Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-11-04
THE HASKIN LETTER
CHEMICAL AID FOR BUSINESS.

Cambridge, Mass. Oct. 25.-There is
firm here which believes in chemistry
as power to revolutlonlze industry
lSst as strongly as Fulton ever beheved
In his steamboat or Bell in the telephone.
Chemistry is already acknowledged as
an important factor in industry, but this
firm says that the possibilities OF ap-
plying science to business have scarcely
been tapped 1t points out that by the
present methods of handling materials
recklessly and burning up waste rich In
possibilities. the country's resources are
dwindling so rapidly that efficiency ana
scientific management will have to be
carried soon to a much higher degree:
In few years we may expect TO 1lno
1t a common thing for factory to re-
tain a chemist just as it now employs
lawyer. Many large plants already MAIN
tain chemical laboratories One OF Bos-
toms biggest and most efficient depart
ment stores has such laboratory. And
here in Cambridge by the Charles River,
there is the big yellow brick building Of
this company which conducts thriving
business as chemical advisor and assist
ant to all sorts of manufacturers, in
ventors. tradesmen, and professional
men. There is no line of industry which
cannot be benefited by applied chem1s-
try, the firm maintains. and the variety
of it's activities strengthens this broad
claim. -
one client, a manufacturer, recently
aiscovered that kind of shoe polish
which he had long been purchasing, was
not being made any more. The matter
WAS taken up with the industrial chem
ist and an old bottle of the polish sup
plied. Then the manufacturer went
home and in a short time he received the
formula he wanted and help in establish
ing the necessary apparatus to make MS
own polish. :.,,
its product tapioca-peconlin
m;ldawed. The chemists made survey
of the machinery in use and found that
tho trouble was due to the flour beng
hoiled in tin. When the tin was replaced
with wood and the process changed
slightly there was no more mlldeW.
Tests of Merchande
In still another instance the firm was
reouested to make series of tests for
a merchant to ascertain the wearing
nuality of several kinds of stockings. Ar
tificial lights were used to hasten the
| discoloration ordinarily caused by sun
| light Special apparatus produced the
effect of rubbing, soap, mud, and wear,
| and careful records were obtained, so
that from the final report the dealer
knew all the strong and weak points OF
the different brands of stockings he had
| been carrying. =,
This last Job is interesting because it
| shows how chemistry is slowly entering
the buying game. and rendering innocu-
Gus the blarney of the dapper travelling
| salesman OF course it will be some time
| before the small town general store VII d
| its modest capital can afford to have ITS
| stock aualyzed to find out whether the
| silk or leather it is buying is as good as
| the salesman said But the big stores
are doing this They say that it is bet :
| ter to have test show up poor grade
! of silk before they invest than to wait
and have customers find flaws and possl-
bly leave the store forever. On the 9th
er hand, if the material in lot of dress
| es has been scientifically tested for wear,
| dyes, and quality, and has proved durA-
/ bic the customer can safely be assured
of satisfaction
| To cope with the varying problems put
to If, the firm here has to employ chem
| lists who are unusually versatile. The
| company has the reputation OF beng the
greatest paper authority in the country.
! 1t has a small paper mill in one of its
| laboratories and chemists are almost al
ways working here on some new paper
project. There are also many demands
| for work on glass and fuels. But for the
most part. each new contract calls for
new angle of investigation
Helping the Planters
! An unusual problem to which the
/ chemists worked out an ingenious sou-
| ton was. Can weeds in a sugar cane
| plantation be controlled more cheaply
and efficiently than by hand-weeding
| The concern which wanted this ques-
ton answered was in Hawaii. The re-
| search chemists spent some time III ex-
periments and deep thought and finally
| emerged with kind of soft but heavy
brown paper which they have made from
a waste material of the sugar mill called
bagasse. This paper wa. impregnated
with asphalt and was laid out in long
strips in a field where cane had been
planted. When the young cane sprouted
its sharp pointed sprouts pierced the fell
paper and shot up, but weeds could not
get through aud died. This simple ar
rangement. using the material which thf
mill had been burning as worthless, in