The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-04-29

By Charles F. Roth, in the Baltimore
 Manufacturers Record.
 In an address before the Washington Academy of Sciences, S. J. M. Auld of the British military mission, speaking on Methods of Gas Warfare" last Jan- uary said: "It is within the realm Of possibilities that the war will be finished literally in the chemical laboratory"
 Long before these United States entered the war the chemical industries were mcbilized; firstly, to prevent a reoccur- renee of conditions that would leave us in a state of exhaustion because of our dependence on a foreign power for those necessary products of the chemical in dustry essential to all our industries; secondly, to meet the great demands made upon us by those now our allies ill this war for war supplies and munitions. and now, lastly, to seek that utmost peak of attainment, the preservation of our national existence and with our allies to prosecute this war to a successful con- clusion.
 Upon the chemical industries rests the burden for the production of war ma terials and munitions; directly or indi- rectly, all industries producing material used for the maintenance of the war are dependent upon chemical industry. These pressing needs brought into existence plants whose operation had been worked out in the laboratory, the development of resources, the possibilities of which had beea demonstrated in the laboratory The end is not yet. The government must have all the resources of the coun- try developed for war purposes
 | The nation is rich in resources, men and money. These three brought to- gether produced the industries that make it possible for the government to main I tain an army and navy at the fighting Hines and send regularly material SUD- plies
 { At the National Exposition of Chemi- cal Industries, held annually in New l York for the past three years, these three clements have been brought together, and from it has come order out of chaos and industries where none existed. Viewing the wonderful exhibits of raw materials and some of the products made there from, in the southern section of the ex- i position last September, the minds of the directors of the American Electro chemical society were moved to a closer study and consideration, of the situs uf those materials. With the unprece- dented development of the chemical in dustrics, that branch of them, the cleo trochemical industries, had great de- mands for their product. in the manufac. ture of which large amounts of cheaI electric power are required. The electro chemical center of the country had de-
 veloped at Niagara Falls because of the
 cheap hyGroeleetric power available al l ths,t int ht1f fnr m ir,n hn nj n
 of an inadequate supply had been fell
 there The new demands for increased
 output compelled American industries
 located there to move to Canada to secure
 power from the falls, since by Canadian
 law it could not be exported into th'
 United States. American electrochemica
 industries have contemplated and are es
 tabishing themselves in other foreign
 countries, notably Norway. in order |,
 secure sufficient power With the excep tion of a trifle more power to be devel
 oped at Niagara Falls by authority o Congress, the development of powe
 there is at StaHdstill-the spectaci
 must be preserved-for honeymooners
 Industry must continue, cheap powe
 must be supplied the electrochemical in
 dustres. Some sections of the countr
 possess potential power in quantitie
 that are financially and commerciall
 possible of development. The Appa
 lachiaa south, the section selected by tn
 American Electrochemical society to b
 seen, possesses this and in additio
 holds :l wealth of natural raw materia
 suitable for chemical industry and in
 dustries As chemical industrial center the points to be visited are developing
 All of them will be an inspiration to tn
 members of the society who make tn tour-which at the same time is the ar nual meeting of the society--because C
 their own several local opportunftie. } possibilities and accomplishments
 At kingsport. Tenn, the first city wis tied, it will be a grand inspiration .
 what a group of determined men hay accomplished through the intelligent de velopment of the natural resources the } found in the surrounding hills and noun
 tains. Here will be viewed what is quit nearly complete cycle of chemical 1T
 dustries. where those basic materials ove | which farmers. lumbermen and hunter have stumbled for ages are being turne into products not only necessary to tn maintenance of the war, but to the con fort of man. Some few of the product being produced from the plants-and tn plants there are built with the determin
 alton that they be permanent. showin the spirit of the men who built them , | are brick. drain tile and sewer pip , glass, lime Portland cement, tanning eN tracts, leather, glue, paper pulp. pape r explosives, dyestuffs and electric powe . from coal. Carrying away the inspirs
 ton of this city, members will see in tf