New-York tribune., 1919-04-01
Holds German Patents DO
Not Control Dye Imports
Furthermore, Expert Sees No Advantage to Amer
lean Industry in Exclusion of Fast Colors Now
Only Produced in Commercial Quantities on
Other Side of the Rhine


stuifs on which there are no existing
United States patents, it is hard to see
how the United States dyeetuff patents
on other dyes are going to prevent in
any way the import of the same kind
OF dyes as are now being made here.
There has been all kinds of loose
talk about the comparative fastness OF
German colors and American colors,
both by German commercial propa-
gandists and by the dispensers of pub
Hcity in the interests of the United
States. The sum and substance of the
whole matter is that highly developed
manufacturing processes cannot be
made as perfect in one year or two
years by any concentration Of human
effort as they have been by others
over period of forty years, and it
is a most childish form of hypocrisy
and q false pride to pretend any such
thing; and in the second place, the
true fast colors, except blues, have
been developed in Germany and Swift
zerland since 1902, are covered by
existing United States patents, and
have not been made to any appreciable
extent in the United States.
"The original true fast color is indi-
go, vegetable grown in the Southern
United States, in China, and in British
India. 1t is called a vat color, because
it is insoluble in water and must be
reduced to s~luble form in vat be-
fore it Is put into the dvebath. The
blue produced by indigo on cotton is
and alkalies, and even to bleaching
agents which destroy all colors other
than vat colors.
Synthetic Indigo Big Discovery
zone of the first great discoveries
in the aniline or coal tar dyestutf in
dustry was the discovery of process
for making synthetic indigo about the
year 1880. This was the first aniline
vat color Some other vat blues were
developed, but it was no; until about
1900 that vat blacks, green's, reds, vlo
lets, yellows and other shades began
to be developed. Most of the United
States patents on these colors were
granted between 1906 and 1914, and
will not expire until 1922 and lat~r.
These are the important dyestuf pat
ents which were taken over recently
under the direction of the government
"Vat colors were rapidly coming into
extensive use during the few years
preceding 1914. They were much more
expensive than the other dyes, and SO
came into use most quickly on goods
on which colored figures were printed
and on threads woven into goods of
another color. Fine shirts were all
printed with these absolutely fast vat
colors.
During the years 1916 and 1917
the prices of certain vat colors, es-
pecially reds, violets and yellows,
scared to great heights. A certain
vat yellow powder became worth sew
eral hundred dollars a pound, for use
in textiles where an extremely small
part of the entire piece of goods was
to be dyed with it.
Few Vat Colors Produced Here
"The perfection of the art Of dyeing
consists in applying vat colors to all
textiles and paper where true fastness
over a period of years is required,
fastness to light and all chemical
agents as permanent as the life of the
textile or other material colored.
synthetic indigo and some other
similar vat blues are now being made
extensively and successfully In the
United States But there are no ap-
pearances of the substantial develop
ment of any other vat colors.
Some vat colors have been imported
regularly from Switzerland during the
past four years, mostly blues and vlo-
lets. But the vat reds and vat yellows
Of the same kind which were imported
from the same manufacturer in Swift
zerland before the war have been cut
off. This is probably due to lack of
supply of certain chemicals from Ger
many.
"Probably the manufacture of vat
colors has been developed to some ex-
tent in Great Britain; perhaps much
more than here. But it is highly
probable from the appearance of GER
tain imports into this country that
the vat color industry in Great Britain
is very far from a developed industry
"In the international situation many
interesting and far-reaching problems
are presenteo by the vat color situa-
ton.
Textile Advantages for Germany
Germany now has practical control
of the production of vat or true fast
colors. Germany will no doubt begin
exporting textiles some time after the
conclusion of peace. If Germany ex
ports textiles and other dyed materials
dyed with German vat colors, and If
Germany does not export vat colors
German textiles will have decided
advantage over British, French and
American textiles.
"If vat colors are exported from
Germany provisions should be made SO
that the needs of British French and
American textile manufacturers are
equally supplied.
"If German wealth is to be taken to
pay war indemnity, as it is, and if
the indemnity sought is greater than
it would be possible for Germany to
pay, as it is, it would seem to be folly
to suppress or destroy any form of
German wealth which can be used in
the world without injury to any other
country, particularly to those coun-
tries which bore the burden of the
war against Germany. From all indi-
cations, it seems that the German vat
color industry is form of wealth
which can be preserved for the pay
ment of indemnities without appre-
ciable injury to any developed indus
try in Great Britain, France or the
United States. There has been such
tremendous develo hment in the man.
ufacture of explosives and chemicals
closely akin thereto outside of Ger
many, that the German vat color in
dustry no longer constitutes any men
ace to world peace.
Advocates Direct Licensing
"In conclusion, 1t should be pointed
out once more that there is only one
practical way to control the import of
dyes into the United States, and that
is by direct licensing of each import.
In like manner, the export of dyes
from Germany to any country can be
controlled If the United States gov