JAN 10 1915 1 Chem La.6 136.41 CHEMICAL NEWS AND JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE Edited by Sir Wm. Crookes, O.M., Pres.R.S.] (WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE "CHEMICAL GAZETTE"). Established Sixty-nine Years. Published Weekly. Annual Subscription free by post £ Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Mail Matter. Vol. 111.-No. 2875. [Cd. ARTICLES: [Copyright Friday, January 1, 1915. CONTENTS. Registered as [PRICE 44. PAGE A young Russian Lady (Doctor of Science), 3 2 2 3 388 9 12 12 trained at the University of Liége, seeks Employment in a Chemical Laboratory. Speaks Russian. French, German, and English. -Address, I. B., CHEMICAL NEWS Office, 16, Newcastle Street, Farringdon Street, London, E.C. A Belgian Refugee Engineer, Manager of a Chemical Works, seeks Employment during the War.-Address, Pupil-Assistant required in the Laboratory of a Loudon Public Analyst. No premium.-Address, "X," CHEMICAL NEWS Office, 16, Newcastle Street, Farringdon Street, London, E.C. Required at once, a Junior Works Chemist. Apply, with copies of testimonials and stating qualifications, to the SECRETARY, The Oxford Portland Cement Co., Ltd., Kirtlington, Oxford. Wanted, qualified Assistant Chemist for large Works Laboratory. Previous Works experience not essential. A. BOAKE ROBERTS & CO. (LIMITED), JOHN J. CRIFFIN & SONS, LTD., Stratford, London, E. KINGSWAY, LONDON, W.C. ii MICA. Advertisements. Telephone No. 2248 Avenue. CHEMICAL NEWS, Jan. 1, 1915 SHORT BEAM! F. WIGGINS & SONS, 102/38/4, Minories, London, E. CHEMICAL BALANCE. MICA MERCHANTS, Manufacturers of Mica Goods for Electrical and ALL purposes. Contractors to His Majesty's Government. Cloth, 316; Paper covers, 216. (Postage, 4d. extra). THE WHEAT PROBLEM: Based on Remarks made in the Presidential Address to the British Association at Bristol in 1898. REVISED WITH AN ANSWER TO VARIOUS CRITICS By SIR WILLIAM CROOKES, F.R.S. SECOND EDITION. WITH PREFACE AND ADDITIONAL CHAPTER, BRINGING THE With Two Chapters on the Future Wheat Supply of the OPINIONS of the PRESS. "In this bulky volume Sir William reproduces the gist of the sensational Bristol Address, and supplements it with carefully prepared answers to his chief critics and confirmatory chapters on the future wheat supply of the United States."-Morning Post. "The appearance of the papers in this convenient form will be welcome to everyone who appreciates the importance of the problem."-Scotsman. "The student of economic science and sociology will find this volume full of interesting material. . . The entire subject is of the profoundest interest, and an excellent purpose has been served by the publication of these papers in a single volume."-The Eagle (Brooklyn, N.Y.). "The book is a useful one to all interested in the pro duction of wheat both from the commercial and scientific points of view."-Knowledge. "Sir William Crookes's statistics seem to make good his alarmist statement."-British Weekly. CHEMICAL NEWS OFFICE, 16, NEWCASTLE ST., FARRINGDON ST., E.C. THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER and PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. Edited by F. J. MORTIMER, F.R.P.S. Price TWOPENOE-Every TUESDAY. The Leading Paper for Everyone interested In Photography. Special Articles on PICTORIAL and MODERN SCIENTIFIC PHOTOGRAPHY. The best and brightest Photographic Weekly for the Beginner or Advanced Worker. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. Office: 51, LONG ACRE, LONDON, W.C. JAN LS 19's Conant funct THE CHEMICAL NEWS. VOLUME CXI. EDITED BY SIR WILLIAM CROOKES, O.M., D.Sc., Pres.R.S., &c. No. 2875.-JANUARY 1, 1915. GERMAN METHODS IN COMMERCE.* By Sir WILLIAM RAMSAY, F.R.S., D.C.L., LL.D., &c. It has not been generally known that in commerce, as in war, the methods employed by Germany have been completely organised for many years. Instead of looking on commerce as an arrangement for mutual benefit, the German nation has regarded it as a war. And, just as in the present war, all methods of attack are regarded by the military advisers of Germany as legitimate, so we are slowly awaking to the knowledge that German commercial and industrial methods have for years been aggressive. The war in which we are now engaged is, indeed, a war for the liberation of nations from commercial and industrial brutality, as well as for their deliverance from an attempted enslavement to German "Kultur," as exemplified by the practices of their army. At the annual meeting of the Society of Chemical Industry in 1903, I pointed out that the German military organisation had its counterpart in their commercial organisation; that