80 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 
group which is concerned with the textile fibres, cotton, flax, wool, and silk, 
as the work published presents many interesting features. Thus there 
are being studied the products of the hydrolysis of cotton, with an obvious 
bearing on the constitution of cellulose, the chemical constituents of 
cotton waxes, and the action of micro-organisms on cotton fibres and 
fabrics. Flax, hemp, and ramie fibres are being investigated as to their 
distinguishing characteristics and behaviour with reagents that affect 
their lustre and absorption of dyes. Wool has. been found to have a 
selective action, whereby it absorbs the alkali from the soap used in 
scouring, and methods have been evolved for accurately following the 
action in practice. Similarly with silk, a systematic study is being made 
of the action of acids and alkalies on the components of this fibre. In the 
respective laboratories the chemical and physical properties of each of 
these fibres are being studied and correlated for the purpose of explaining, 
for example, their strength and lustre, and at a recent meeting of the 
Faraday Society the methods and results of workers in all these fibres 
were reviewed in a General Discussion. 
A close scientific scrutiny is being applied to the tanning of leather, 
and the chemical and physical changes involved, together with a bacterio- 
logical study of the process. Equally important for this industry and for 
that of making photographic plates is the study of gelatin, whose chemical 
and physical properties are being elucidated, while work of benefit to pure 
science has been published on the effect of light on the photographic 
plate. 
The study of the chemistry of glass and the physical properties 
associated with changes in its composition is another example of work 
that has been reported in the literature for improvement of an industry. 
The record, as has been stated, must be incomplete, but the subjects 
mentioned present the appearance of being valuable in the scientific 
study of material and process, and can scarcely fail to lead to the better- 
ment of the respective industries. 
Boards.—The Boards and Committees under the Department may be 
broadly divided into those which undertake the investigation of work of 
national importance, and those which undertake work of specific importance 
to Government Departments and correlate the scientific work that these 
carry out. 
A large amount of chemical work is carried cut by these Boards. The 
Departmental Research Boards and Committees dealing with chemical 
subjects are concerned with the cause of the deterioration of fabrics by 
organisms and light, and their fireproofing ; with the changes that food 
undergoes under varying conditions of storage, and the constitution of 
fats ; with the chemistry of the treatment of timber ; with the survey of 
our coal resources and the economic usage of coal; with the production 
of alcohol and liquid fuel from waste vegetable matter ; with the chemical 
aspects of the problems of adhesion, lubrication, restoration of museum 
exhibits ; with building materials, paints, and the preservation of stone, 
and with the properties of several of the minor metals. For subjects of 
the magnitude and importance of some of these, staff and equipment have 
in several instances been provided on a considerable scale, and a growing 
number of monographs and communications to the literature issues from 
the respective Boards. 
