EDITORIAL. 
United States. The plan provides for a Technical Director, in general 
charge of all the work, assisted by consulting experts, who are to serve 
without pay. In addition, there will be an Advisory Committee, to 
meet regularly, consisting of one representative from each of the follow- 
ing:—Bureau of Standards, Bureau of Mines, Geological. Survey, 
Society of Automotive Engineers, National Automobile Chamber of 
Commerce, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, 
American Society for Testing Materials, American Chemical. Society, 
and the National Research Council. ; 
The principal officials under’ the Director are to be the Chief Econo- 
mist and an Engineer. The economist will be in charge of statistics, 
economic phases of the industry, and publicity. He will also give par- 
ticular attention to international policies affecting the petroleum 
industry of the world. The engineer of the division will co-ordinate 
the ‘research work undertaken by the Subdivisions of Production, 
Chemical Engincering, Utilization, and correlated activity. Systematic 
study will be made of the questions of leasing and bonuses, drilling, pipe 
lines, storage, and tank cars, and active steps will be taken in an effort 
to improve the internal-combustion engine for use of heavy oils. The 
policy of the American Petroleum Institute, it is announced, will be to 
employ only the highest type of men, and to pay them salaries attractive 
enough to insure continued service. 
NEW POTASH SOURCE IN NORWAY. 
The outbreak of war and the inability to secure supplies of potash 
from Germany compelled serious consideration in the United States, in 
Great Britain, and in other European countries of other sources of 
supply. Flue dust was regarded as one of the most likely means of 
providing the deficiency, and for a long time investigations have been 
made into the possibility of obtaining supplies on a commercial basis. 
The relatively low percentage of potassium present in the dust has 
proved a very great difficulty. It is reported from Norway, however, 
that with the cement manufacture at Dalen, near Brevik, there will be . 
‘connected in the near future Cottrel apparatus for getting the potassium ~ 
out of the dust. The raw materials for the cement contains 1.5 per cent. 
potassium, and they intend to have a production of 150,000 tons cement 
and 1,800 to 3,000 tons potassium (K,O) per year. If all cement manu- 
facturers in Norway would take care of the dust it is estimated they 
would get as much potassium as is now imported from Germany. 
SODIUM CARBONATE IN CANADA. 
Glass manufacturers in Canada have been largely dependent in the 
past upon the United States for their supplies of glass sand and sodium 
carbonate. However, according to the’ United States Bureau of Mines 
Report, the new plant at Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada, at which 
sodium carbonate is to be made by the Solvay process, is expected to 
supply all of Canada’s needs for soda ash. The capacity of this plant 
is reported to be about 120 tons per day. Some glass sand is being 
secured from Oneida, Ontario, but it is said to be of an inferior grade, 
and only suitable for the manufacture of the cheaper grades of glass- 
ware. 
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