there exists an Imperial Council whose proceedings are kept quiet, but which takes into consideration all obtainable statistics, and as far as possible legislates, or endeavours to legislate, on the basis of these statistics. Where fiscal duties are found to be required, such a council puts them on; where there is an advantage in taking them off, they are removed. Where cheap transit is possible they give it; for the railways are the property of the State. I then said: "Is it to be expected that any country can fight such a combination as that without adopting, at all events, something of their methods, or without studying their methods, and without combining together, if not to imitate them, at least to thwart them? There is a military campaign against us, and we must defend ourselves." The competition in the colour trade, for instance, has almost prohibited the manufacture of dyes in England. In Germany the management is in the hands of well-trained men, who, aided by an efficient staff of engineers and chemists, are continually engaged on the problems of utilising any discovery made in their own laboratories or elsewhere, and making it commercial, whether by securing cheap raw material, cheapening the process of manufacture, or creating a public demand for the object to be manufactured. Agencies are maintained all over the world whereby the article is introduced to the notice of foreign purchasers; and an extensive credit system is encouraged. All this is legitimate; but the maintenance of a trained legal staff, not merely to advise as to the validity of patents, but to advise whether the infringement of * Read at the Institute of Industry and Commerce, another's patent is likely to be successful, and whether it may not be possible, by infringing a patent, so to saddle an opponent with legal expenses as to break his competi individuals lies at the bottom of all trade; unfair competition, is not easily defensible. Fair competition between tion, backed by all the resources of the State, is what we have had to face with Germany. We have recently had brought to our notice German methods applied to the shipping industry, and the Australians have been pointing out that the control of the "base metal market" is almost entirely in German hands. It is necessary to go further; just as the German State has shown itself to be no respecter of treaties, just as the leaders of the German Army have revealed themselves as breakers of every humane law, treacherous and deceitful, so long as they think they can gain their ends, so it is foolish not to be warned that the German nation as a whole is completely unworthy of trust; that commercial agreements are regarded by members of that nation as binding only so long as some advantage is to be gained by keeping to them, and that dishonesty is excusable if only it appears to lead to German prosperity. For there is a sort of debased patriotism in the average German mind"Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt," no matter how the supremacy of "Deutschland " is secured. disregard towards treaties displayed by our opponents; we We were shocked at the beginning of the war by the were amazed at the treatment of Belgian non-combatants; and we are slowly realising that every trick, from firing on the Red Cross to the false display of the white flag of surrender, is made use of by the enemy, and not, be it observed, by individual groups of our opponents, but by command from high quarters. We are slowly and incredulously awakening to the knowledge that German commercial tricks are on a par with their tricks in war; that the whole nation is infected by the microbe of dishonour and dishonesty. Of course there are honest men among our opponents; from time to time we read of kind acts to our wounded; and from a lifelong experience of Germany and the Germans I have no hesitation in stating there are Germans as kindly, as honest, and as upright as there are among ourselves, the French, the Americans, and among the inWhat we have to face is a nation organised for a policy of habitants of all other nations. That is not the point. dishonesty, and a nation which, as a nation, approves of of dishonesty is likely to be a successful one, and it has that policy. Moreover, this nation believes that the policy the will, and believed itself to have the power, to enforce this policy on the whole world. Conscientious Germans 2 Fruit of Clintonia Borealis. have been impressed more by the end than by the means adopted to gain that end: the prosperity of their "Vaterland." I conceive that the main purpose of the Institute of Industry and Commerce is to take counsel and