652 fRANSAOtrONS OP SftOTTON R. 



as is necessary for routine work. Many of these chemists may setth:" permanently 

 in our midst, become members of our Oliemical Society and 8ocietj' of Chemicnl 

 Industry, and thus infuse us witli their patience and perseverance. It is not 

 beyond the bounds of possibility that these great firms may even employ British 

 chemists in their works, if we can supply men sufficiently well trained to be of 

 value. On the other hand, as experience seems to have shown that industrial 

 chemistry cannot succeed with imported scientific labour, it is not very probable 

 that many posts in the laboratory will be filled by our countrymen, who, in this 

 connection, must be regarded as foreigners. 



Now at the present time most chemical products can be manufactui'ed more 

 cheaply abroad than here, otherwise we should not have any reason to consider 

 our position. Dr. Duisberg told us that even when an important firm in Jlngland 

 had a licence to work all the British patents of two of the largest German colour 

 works, merely paying for the privilege a small percentage of the net profits, it 

 failed to take any advantage of the opportunity. If, then, in this free-trade 

 kingdom production is cheaper than abroad, the foreign firms which have 

 brandies here will be in a position superior to that which they now occupy in 

 their own countries. If, on the other hand, owing to inefficient labour, higher 

 wages, freights, and other economic conditions, production is more costly, the 

 superior efhcieiicy and scientific organisation of these foreign firms will neverthe- 

 less enable then to command our home market with the goods made here, and to 

 cut us out in the world market, as they do now, with those made abroad. 



'J'lie conclusion which thus seems forced upon us is, that, although the new 

 Patent Act will prove to be of great value in many respects, it will do little to 

 foster British chemical trade and the development of British chemistry ; it places 

 us on an equality with other countries as regards patent rights, and thus remedies 

 an outstanding grievance ; but, unless we have something to patent, this equality 

 will be valueless and our chemical industries will continue to decline, possibly 

 more rapidly than heretofore. 



Let us therefore pass in review the other causes which have been suggested as 

 contributory to our failure ; after eliminating those connected with freights and 

 tariffs, and with the alleged supineness of tbe Government in assisting industry, 

 matters which may be left to the manufacturers to deal with, there still remain 

 several which are well within the purview of this Section. 



These are : (1) the unsatisfactory condition of secondary education ; (2) 

 the nature of the training which is given to chemists in our universities and other 

 institutions; (3) the insufficiency of the time and money devoted to research in 

 the manufacturing industries ; (4) the lack of co-operation between manufacturers 

 and men of science. 



There are some who believe that the first of these is the primary, if not tlio 

 sole, cause of our weakness ; that if our secondary education were placed on a 

 sound basis all the other evils would disappear of their own accord ; that a 

 steady and broad stream of well-trained boys from the secondary schools would 

 afford ample material from which good chemists could be fashioned in the 

 universities and colleges ; that these trained chemists would be greedily seized 

 by the manufacturers, whose minds had been widened by improved educational 

 methods ; and once installed in the works these chemLsts would have no difficulty 

 in persuading their employers to spend time and money on research work in 

 co-operation with the leaders of science. 



Whether such desirable and far-reaching results would in fact follow if our 

 system of secondary education were very much improved it is impossible to 

 predicate ; but there is no doubt that at the present time we are moving in an 

 exactly opposite direction. 



The shadow of the cypress rests upon our chemical trade, and manufacturers 

 do not see their way to employ chemists ; students are not attracted to chemistry 

 as a profession because there are so few openings ; without an ample and 

 increasing supply of such students chemical industry must continue to decline, 

 and as a necessary consequence the development of pure chemistry is cramped 

 and hindered to a far greater extent than is generally realised. 



