Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-19
PROBLEMS FACED
BY AMERICAN DYE
MANUFACTURERS
Means Must Be Found for
the Use of the By
Products
APPARATUS VERY COSTLY
By ALEXANDER B. MITCHELL

| Manager OF the Benzol Products Company
Since the outbreak of the war in Eu.
| rope few matters have caused more wide.
spread discussion than the shortage of dye
stuffs in this country. owing to Germany,
| which has n virtual monopoly of this
| industry. being unable to export them.
| The problem confronting us was whether
| means could be found to furnish in a
| temporary manner the industries depend.
ent on these supplies. or whether the time
was now ripe for America to build up its
own industries for the manufacture of
synthetic dyestuffs and their intermediate
products
with the installing, by the steel COM
panies of the Recovery Coke oven, which
enables the by-products of the dstillation
of coal TO be recovered instead of burnt,
as 1t was in the old Bee Hive ovens, vast
quantities Of raw material, including BEN
zol and toluol are now available, and all
that is required is that capital shall be
given "A fair chance for a just reward by
the assurance that II will be placed in a
position to meet foreign competition with
out having to sell at cost price, or even
lower
The dye industries require vast sums of
money, both for production and research,
for their establishment means not only the
production of dyes, but the ways and
means of using the Intermediates and by
products formed in the building up of
these complicated compounds which are
used in the pharmaceutical. photographed
and industries using organic chemicals
that their manufacture may be at mini
mum cost.
In the 60 years that have passed since
the discovery of the first synthetic dye.
stuff in England. Germany has gradually
made herself the home of this industry,
and has been able to spend great sums
of money on it's development, and to sell
when needed priCaG In tbrottla
tition.
Before the war the few American
manufacturers made their dyes from inter-
mediates which they imported chiefly
from Germany, using only a few chem
icals manufactured in this country. As
soon as they saw that these imports
would be impossible to obtain, plans were
at once started to manufacture some of
them and today there are more than II
firms manufacturing aniline oil, which
besides being an intermediate for many
colors, is also used in large quantities for
dyeing black on cotton-the color being
extremely fast to light and washing.
To establish this industry with all it's
branches, leaving no loophole through
which tho foreigners again obtain
control of our market, means time and
money. Today, raw materials such as
acids, benzol and toluol are being used
for the manufacture of war materials and
are selling at prices never before heard
Of The cost of apparatus Is very high.
and even at the prices now obtained for
1t, It Is very hard to get
These are some of the things the manu-
facturer starting today has to contend
with. Then again, there are no standard
designs for apparatus or plants, and few
chemists have sufficient practical knowl.
edge Of operation to instruct the engineers
in drawing up their plans. This is not
their fault. Tho opportunity has just sud
denly developed, and they will rise to
the occasion.
Coal tar products and dyes can be made
here of quality equal to any that are i'm.
ported, but 1t will take time and money
and a working together of the industries
interested to build up on the foundation
already laid dyestuff industry of ma.
tional importance.