SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
ENABLING THE BLIND TO READ. 
At the second British Scientifie Products Exhibition recently held 
in London, considerable interest was evinced in the Optophone, which 
was originally invented by Professor Fournier d’Albe, and later taken up 
and improved upon by Professor Archibald Barr. ‘This instrument has 
as its object the enabling of the blind to read ordinary printed type 
without human aid. The method in which it succeeds is briefly this: 
The printed page is so arranged over a partial cylinder of glass that 
light falls through it on to a selenium cell beneath, which is carried 
on an arm below, that moves it along the lines of type. Since the 
conductivity of the selenium varies according to the light, the resistance 
of the selenium cell in passing beneath the black letter press is of course 
affected, and as it is divided into small compartments, it is affected in 
a different way by each passing letter. This effect is utilized to produce 
sounds on a telephone receiver which is worn by the reader, and by 
learning the sounds produced by the various letters, he is enabled to 
read the type for himself. 
STANDARDIZATION IN THE SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY. 
Before the war, the British shipbuilding industry was undoubtedly 
second to none. America has, however, made marvellous strides; Italy 
must be considered as a growing shipbuilding nation; whilst Japan as 
a rival is only retarded by lack of steel. It is patent, therefore, that 
if Great Britain is to maintain her supremacy in shipbuilding and 
marine engineering, standardization of components must be adopted to 
the utmost limit of interchangeability in order to increase output and 
meet the ever-growing activity of international competition. To this 
end, a representative conference ‘of the official nominees of the British 
Government, classification societies, ship-owners, shipbuilders, and 
marine engineers was convened last year, at the instance of the Presi- 
dent of the Board of Trade, and was held under the auspices of the 
British Engineering Standards Association. Sir Archibald Denny, the 
cha‘rman of the Association, occupied the chair at the conference. The 
result of the discussion was a unanimous recommendation to the main 
Committee of the British Engineering Standards Association for the 
formation of a Sectional Committee to deal with this subject of such 
Importance to all those connected with shipping. 
SCIENTIFIC LIGHTING AND INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY. 
An a lecture on “Scientific Lighting and Industrial Efficiency ” at the 
British Scientific Products Exhibition, Westminster, attention was 
directed to the close relation existing between good industrial lighting 
and the health of workers, and many instances were given of accidents 
due to insufficient or badly-arranged conditions of illumination. Light 
must be regarded as a “tool,” and it is absurd to install expensive 
machinery, and to pay highly-skilled workmen, and then to neglect the 
relatively small expenditure on illumination necessary to the efficient 
performance of work. Instances were quoted showing that, as a result 
of improved lighting conditions, increases in output of from 8 to 27 
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