September 8, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



273 



of health, which included moral restraints, alone 

 could save it. 



THE FRENCH DYE INDUSTRY^ 



The issue of La Nature, April 15, contains 

 an interesting summary of the French dyestuff 

 industry, particular attention being paid to 

 progress made since 1914. In 1913, 2,000 tons 

 of dyes, of the value of seven million francs, 

 were imported. Eighty-five per cent, came 

 from Germany and ten per cent, from Switzer- 

 land. The balance of the consumption of 

 9,000 tons represented French manufacture. 

 It is pointed out, however, that the dyestufi: 

 factories of France, of which there were four, 

 were almost completely dependent on Germany 

 for intermediates, the home production of 

 which represented scarcely ten per cent, of the 

 requirements. There were in addition German 

 works which received intermediates or even 

 finished dyes from Germany. The article re- 

 fers to the ready adaptation of the dye works 

 in Germany to the manufacture of munitions 

 during the war, and does not omit to point out 

 that, without the means of obtaining synthetic 

 nitric acid, which the enemy had also perfected, 

 his dye works would not have been of the 

 slightest use to him. 



The French efforts during the war are de- 

 scribed at length. In April, 1916, the Syndieat 

 National des Matieres Colorantes was estab- 

 lished, which had relations with the state and 

 further arranged to take over after the war 

 the national factories used in the manufacture 

 of explosives. The Compagnie Nationale des 

 Matieres Golorantes et de Produits Chimiques 

 was constituted in January, 1917, and at once 

 set to work. Two factories rapidly grew up, 

 the first at Nogent-les-Vierges on a semi-tech- 

 nical scale, and a. large factory at Villers-St- 

 Paul, with a contemplated capacity of 4,000 

 tons of synthetic indigo a year. This was 

 abandoned during the German advance in 1918 

 and the material removed to Lyons, but it has 

 again ;been set in operation, and, as a result of 

 intensive work, the total production of the 

 French factories had grown from 175 .tons in 

 1919 to 765 tons in 1920. Since that time the 

 production has decreased on account of the 

 economic crisis, although the capacity of pro- 



1 From Nature. 



duction is now stated to exceed 13,000 tons. 

 With a few exceptions, dyes of all the main 

 types are manufactured and progress is being 

 made. 



The company has two large centei-s of pro- 

 duction. The Oissel Works, installed at the 

 old national factory, with an area of 39,000 

 sq. m. of buildings, is connected with ithe main 

 line from Paris to Rouen. The powea- is gen- 

 erated by turbo-alternators of the most modern 

 type, each of 1,000 kilowatts. The factory is 

 at present making intermediates, of which 

 more than sixty are being produced, together 

 with sulphur dyes and azo-dyes. These are 

 produced directly from the intermediates Avith- 

 out isolation of the lajtter from solution. 



The second works is that at Villers-St.-Paul, 

 with an area of 35,000 sq. m. of buildings, on 

 the main line from Paris to Compiegne. A 

 very modern boiler plant is installed, which 

 when complete will consume 300 tons of coal 

 daily. In this works are made 'the dyes which 

 require special apparatus, such as indigo and 

 alizarine, phthalie acid and basic dyes derived 

 from it, triphenyl and diphenylme thane dyes, 

 pyrazolone dyes, etc. Vat dyes are also made, 

 and there are large research laboraitories. 



At Saint-Denis the old works has been en- 

 larged, while a new works at Isere grew up 

 during the war. It is stated that prices are 

 now high owing to high costs of raw materials, 

 and the yields could also be improved by the 

 further efforts of the chemists, and particu- 

 larly of the engineers. 



GOOD ROADS SCHOLARSHIP 



Names of judges appointed to award the 

 four years' university scholarship offered in 

 connection with the national good roads essay 

 contest are announced by the Highway Edu- 

 cation Board. 



The judges are : Henry C. Wallace, secretary 

 of agriculture ; George Horace Lorimer, editor 

 of the Saturday Evening Post, and Dr. John 

 Grier Hibben, president of Princeton Univer- 

 sity. The judges accepted responsibility for 

 the award of the scholarship at the invitation 

 of Dr. John J. Tigert, United States commis- 

 sioner of education, who also is chairman of 

 the board. 



They have been supplied with copies of 



