this, and most other, industries. In 
many cases, work will rest on the borderland of indus- 
trial research, where the actual analysis of certain pro- 
ducts can replace actual experiment in very few cases. 
It is the latter which counts. The former is generally 
of secondary value. 
The research chemist will probably enter the works 
at an early age. If he has finished his college course 
at twenty, a year or two of teaching work will do no 
harm. It will consolidate his knowledge of theory 
under the stress of imparting it to others. Better still, 
if it is possible to determine, at that stage, the direc- 
tion of his future work, he may engage in a post- 
graduate course of research. The actual time of 
coming in contact with works conditions should not 
be delayed beyond the age of twenty-two years, for 
the mind must be capable of readily adjusting itself to 
industrial conditions, which are naturally different 
from those surrounding the student in a_ college 
laboratory. 
The introduction of a time factor in its relation to 
cost of production will alone have a great influence. 
Work in the factory may be practically continuous in 
its operation. The young chemist will, therefore, 
quickly realise that he has to deal with entirely new 
conditions. These will at once claim his interest by 
reason of their novelty and importance. He will soon 
be engaged in the attempt to control, or modify, 
operations proceeding on a scale possibly measured in 
tons, or thousands of yards, 
The raw material will enter at one end of the fac- 
tory. «At the other end, it will leave in a more or less 
‘finished ’’ state. This operation may, in some cases, 
take months to complete, during which time the mate- 
rial may be subjected to innumerable processes which 
may possibly modify both its physical and chemical 
properties. The chemist will endeavour to understand, 
and so control, these operations that, during transit 
through the works, material may receive a minimum 
of treatment to produce a maximum effect; for this 
generally means satisfactory working conditions, and 
low cost of production. 
