Evening star., 1932-12-04

SflOuIt1 DC iAAAttu-
BY law?"
Yes. by q general law which would
apply to all. Under our present system
there Is no provision for wages to rise
fast enough TO enable people TO con-
sumo goods as rapidly as they produce
them. In time Of depression, wages
are so cut that no matter how plentiful
goods may be and how cheap, few have
the money with which to buy. II we
arbitrarily restrict the hours of labor
so that no man in industry could work
longer than certain fixed maximum
which is we'll below the present maxi
mum, the effect would be to raise wages
automatically.
Assume, for example, that 10 per
cent Of the workers are unemployed.
If we cut the hours of labor 20 per
cent, the effect would be to increase
the demand for labor by 20 per cent.
That not only absorbs the unemployed
10 per cent but would make an actual
labor shortage Of 10 per cent, and
manufacturers and other employers
would have to bid for workers. In that
bidding wages would rise.
The great problem of civilized So
ciety-everybody's problem-is to learn
how to raise wages. A few per cent a
year is not enough to keep step with
increases in production. There must
be rapid raises proportioned to the in
creased output of the machines"
Then you expect more machines?"
Yes, more machines and increased
applications of science are inevitable
and highly desirable. provided the set
up IS such as to enable all to share
the benefits. II everybody worked less,
and sufficiently less so that it was diff.
flcult to produce what we need, even
with our machines, labor would neces-
sarily be in demand The effect would
be both to restrict production and to
increase consumption, until a balance
Is reached.
United Action REQUIRED.
mo company, factory or farm alone
can make the necessary adjustment
But together, united under the Govern
ment, all can. The point is that we
have got to keep consuming power at
least abreast of producing power
Otherwise, depressions are inevitable :"
But what of science itself? Is is not
due for a depression? So much has
been discovered recently, is there any
thing left but gleanings?"
We are now at a stage" answered
DR.. Langmuir, where We have a great
er prospect Of discovering new leads
new relationships, new laws than at
any time in the past. We are at a
really exciting stage in physics.
Here we have three great generali-
zations: The theory of relatively, the
theory Of wave mechanics, the electro
magnetic theory. So far as we can see
now, they are, each of them, independ-
ent, and yet we know that they must
be intimately related They must be
parts of one unified system, and to dis
cover their interrelationship and unveil
! their hidden unity is one Of the great
tasks.
When these three theories are rec
onciled it will surely bring knowledge
/ of the reason for one of the most puz-
zling of the seeming discrepancies of
the physical world-the glaring dis
proportion which exists between the
mass Of the two parts of the atom, the
proton and the electron.
Every atom is made up of these
! two parts-protons in the central nu-
cleus, electrons whirling around that
nucleus-and the mass COR weight) of
the portion is some 300 times that of
| the electron. There must be some fun
damental reason for this wide differ
ence-scme hidden relationship to the
universe as whole. The clearing up
OF this question aSsuredly will open
up discoveries of the first rank.
Awaits Realignment.
THE whole science of chemistry
! awaits realignment. Chemical problems
| are far too complicated at present for
coordination with the laws that we
seem to see in modern physics-and
yet We know that the new physics must
| dominate the whole field.
Il am particularly interested In sur
face chemistry. A few years ago, when
I began working with tungsten fila
ments in vacuum tubes, found that
gases surrounding the filament deposit
| ed themselves on the surface in a layer
exactly one atom thick. That was a
surprising disclosure Prior to this 1t
was generally thought that the atoms
surrounded the filament like an atmos-
phere. more concentrated at the sur
| face gradually thinning as the distance
! from the surface increased. But
! learned that after the single atom
layer was formed there was no ten
dency to take on more atoms. These
discoveries have proved extremely use
full in accounting for electron emission
in radio tubes, in explaining chemical
reactions, the behavior of lubricants in
machine bearings and the formation
OF films on liquids"
III is tNlS IelQ OF surface CnemSLIy
that DR.. Langmuir's own researches at
present are concentrated. The science
is really very new, its Importance is just
beginning to be realized and. said Mr..
Langmuir, much pioneering remains
| to be done to establish even the fun
damental principles needed to guide in
-vestigation of surface reactions"
| Atomic energy? The energy is
there replied the Nobel laureate. 'In
the distant future we may discover the
secret Of unlocking it, but at present
the problem is hardly worth working
on. Too remote. What is worth work
ing on is the mechanics of the atom
the task Of learning all about It's in
sides. When we know that the rest
will be easy-or at least We shall pre-
cisely know its limitations"
DR.. Langmuir has camp on Lake
George, where he spends not only his
Summer vacations but week ends in the
Winter. When he is there the camp
becomes laboratory-for he Is forever
asking questions; rigging up apparatus
to take the temperature Of different
levels of water under the ice; measur
tion Of whitecaps on the lake; study
ing water waves and tracing their re-
semblance to electron waves: pursuing
the dozen of other physical problems
that tempt the Unsuitable curiosity Of
a man who knows so much about ma
ture that he knows how little is really
known.