Evening star., 1914-08-23
Movements Now on Foot tor
Emancipation Of the Amer
lean Manufacturer.
WOULD BE FREED FROM
DEPENDENCE ON EUROPE
Raw Materials at Hand to Duplicate
Nearly Everything Armed Strife
Has Shut OF. -

NEW YORK, August 22.-The Euro
pean conflict has set on foot IN TINS
country organized movements looking
to the emancipation of the American
manufacturer from dependence on Eu-
rope. If 1t is to be long war, the
United States will Of necessity have TO
prove whether American ingenuity can
meet the situation. This ingenuity
must crystallise in two ways-hrst, IN
the production of materials heretofore
supplied by foreign countrtes-chieny
Germany-for the use of American
manufacturers; second, in the manufao-
ture Of articles for South American
and far eastern trade. which must look
to the United States because OF the
curtailnent Of production abroad.
Already manufacturers throughout
the country are consulting chemists
and other experts and laying the
groundwork to solve the problem:
closing down unless certain drugs ana
chemicals can be obtained, and at Phlia-
delphia yesterday retail druggists In
convention adopted resolution asking
for changes in the patent laws. SO tnat
drugs patented abroad can be manu-
factured here.
It is said that raw materials are at
hand to duplicate nearly everything
which the war has shut of, but manu-
facturers in many cases are hesitant
to launch into extensive production be-
cause of the uncertainty OF the dura-
tion of the war. Should the conflict
end abruptly. competition might be re-
stored to a considerable extent, with
plants barely under way In this coun-
try. ..
Impetus to U. s. Manufacturers.
On the other hand, manufacturers
point out, the conflict has driven home
the realization that the United States
must in the future be prepared for such
an emergency as this. With the future
In view and much foreign trade to be
had for the asking. many manufac-
turers think that the impetus to
American manufacturers will be tre-
mendous.
The drug situation perhaps more than
anything else has impressed the Unit
ed States with the necessity of artfon-
In an editorial to appear in It's Septem-
ber issue the American Druggist points
out that If the European conflict is OF
more than six months duration Ameri-
can consumers of German synthetic
drugs will face a famine. Those who
now have stocks on hand are warned
Production of these drugs in the Unit
ed States-for we have the raw ma
terials, the article says-would meet
the 8ltUdtlOn. 16t SUCH d pau Wou1u
have Its difficulties "It would prob
ably not be impossible to arrange with
the German patentees to manufacture
these products in the United States on a
royalty basis" says the article. but in
view Of the uncertain dur3 ton OF the
war the patentee would probably not
make terms which would tempt Ameri-
can capitalists to erect laboratories and
train and organize chemists to carry out
the manufacture of these synthetic dye
stuffs and drugs
Prospect Regarded as Gloomy.
This industry has been the outgrowth
Of nifty years of study and develop
ment in Germany. 1t can only be car
lied on economically on a large scale.
Il is not probable that the German
manufacturers would wish to have es-
tablished in the United States labora-
.ories which would practically duplicate
their own. and thus after the war en-
The prospect, therefore, for supplies
Of synthetic chemicals and dyestuns
after the. consumption Of the existing
stock is decidedly gloomy.
Tn the matter of dvestuffs. the man
ufacture of which is associated with
that Of synthetic drugs. the worlds
supply will last somewhat longer for
the reason that the largest users of
these dvestuns-Germany, France and
Engiard-will use little or none during
he war The United Ststes uses prob
ably one-fonrth of the worlds supply
and the remaining three-auarters of
he worlds supply will be sufficient to
Keep our cloth. silk and print mills
for YEAR"