Tuesday's papers contained reports of an important paper read on
the previous evening before the Society of Chemical Industry by Professor Perkin. The lecturer announced the discovery of means of manufacturing on a commercial basis artificial rubber which was strictly comparable to the natural product. The discovery was made by a group of English chemists, with Dr. Matthews at their head, only three months before a German chemist, Professor Harries, working on different lines and in ignorance of their work, reached the same result. Professor Perkin, whose paper was of a purely technical character, said that there was a possibility of pro- ducing rubber at a cost of a shilling a pound. Of great importance also was the discovery of a method of producing acetone for about £30 a ton, which is only a third of the present market price. Acetone is largely used for the manu- facture of cordite, and an expert is reported to have declared that " from a national defence point of view this discovery cannot be over-estimated."
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