November 7, 1907J 



NA TURE 



nf commerce or industry at home and abroad during 

 llie second vear. The scheme is a most valuable re- 

 CDgnition of the close union which should exist be- 

 tween science and industry, and the late Mr. Gartside 

 has certainly indicated a very useful direction in which 

 others may endow further scholarships. The book 

 now under review represents a report to the electors 

 of the work carried out during the period of the 

 scholarship. 



A comparison of the development of the coal-tar 

 colour industry in Germany and this country has 

 been so frequently made to the great disparagement 

 of iMiglish enterprise and educational methods, that 

 very properly this branch of the subject was not further 

 investigated by the author, his work being concerned 

 with the application rather than the manufacture of 

 dyes. The fact that in the main we hold our own 

 against all competitors in the dyeing and printing 

 industry is brought out very clearly. In Germany the 

 dye-houses are, with few exceptions, smaller, and the 

 methods less scientific, than in the large centres of 

 the industry in England, such as Manchester and 

 Bradford ; and in handicraft skill the English dyer 

 is perhaps unapproachable. The great volume of 

 dyeing done in the United States appears to be chiefly 

 due to the large and rapidly increasing demand made 

 by the home market, and the competition of .America 

 in foreign markets is comparatively insignificant in 

 this branch of trade. Moreover, in most of the prin- 

 cipal dye-houses in New England the managers and 

 foremen are British. The distribution of trade is, 

 however, a matter of very delicate balance, and the 

 fact that Germany has almost the monopoly of the 

 manufacture of coal-tar dyes mav easily result in the 

 transfer to her of the leading position in the dyeing 

 industry. 



The coal-tar colour industry is, in fact, one of 

 Germany's greatest industrial assets, and apart from 

 its directly profitable character it has also been of the 

 greatest importance as the mother of many new- 

 industries, such as those of synthetic pharmaceutical 

 products, liquid chlorine, anhydrosulphuric acid, &c. 

 The requirements of the industry have also reacted 

 largely on the standard and character of the instruc- 

 tion given in the German universities and colleges, 

 and, most important of all, have been a great object- 

 lesson to the German Government and people with 

 regard to the supreme importance of science in indus- 

 trial life. This has again reacted in the direction of 

 the more general appreciation and utilisation of tech- 

 nical education in Germany, and has been an impor- 

 tant factor in inducing the Government and local 

 authorities to render assistance in fostering the various 

 industries; a condition of tilings which, unfortunately, 

 is largely absent in this country. 



A great feature of the dyeing trade in England has 

 been the establishment of powerful trade combin- 

 ations, whereas the industry has not developed along 

 these Imes in Germany or in America. It is un- 

 doubtedly true that when efficiently managed these 

 large associations lead to great economies in such 

 directions as the concentration of work, improvement 

 of equipment, and better conditions for buying and 

 selling. Operations conducted on a large scale can 

 NO. 1984. VOL. 7;] 



be carried on more cheaply and more profitably than 

 is possible by a large number of smaller producers. 

 Consequently, both workman, employer, and con- 

 sumer should benefit. On the other hand, the danger 

 of the misuse of great concentration of power is well 

 linown, and experience has \-et to show whether the 

 condition of an industry controlled in this manner 

 is as stable and permanent as when competition and 

 individual enterprise have freer scope. 



Turning to a more definite criticism of the work 

 under review, it undoubtedly forms very interesting 

 reading if not examined too closely as regards tech- 

 nical accuracy. The material is arranged under the 

 following headings : — cop dyeing, sulphur colours and 

 indigo, mercerising, bleaching, the industry in the 

 United States, conditions of life in the industry, 

 efficiency of the industry, colour production. It could 

 not reasonably be expected that the author would be 

 able to show a profound knowledge of present-day 

 practice in all branches, and it would not be fair to 

 criticise the book from this standpoint. It must 

 rather be considered as the statement of an organised 

 series of observations made by a trained mind upon 

 a subject of which the observer has some special 

 knowledge. If read with this in view, the book will 

 be found most interesting and valuable. The author 

 has made excellent use of the great facilities placed at 

 his disposal, and has done much to justify the idea 

 of the founder of these scholarships that they would 

 be of value, not only to the individual, but to the trade 

 of the country. In conclusion it must be said that the 

 literary style and even the grammar and punctuation 

 of the subject-matter are open to much more criti- 

 cism than is desirable in a book issued with the 

 imprint of a university. The idea that a careless use 

 of the English language is permissible in books 

 dealing with technical subjects is one to which too 

 strong exception cannot be taken. 



W.11.TER M. Gardner. 



PERSONAL HYGIENE. 

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THIS book belongs to the excellent " New Library 

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