The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-07
LABORATORY
and SHOP b. David Ramsey

take out a patient. Otherwise the
public could not be protected Cd
from substitutions.
POOR LIGHTING
It is a commonplace that CAPE
italism has failed to provide decent
living and workirT conditions de-
spite the adys'lN bn technique. In
all respects anil estigation would
reveal that capita. sm's best is not
good enough.
Take the fundamental problem
Of providing light. DR.. N. Luckiesh,
an authority on lighting problems.
declares that the average illumina-
ton in factories and homes should
be increased some thirty times for
better seeing and improved perform
ance Of tasks. He warns that We
strain our eyes to make them work
in low gear" because of the pre-
vslence Of poor light.
The average illumination per
room is only from two to three foot
candles, in terms Of the scientific
unit for measuring the lighting.
BY comparison, bright sunlight has
an illumination Of 10000 FOOT
candles. Yet within the average
room or factory the light is only
around three foot-candles.
DR.. Luckiesh points out that de-
spite the advent of electric light
ing, the customary light today is
not much better than it was d
hundred years ago. In those days,
a worker put the candle right next
to his job. Today he uses a light
from a ceiling or at a distance.
This is not really illuminating the
spot where he works any better
than a candle would. Modern
lighting practice indicates that at
least 100 foot-candles should be the
average illumination. This would
save wear and tear on the workers
eyes, but Of course nothing will be
done since it would cost the cap
italists more money.
HEAT ABSORBENT GLASS
Technicians have now produced
glass which absorbs most Of the
heat rays in sunlight, yet passes
almost all the visible part of the
suns spectrum. The new glass will
have great usefulness in skylights
and windows in the industrial
plants of the south during the hot
test months Of the year. In addi-
ton, it will be very useful in the
field of r-conditioning, since It
keeps the cold in by keeping the
heat out.
The characteristics Of the heat
absorbing glass were described at
the recent meeting of the Optical
Society of America. Solar energy,
it was explained, as 1t seeps through
the atmosphere Of the earth, has
only about one third of its rays in
the visible region of the spectrum.
The rest of the sunlight consists Of
the invisible ultraviolet light on
one side and the unseen, mira
red, or heat on the other.
The notwithstanding glass cuts
down the heat ray portion Of the
spectrum Small amounts OF iron
in the glass act as heat catchers.
Some types Of glass viii stop and
absorb about So per cent of the
heat rays. Another 8 per cent is
reflected of the surface of the
glass. The remainder consists Of
the visible rays.
While the heat that is absorbed
by the glass must be re-radiated,
much of it is carried away by the
proper design Of ventilation around
the window or skylight. What
after this process, is radi-
ated, half to the inside and half to
the outside. The part coming into
the room is spread out in all direc-
tions. A person sitting in beam Of
sunlight in the room feels little II
any heat from the beam.
Contributions received tn the