Evening star., 1933-02-05


United States.
A CROWD gathered several deep
n around a little glass case at
"A one of the big annual trade ex-
4 \ hibitions in New York-evi-
dently something decidedly out
Of the ordinary And it was-a silk"
purse made out of soW'S ears. There
in the case beside it lay the solemnly
certified documents to prove that this
little cleaning bit of finery was a lab
oratory evolution of sundry ears of FEM
mine members Of the porcine family
transformed by processes not unlike
those used in making rayon into silk
filaments and thence into the afore-
mentioned purse.
It was just the rather novel device
chosen by one of our eminent chemical
engineers to startle the snug complac-
ency of the average manufacturer, who
Is quite content to use the familiar old
processes in making the same old
things. It brought home the peril that
1mpends upon any industrialist who
would rather not be bothered with the
incidental cost OF keeping pace with
every new chemical stunt" These are
the self-satisfied reactionarieS who, like
the famous woofus birds SO frequently
commented upon these days, still per-
sist in flying backward, since they are
interested only in seeing where they
have been and not where they are go
ing They declare complacently that
in their line at least there are only so
many known ways of performing the
essential processes of production and,
after all. you just cannot make g. silk
purse out of a sow's ear!
In these times of swift. dramatic
change, however, the price OF survival
of many firm, small as well as large,
Is found in the alert vigilance of some
obscure research expert, quietly but
with tireless devotion exploring for
some new, better and cheaper way of
performing the functions Of industry
Familiarity is likely to weaken criti-
cal appraisal of any industrial process.
An inquiring mind, quite unfamiliar
with the best technicalities Of some
industry, is very likely to bring to bear
precisely the right type of viglant per-
ception and reveal weaknesses that long
have been overlooked by those whose
proximity to the industry has brought
on a certain mental nlyopia. Such
dangerous near -sightedness may be
especially costly in desperate times such
as these, when even minor marginal
laxity in precision can carry business
over llldJ Hair lIIlt pSIWSSl1 I1iC
column and the black.
Weaknesses Revealed.
The appalling casualties in the ranks
of many supposedly solid industries
these last three years have brought
home the unpleasant truth that all too
many CT them have been far from at
tanning those supposed limits Of techni-
cal perfection in their operation. The
drastic hardships of our worst national
depression have mercilessly revealed the
facts Of that inadequacy; and those IN
charge of these enterprises new are be-
ginning to realize the intimate assocla-
tion between the rehabilitation OF
technique and the general recovery OF
business. .
Throughout the grim experiences OF
these dark years we have had dmned
in our ears the endless dlrges on the
perils Of cverproduction, OF suftocatlng
SurpIues. We have been warned that
our concern should not be with the
methodology of production but with the
curtailment of output and the improve
ment of distribution.
Now, much of this is certainly true
But the acceptance Of that truth should
not for a moment divert attention from
the increasing need for advancement
In the field of production. Let US
hasten to add that such advancement
may involve many things besides en-
largement of output. 1t may be focused
upon a finer control of production costs,
or possibly the development of new by
products, or the reclamation of profit
Welding wastes or the modification OF
the original product so as to exploit
hitherto untried markets, or the stimu-
1ation of timid buyers with totally new
appeals.
All of these possible consequences OF
production research present abundant
evidence of it's value as much-needed
accessory to business recovery. The re-
sult-getting possibilities OF well-planned
Investigations are not mere assump-
tions. They are readily demonstrated
from the experience OF literally nun
dreds of concerns in all industries
throughout this depression. Their at
tainments reveal with irrefutable evi-
dence the fact that we need have no
fear of at least one type OF overpro-
duction-namely, that of scientific re-
search. There we have at least one
COMMODITY of which the business
world simply cannot have too much
Indeed, although business has been
slowed down, science and the restless
pioneering instinct certainly have not.
Perhaps the best demonstration OF
that fact is the mounting number OF
patents granted by our Patent Office.
The total for the fiscal year 1892
was the highest in our history 2,572.
Some of this increase, it is true, Is Que
to the speeding up of the work In that
unit through staff improvement. But
even allowing for this factor, 1t still
is evident that investors and engineers,
with greater leisure and relaxtion OF
immediate engrosSing production tasks,
have been making research reality
instead of a clustered, academic aspi-
ration. Many of their new ideas and
devices are ingenious, practical, typl-
cally American in their swift conquest
of new mechanical domains or the
elimination of supposedly hsurmount-
able trade obstacles.
Trends Interesting.
The character of these new patents
reveals certain interesting indications
of the trends of industry and suggests
those lines which are likely to lead the
way out of the abyss. There is, for ex-
ample, a significantly large number OF
the general field of temperature con-
trols-radically new devices for heating
and for the conditioning Of air in
homes. stores, factories and even trains.
The automobile industry also seems to
realize the stimulative value of new
ideas and equipping itself with numer-
GUS devices and accessories which are
likely to overcome much Of the wide
spread reluctance of buyers in that field.
Striking evidence Of this is the fact
that nearly 18 per cent of the demands
,,ouy Downing to tho patent Office involve
automotive devices of some sort.
But these newer industries are by no
means alone in the leadership Of novel
ideas. A survey Of the groups OF differ
ent types of patents granted since the
depression set in brings out almost at
once the large number concerned with
railroad equipment. That vast and
venerable industry is thoroughly alert to
the possibilities of lessened expense,
greater comfort and safety as factors in
overcoming the formidable competition