evolve some means for combating this attack. Just as it is clear that peace can never be declared until the chance of another Teutonic outburst is made impossible by the total disband. ment of the German Army, so it must be evident that the commercial system of Germany cannot be allowed to continue. It is probable that it is better to make a beginning by an alliance of Science, Industry, and Commerce, such as the Institute contemplates; but it will be necessary, if the future German State is allowed to retain the power of waging an industrial war, to combat it by the action of the organised British nation, that is, by the State. Once that conquest is achieved, however, we should do well to remember that commerce should be co-operative and not competitive; that it is to our interest not only that we ourselves should prosper, but that others should also prosper; that, indeed, our own prosperity is bound up in the prosperity of our fellow creatures. of its original size and weight. {CHEMICAL NEWS, Jan. 1915 Each berry contains from The plant is called the Clintonia, after Governor De Witt Clinton, who built the Erie Canal and made several other improvements in New York State during his term of office. The Ash. Six different portions of the berries, using about 3 grms. each time, were ashed in a platinum evaporating dish. From the first portion silica, iron, alumina, calcium, and magnesia were determined; from the second sodium and potassium, by a modification of the J. Lawrence Smith method; from the third the sulphates; from the fourth the phosphates; and manganese from the fifth. When burned the odour at first reminded one of scorched pumpkin, and finally of burning corn. analysis were as follows: SiO2 The results of the Per cent of ash. 0.81 2:29 2.82 CaO 9'14 TITRATION with potassium iodate has been suggested as a possible alternative for the Bunsen method by L. W. Andrews (Fourn. Am. Chem. Soc., 1903, xiii., 792). This method has been found useful, especially for the determination of small percentages of peroxide, and in the presence of organic matter. The method consists in decomposing the peroxide by hydrochloric acid in the presence of potassium iodide, using chloroform or carbon tetrachloride as an indicator, and titrating back the excess of potassium iodide with potassium iodate. The iodate may be made up accurately by weighing out the pure salt, and the The standard iodide is titrated against the iodate. equations involved are: 4KI+2KIO3+12HCl = 6KC1+6IC1 + 6H2O, 4KI+2PbO2+KIO3+14HCl → = 2PbCl2 + 5KCl+5ICI+7H2O. Hence, 2PbO2 KIO3. Iodate method (per cent) .. 31.95 32.00 510 514 10:50 2. It can be used in the presence of organic matter. Laboratory of the Missouri School of Mines. 7:18 98.66 There was a small quantity of CO2 which was not determined. The ash was 4.87 per cent of the dried fruit. Proteins. We were not able to detect the presence of albumen by the ordinary tests. When the berries were heated in a dry test-tube notable quantities of oil condensed on the sides of the tube. When heated in a dry tube with sodalime the fumes given off reacted alkaline to litmus, and had a slight odour of ammonia. The nitrogen was determined by the Kjeldahl Gunning method and found to be 105 per cent of the dried fruit. The Sugars. We placed 400 grms. of the dried fruit in a litre flask connected with an inverted condenser. It was treated with 95 per cent alcohol until a test with Fehling's solution showed only a trace of sugar. The alcoholic extract left time the odour of the extract resembled that of old cider, a dark thick syrup when distilled. After standing some showing that alcoholic fermentation had taken place. The last traces of sugar were extracted with water instead of alcohol. The water made them soft and mushy, whereas they were hardened by the alcohol. The water extraction was of a dark colour, and the work was continued until the sugar was all removed. The two sugar solutions were treated with Fehling's solution of standard strength. We found 4'15 per cent of sugar in the water solution and 9:05 per cent in the alcoholic extract, a total of 13.20 per cent of sugar in the dried fruit. The water extract contained a gum-like substance which alcohol would precipitate. We obtained 35 grms. of this material. The osazone, obtained by the use of phenylhydrazine and sodium acetate, indicated the presence of glucose and fructose. Before making the test the sugar solution was purified by the use of bone-black. Acids. The acid tests were made from the sugar extract. Citric and tartaric acids were present in small amounts, as well as acetic resulting from the fermentation of the sugar. |