Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-03
CHEMICAL MEN
THINK WAR WILL
BOOM INDUSTRY
Experts Declare Americans
Must Replace Foreign
Manufacturers.

| NEW YORK, Sept. 3.-The greatest
boom ever experienced by the chem
| icar industry of the United States Is
coming out of the present European
war, according to a series of inter-
views with some of the leading
chemists in the country published in
the September number of the Metal
lurgical and Chemical Engineering.
Half dozen or more statements
are presented. Among those quoted
are such authorities as DR.. William
H. Nichols, chairman of the board or
the General Chemical Company, pres
ident of the Nichols Chemical Com
pany and president of the Eighth In
ternationai Congress of Applied
Chemistry; DR.. B. G. Hesse, chemical
engineer and statistician, of New
York; Macmillan Toch, of Toch
Brothers; DR.. Louis G. Matos, of the
technical staff Of the Cassella Color
Company, and William j. Matheson,
president of the Matheson Lead Com
pany. vice-president of the Corn
Products Refining Company and di-
rector in numerous chemical manu-
featuring concerns of international
Importance.
Feel Shortage of Chemicals.
The sum total of their views is that
everybody in the United States is
genuinely put to it for lack of chemi-
Gals. Eventually the ultimate con-
sumers of finished products are due
to suffer. as keenly as the manufac-
turers already are suffering from the
want of raw materials. American
practical chemistry is thus confronted
with the necessity of reorganizlng it.
self. 1t must find ways of turning out
finished products in fields that 1t
hitherto has left almost exclusively
to foreigners, concoct intricate
processes, invent delicate machinery
and train men to carry out the one
and handle the other. 1t must utilize
curious and costly methods of ex-
tracing raw materials and test out
numerous substitutes for commodities
whose supply is now definitely locked
up in the war zone.
1t is to be a period of widely di-
rected experiment, and more than one
experiment is going to fail. Perhaps
q few articles that have been re-
garded in the chemical trade as nee
essities Americans will be taught to
go without But it is going to arouse
the latent resourcefuiness OF the
American chemist more than any
other of his previous experiences; ana
il will leave him more alert, more
efficient better trained in his trade,
the master of many processes and
almost the sole provider of many
markets-such as those of South
America-which hitherto he has left
to Europeans without a struggle.
The chemists are practically greet
ing their half seen difficulties with
cheer. Mr.. Toch for instance, says:
Opportunity Creates Everything.
Opportunity always brings out the
best there is in us, and the men |
have had to advance rapidly in posi-
ton, under the pressure of unexpect-
ed increases in business, often have
proven themselves exceptionally cap
able"
He believes that a great many
chemists, in the rush of the next few
months. are going to be advanced
suddenly into positions they never
dreamed of. Indeed, none of those
interviewed seem to be concerned
over a probable scarcity of chemists
or workmen, the general opinion
being that the American chemist is
going to make good.
The spirit of the Americans is evil
dent in the way they are inclined to
attack the potash problem. Potash
has come almost exclusively from
Germany, ana lnportallonS are dt d
dead stop.
1.-THE cost proposition does not enter
at all at present" says Mr.. Toch.
1--WE can extract potash from feldspar
and kelp, and there are many other
potash bearing materials in the
| United States" Among these latter,
according to DIR. Nichols, is sea-
weed. EPSON and other salts, for
merly looked for to Germany alone,
/ - L.
| DIR. Nichols says, and would have
been made long ago had not the Ger
man enterprise managed to stifie the
| industries in spite of protective tariffs.