82 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 
Summary. 
The State’s appeal to chemistry has developed through the gradual 
recognition of the need for the application of that science tomattersrelating 
to its preservation, its currency, its financial support, its health, its food 
supply, its industries, and finally to academic science. A chart illustrating 
this development historically is appended to this address. 
In the course of this development, advantage has been taken, if some- 
times tardily, of the general advance in chemical knowledge, and frequent 
recourse has been had to the advice of well-known chemists of the day, 
and collectively of the Royal Society ; thus for various purposes the 
following chemists, as officials or consultants, have in the past afforded 
assistance in the solution of specific problems referred to them, or by taking 
part in Commissions: Boyle, Newton, Davy, Faraday, Daniell, Graham, 
Hofmann, Redwood, Abel, Roberts-Austen, Percy, Dupré, Playfair, 
Frankland, Ramsay and Dewar. If has happened in several instances 
that as a result of these Commissions and references to chemists some 
definite chemical activity of the State has emerged. 
It will be convenient in this summary to review the State’s chemical 
activities before, during, and after the war. 
BEFORE THE WAR. 
Defence.—For its defence, establishments for the production of explo- 
sives were early maintained, and when this ultimately took the form of 
a chemical manufacture the Government factory took the lead in devising 
efficient processes, while from the various State research establishments 
has issued during the last fifty years an important body of original 
contributions to the theory of explosives and to the knowledge of their 
properties. 
Metallurgy.—The metallurgical progress of the country has always been 
a concern of the State by reason of its application to defence by land and 
sea, and close touch has been maintained with successive developments in 
the manufacture and use of cast-iron, wrought-iron, steel and non-ferrous 
alloys. While the main advances in process have been made in the great 
iron and steel works, material contributions to knowledge in this sphere 
have been made by chemists in the Government service. 
Revenue.—For its revenue, imposts were applied in early times, but 
with great uncertainty, until the charge was put on a scientific basis. Very 
accurate tables for the strength of alcohol were worked out under the 
supervision of the Royal Society at the end of the eighteenth century, 
to be superseded by revised ones issued only a few years ago, when, in 
addition, new tables were issued also by the Government Laboratory, 
for determining the gravity of worts before fermentation. The question 
of rendering alcohol unpotable, but still useful for industrial purposes, 
has occupied much attention. As some misapprehension still exists as to 
the availability of alcohol for industrial purposes, a statement has been 
incl ded in which the main facilities are indicated. It was on account 
of the necessity for safeguarding the revenue that the Government Labora- 
tory was primarily erected, although it now performs chemical work for 
all State Departments. 
