New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-08

an England. Professor Jackson, OF
Kings College. London, has been con
Quoting a long series of researches
60 learn how TO produce optical glasses,
for telescopes, microscopes, held
glasses, etc, the best of which, priof
10 the war, came almost exclusively
from the German subsidized hrm OF
Schott g. Co., in Jena. Ultimately Eng
land will be entirely independent OF a
foreign supply of these glasses.
1--WE also visited, among others,
Sir Robert Hadfeld. president Of the
Hadfcld steel Company of Sheffield
who discovered what is known as
manganese steel, and another product
known as low hysteresis steel. The
latter is used in hundreds OF thous-
ands Of transformers throughout the
world. and in the decreased energy
losses and other advantages IT has
perhaps saved America alone in
single year tens OF millions of dol
lars. Sir Robert, we found, was one
of those who believe science should
not be always directed TO immediate
useful purposes. we must have, he
said, the toiler in pure science, who
has not in view monetary gain, but Is
willing TO advance the worlds
knowledge for the sake of knowledge
and that alone. These are often the
men who discover little here and
little there, apparently of no particu.
lar service at the time, but afterwarc
proving TO be the basis of many OF
our great advances. II must be the
aim of those in high authority not
to destroy the pure scientist, but 70
try and bring his work into moro IN
innate touch with progressive. every
day requirements
"The first thing on our programme
is to undertake at once a national
register of research, which will in
clude an inventory of equipment TO
research in all the general educa
tional governmental and privately
endowed institutions.
Another important problem which
we have already taken up is the de-
termination Of the best process for
the production of nitric acid. The
government has appropriated $40
100000 for the production of this
acid, which is invaluable for the man
ufacture of explosives and for fertlI
izers. and it has asked our aid in de
termining the best process. There are
now many processes being tried IN
foreign countries for the manufact-
ure of nitric acid, by taking it from
the air and from waste products, and
which of these, some OF which arc
scarcely known here, is the best
adapted for our purposes will be the
object of this research.
another item will be sn exhaust
i've study into the processes for the
manufacture of optical and chemical
glasses, which heretofore have come
almost entirely from Germany"
Prominent Men in Council.
Dr. Hale. who is director Of the
Mount Wilson Solar Observatory.
called attention also to the personnel
of the council. Medicine, for example.
is represented by DR.. William II.
Welch, president of the National Acad-
envy; by Major General William c.
Gorgas, surgeon general of the United
States Army; DR.. Simon Flexner. direc-
tor of the Rockefeller Medical Institute.
and DR.. Victor c. Vaughan. past presi-
dent of the American Medical Society;
biological science by DR.. Edwin G.
Conklin, professor Of Zoology. Princeton
University; chemistry by DR.. A. A.
Noyes, of Massachusetts, Institute of
I technology, and DR.. l.. II. Baekeland;
physics by DR.. A. A. Nicholson Of the
University of Chicago, and electricity
by Professor VI. |. Pupin, of Columbia
University. These branches, with the
exception of medicine, are in the realm
of pure science.
Recognizing, however, that the prac-
teal applications of the principles
which the pure scientists discover rest
largely with engineers, there is a strong
representation from the great engineer
ing societies. Clemens Herschel. presi-
dent of the American Society of Civil
Engineers; John j. Carly, chief en-
gineer of the American Telephone and
Telegraph Company; Gano Dunn, pres
ident of the J. e. White Engineering
Corporation; c. f.. Skinner, director of
the research laboratory Of the Westing-
house Company, and DR.. W. K. Whitney.
director of the research laboratory of
the General Electric Company. are
among those who will represent the en-
g!neering side of the councils work.
The important military aspects will
be presented TO the council by Major
General William Crozier, chief of ord
nance of the United States Army, and
Lieutenant Colonel George o. Squier.
chief of aviation of the United States
Army, and Chief Constructor David W.
TAaylor, United States Navy, will rep
resent other phases of the military
problem. Other branches of the gov
eminent are represented by DR.. S. ".
Stratton, director of the National Blu
reau of Standards: Van II. Manning.
director of the Bureau of Mines, and
Professor Charles F. Marvin, chief of
the United States Weather Bureau.
Other members ofthe council are
DR.. John A. Brashear, of Pittsburgh:
DR.. W. F. NJ. Goss. dean of engineer
ing, University of Illinois; DR.. William
II. Holmes, curator United States Ma
tional Museum; DR.. w. w. Keen, pres
ident American Philosophical Society;
Professor E. c. Pickering. director of
the Harvard College Observatory;
Charles F. Rand, president United En-
gineering Society; Professor Theodore
w. Richards, Harvard University; Pro-
fessor Millikan, of the University Of
Chicago; Ambrose Swascy. of Cleve-
land; DR.. Elihu Thomson, Swsmpscott,
Mass; DR.. c. r. Van Hise, president
of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science; DR.. Charles
ID. Walcott, secretary of the Smith
sonian Institution, and DR.. J. NJ. Coul-
ter, professor Of botany at Princeton
University.