October 6, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



477 



throughout its winter meetings a symposium 

 on this subject, and these discussions re- 

 sulted in a request of the society that a 

 permanent committee be appointed to carry 

 forward vigorously such cooperation. 



The General Chemical Company an- 

 nounced the formulation of a new policy in 

 the creation of an advisory staff of uni- 

 versity professors. 



The Massachusetts Institute of Technol- 

 ogy announced a master's course in chem- 

 ical engineering, including a school of 

 chemical engineering practise. Through 

 the cooperation of industrial plants a half 

 year of systematic plant experience and 

 training is added to the curriculum with- 

 out sacrifice of thorough foundation work 

 or training in research. In return for the 

 privileges offered by the plants, the research 

 facilities and the faculty of the institute 

 will be available for the study of special 

 problems connected with each plant. 



A joint meeting of the Puget Sound Sec- 

 tion and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce 

 aroused great enthusiasm and resulted im- 

 mediately in the creation of industrial fel- 

 lowships in the University of "Washington 

 for the study of the problems of the north- 

 west. 



Such illustrations furnish proof that 

 earnest thought is being given to this phase 

 of cooperation and it is inspiring to note 

 how quickly such thoughts are being trans- 

 lated into definite action. 



RELATIONS TO THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT 



Forty-nine members of the society, repre- 

 senting the several states and Alaska, on 

 appointment, responded to the request of 

 the President of the United States that the 

 chemical industries be mobilized under the 

 program of the organization for industrial 

 preparedness. Publication of the corre- 

 spondence in connection with these ap- 

 pointments would furnish lasting testimony 



to the loyal and unselfish patriotism of the 

 membership of our organization. 



In response to the invitation of the Na- 

 tional Academy of Sciences our representa- 

 tives are now cooperating in the organiza- 

 tion of the research facilities of the nation 

 and in questions connected with the estab- 

 lishment of the government nitrate plant. 



If we are to promptly and intelligently 

 proceed with the development of a diversi- 

 fied and comprehensive chemical industry 

 we must know the detailed character and 

 amounts of chemical importations. The 

 statistics now published by the government 

 are inadequate in their itemization. The 

 formulation of the character of the infor- 

 mation needed is our responsibility. This 

 is the work of the committee on government 

 statistics, of which committee Dr. B. C. 

 Hesse is chairman. The inauguration of 

 the work has unfortunately but necessarily 

 been delayed. It is now well under way, 

 and for its full consummation I beg to urge 

 the thoughtful aid of every member of the 

 society, and the cooperation of each of the 

 local sections. "We have never undertaken 

 any more important or fundamental work 

 than this. If, as a result of this inventory, 

 we are able to state in exact terms the spe- 

 cific character of the information needed by 

 the chemical industries, in order to render 

 this country independent of foreign sources 

 of supply, we will then have a right to ex- 

 pect with confidence the sympathetic co- 

 operation of the federal authorities. 



May I, under this heading, make two sug- 

 gestions to the national authorities: 



First, Provision should be made in the 

 immediate future for the storage of large 

 quantities of government-owned toluene. 

 "With the cessation of European war orders 

 for explosives, and with the rapid increase 

 of by-product retort ovens for coke manu- 

 facture we will eventually have a large 

 over-production of toluene, with conse- 



