Progress Report

U. S. industry, to continue leading the world's, should also lead the world in industrial research. In 1938 Mellon Institute's Dr. William A. Hamor reported that in number of industrial researchers, the U. S. was far behind the totalitarian States. His estimate of technologists at work: Germany 220,000, U. S. 44,000. Last week, without bringing that comparison up to date. Research Researcher Hamor issued his report for 1940. Some findings:

> U. S. industries spent a probable $220,000,000 on production research last year (up from $215,000,000 in 1939, $100,000,000 in 1937). But this represented less than 1/2% of their gross income. Only ten firms (four of them chemical companies) spent more than 10%.

> About 95% of the expenditure on agricultural research went toward increasing production; only 5% to discover new uses for agricultural products. While vitamins provided a $100,000,000 industry, the food values of seaweed were studied, and grass continued to develop as a health food.

> Although electric furnaces account for only about 2% of total U. S. steel production, they turn out 20% of all alloy steel.

> Over 200,000,000,000 lb. of synthetic rubber could theoretically be produced each year from ethylene, benzene and butadiene (present U. S. consumption of natural rubber: about 1,100,000,000 lb.).

> In metropolitan New York, approximately 3,200 television receivers are already in use.

> Among new developments to come: instruments to detect infra-red rays given off by airplane motors, thus help to locate enemy aircraft.

To a Manhattan automobile dealer, Mrs. Elizabeth R. Fajardo of Puerto Rico sent a bottle of the fuchsia polish she uses on her nails. The dealer sent her a Packard to match.

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