January 8, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



39 



The census furthermore shows that the 

 return on capital invested in the chemical 

 and allied industries is not so great as in 

 other branches of manufacturing endeavor. 

 This is due to the high initial cost of plant, 

 frequent alterations and reconstructions 

 made necessary by the advance of knowl- 

 edge, and I imagine by a somewhat sense- 

 less competition which has seemed to affect 

 chemical manufacturers for as long as I 

 can remember. 



Owing to the enormous territory covered, 

 the conditions governing the industry are 

 quite different from those existing in 

 other countries. Like all industries the 

 greatest economies can be practised in the 

 largest units, but this fact of extensive 

 territory which is served makes numerous 

 small units necessary. The products 

 usually are bulky and low priced, and rail- 

 road freights play an important part in 

 the problem. This fact must be borne in 

 mind constantly when comparing the in- 

 dustry in this country with that in any 

 other. 



"We Americans are apt to pride ourselves 

 on the progress which we have made along 

 manufacturing lines, and take to ourselves 

 great credit for what has been accom- 

 plished. In view of the enormous supply 

 of various raw materials which this coun- 

 try has at its disposal, an analysis of what 

 we have done, I fear, would show that in- 

 stead of taking undue credit to ourselves 

 we should be very humble because we have 

 not done much better. Of course I realize 

 that this is a comparatively new country, 

 and that it took time to get things into 

 working order. Lines of communication 

 had to be constructed, factories had to be 

 built and rebuilt, and all the necessary 

 impedimenta of industry had to be evolved 

 from a condition which, at the time the 

 Philadelphia chemist quoted in the begin- 

 ning spoke, consisted of little more than 



forests, prairies and prospects of mines. 

 If during this period of development a 

 good deal of waste occurred, and a number 

 of abuses crept in, it is not so much to be 

 wondered at. "We have, however, arrived 

 at a period when it is borne in upon us 

 from all sides that conservation of natural 

 resources, as well as human energy, is abso- 

 lutely essential if we are to go forward 

 with anything like the strength and cer- 

 tainty to which our resources entitle us. 



Of raw materials for the chemical indus- 

 try, without going into unnecessary volu- 

 minous details, we have an abundance — 

 cheap phosphate rock, salt, copper, sulphur, 

 coal, wood, bauxite, zinc. In addition to 

 raw materials, and among our most valu- 

 able assets are our college professors of 

 chemistry, who, I am sure, could, if called 

 upon, render additional priceless service to 

 the lasting benefit of the world and of 

 themselves. 



On the other hand, we must import much 

 of our sulphur in the form of pyrites, 

 nearly all of our potash, all of our tin, 

 nickel and nitrate of soda. "We have large 

 supplies of nitrogen, available from animals 

 and coal. But the great supply of the 

 future is still in the air. This source of 

 supply, however, has up to the present 

 time proved rather difficult of access. Of 

 course it must be secured, but just how is 

 not altogether clear in spite of the good 

 work already accomplished. This is one of 

 the problems which the chemist, chemical 

 engineer and electrical engineer must solve, 

 however, within a comparatively few years, 

 as the nitrate beds of Chili, while still very 

 large, will some time come to an end. 



"With the Allies in command of the sea 

 the war has not affected any of these raw 

 materials very greatly, except potash. 

 This salt is widely enough disseminated in 

 various forms in this country, but where of 

 hopeful strength it is inaccessible, and 



