6 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL VI. No. 1175 



ing Chemistry, a frank statement by manu- 

 facturers, of the dyes which they intend to 

 make, we may find a solution of this prob- 

 lem which is in accord with the democratic 

 equality of opportunity which the Sherman 

 law is designed to conserve. 



The greatest fear of the manufacturers is 

 that after the war they may be subjected to 

 an unfair competition designed to destroy 

 the new industry. The following story was 

 told during a discussion of the dyestuff sit- 

 uation which was held in New York in Sep- 

 tember. Mr. Dow, of Midland, Michigan, 

 discovered a good many years ago that the 

 salt brines of Michigan contain enough bro- 

 mine so that the element can be economically 

 produced, and in the course of a few years 

 he developed the manufacture to such a 

 point that he shipped some bromine to Ger- 

 many. Not long after a German appeared 

 at his works in Midland and said to him : 

 "I have conclusive evidence that you have 

 been selling your bromine in Germany. 

 Didn't you know that you can't do that?" 

 Mr. Dow replied that he knew of no law 

 against it. The German said "Well you 

 can not. If you do, we will sell two pounds 

 of bromine in America for every pound you 

 sell in Germany." Mr. Dow paid no at- 

 tention to the threat but went on with the 

 production of bromine. Some months later 

 when he was in Texas on business he re- 

 ceived a telegram "Bromine is selling at 15 

 cents." A normal price is 75 cents. Mr. 

 Dow closed his story at this point. The rep- 

 resentative of the German Kali-Industrie, 

 who was present, got up and asked him: 

 "Well, wasn't it satisfactorly adjusted?" 

 But he made no reply. I am fortunate 

 enough to have heard the rest of the story 

 — which is known to a good manj^ outsiders, 

 so I am betraying no confidence in telling 

 you. Mr. Dow stopped selling bromine in 

 America and sent his whole product to Ger- 

 many. It was not long before the German 

 manufacturers were ready to come to 



terms. Before the war Germany was man- 

 ufacturing three fourths of the coal-tar 

 dyes used in the world and we may be sure 

 that she will not easily relinquish her posi- 

 tion of preeminence in this field. Her 

 manufacturers will surely attempt to de- 

 stroy our manufacture of dyes by the same 

 methods which were used to stop the manu- 

 facture of bromine — by the so-called 

 ' ' dumping ' ' of materials here at prices be- 

 low the cost of prodiiction. Laws have 

 been passed by Congress imposing severe 

 penalties for such practises, but some of our 

 manufacturers are very sceptical as to their 

 efficiency. We are not in as favorable a 

 position to compete in the making of dyes as 

 Mr. Dow was for the production of bromine. 



I think it is clear from what has been 

 said that the manufacture of dyes rests at 

 its foundation upon the research work done 

 in the chemical laboratories of the German 

 universities and that we may trace it back 

 very directly to the days when Liebig re- 

 turned from France with the inspiration 

 which came from Gay Lussac, and founded 

 the laboratory in Giessen. One of the most 

 important factors in the dreadful efficiency 

 of Germany during the last three years 

 may be traced back to the same source. Not 

 a few of our leading men have emphasized 

 the advantage of developing the dyestuff 

 industry in America because the men 

 trained in this industry will be most com- 

 petent to handle the manufacture of ex- 

 plosives in case of war. Personallj'' I have 

 a strong hope that at the close of the war 

 the world will be organized on the basis of 

 justice instead of force, but for the present 

 we can not ignore such arguments. 



I wish to congratulate you on the com- 

 pletion of this laboratory at a most oppor- 

 tune time. We are in the midst of a very 

 rapid development of our chemical indus- 

 tries. New lines of manufacture are being 

 established and old lines are being rapidly 

 developed. Manufacturers realize as they 



