Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-28
HUMAN|CS NEEDS
SURVEY
Engineering Foun dations
Holds Personal Research
Aid to Public.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, May pa science of
humanics should be built up by re-
search, it is declared in the annual re-
port of the Engineering Foundation,
made public yesterday by the director,
Alfred d. Finn, at 20 West Thirty
ninth street.
Experience says the report, "is
showing year after year the actual use
fulness and the much greater possibili-
ties of this joint research organization
of our four senior national engineering
societies, with their $4,000 members
Even with small and uncertain re-
sources many members Of these societies
on special research committees are
making valuable contributions of knowl-
edge for the betterment of engineering
and industrial practices. The public
benefits, generally unaware"
Researches Are Aided.
During the year, according to the req
port, the foundation continued its aid to
researches concerned with arch dams,
concrete arches, steel columns for
bridges and buildings, blast furnace
slags, electrical insulation, fabrication,
engineering education and painting of
wood.
It also aided studies of fluid flow,
cutting fluids used in cutting metals.
engineering vocational selection and
other structural problems. Two new re-
search projects now are under way.
One relates to alloys of iron, and will
embrace all forms of irons and steels.
The other involves the materials, manu-
1acture and use of wire ropes.
During the centuries of the iron
age" the report points out. man has
learned some facts about iron and steel.
Much literature has accumulated, and is
accommodating in many places and Ian
guages. Unfortunately not. all of it is
good"
Cooperation Is Planned.
Following conference of 40 repre-
SentativeS of % corporations and other
organizations called by the American
Institute of Mining and Metallurgical
Engineers, a plan for cooperative re-
search in alloys of iron was mapped
out. The institute appointed a COM
mittee on alloys of iron research to
serve in an advisory capacity. The
chairman is John Johnson, director of
research and technology of the United
States Steel Corporation.
"Preliminaries have been developed
by competent men," the report con-
tinues. 1.-THE next steps can be taken
as sure as assurance of funds Is OBJ
tanned. From its modest resources the
Engineering Foundation has appropri-
ated $4,000, besides paying. initial ex-
penSes"
The report tells of the foundations
increased resources, and of its plans to
raise further endowment, saying:
"Since 1915, the Engineering Founda-
tons capital funds have grown from
100000 to 100000 and its income
from less than $4,000 a year to more
than $4,000. This small income has
been supplemented by cash, services,
materials and facilities worth in the
aggregate several times as much, con-
tributing to projects which the founda-
ton has aided.
Future Prospects Encourage.
s'These statements, however, are not
the whole story. A number of engin-
GERS and often other friends have let 1t
be known that their wills contain di-
rect or conditional requests, and the
number Is increasing. These prospects
for the future are encouraging
can endowment committee, appoint
ed by the United Engineering Society,
has for members 16 prominent en-
gineers, with Col. E. A. Simmons, MEM
Der of the American Society of Civil
Engineers and the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers, as chairman.
This committee is seeking 100000
for the Engineering Foundation and
100000 for the Engineering Societies
Library by direct gifts of cash or Sc
curities, requests, life insurance, an
nuities, living trusts or instalment con-
tributions.
Projects in hand or waiting need
substantial funds now; therefore, the
foundation especially invites the at
tention also of persons preferring dona-
tons for expenditure within stipu-
lated period, believing that the future
will be at least as able as the present
to provide for its own needs"