Document 70Kpoo85dKMzQZBMOZ2eD7D38

New York, Y. :IRSCTCRS' iSETi: September 28, 1S52, A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lead Industries Association was held at the Down Town Association, Nee York City, on Wednesday, September 28th, at 12:50 P. M. ;ent: r-i.ecre sent in;:: J i. U . . V 1. + 0 W1 U. dt 6 j Chair ..an 2. H. Hothorn R. M. Roosevelt P, 2. Sprague W. C. Beschornan F. h. Carter I. H. Cornell J. A.McCarthy F. Y. Robertson A. A. UacLean St. Joseph Lead Co. American Metal Co. Ltd. Zagle-Picher Lead Co. Metals Refining Co. National Lead Comeany National Lead Con-any St. Josech Lead Co. United ^etals Selling Co. united States Smelting Refining & Mining Co. USL Battery Core. F. 2. Wormser, Secretary. President Clinton H. Crane occupied the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved. The Treasurer's Report was read and accepted as follows: N 583 TREASURER'S REPORT Jan. 1, 1952 to Sept. 1, 1952 Cash on Hand and in Bank, January 1, 19c 2 RECEIPTS $11,575 DO Membership Contribution, lScl $238.50 Membership Contribution, 1932 26,681.50 $26,920.00 Overpayment of Contributions, 1952 Less Contributions Outstanding Interest Book Sa.les 28,00 26,948.00 245.00 26,705.00 71.33 14.7? DISBURSEMENTS Total Receipts TOTAL $26,791.05 $38,766.60 Furniture ^ Fixtures Salaries Rent and Light Office Expense Miscellaneous Traveling Expenses Telephone and Telegraph Books < Subscriptions Printing Mailing Illustration Advances $92.7o 12,440.00 1,357.46 610.28 586.03 338.27 178.16 5,833.69 2,629.72 178.10 25.00 Total Disbursements $24,269.46 Cash on Hand and in Bank, September 1, 1932 TOTAL 14,497.14 $38,7 66.60 The Secretary's Report was read and accepted as follows: L I A 0 0 013 SECRETARY'S REPORT 1. lier.bershit) - The Remington Arms Company has sent in its resignation from membership on the ground of economythe saving being $200.00 per year - despite the fact that the Lead Industries Association has rendered extremely valuable services to that Company, worth thousands of dollars annually, many time more than its contribution to our support. I refer especially to the change in the Drawback Law we brought about which enabled Remington Arms to re-enter the export business, a change in the law which Remington was powerless to bring about alone. I have learned recently that Remington has also tendered its resignation from the Ammunition Institute in which it is an important member. We have received two applications for membership; one from the 1'a.ster Builders Company, Cleveland, Ohio, and the other from the Huds'n Smelting and Refining Company, Herark, J., both of which are ready to be acted upon. 2. Statistics - By authority of the Executive Com mittee vre have changed the lead pigment statistics from a weekly to a monthly basis. 3. Legislation - We are making a survey of State Highway painting practices with a view to checking the sub-- stitution of inferior paint materials for lead paints on bridges, highway markers, guard rails and the like. For example, the State of Missouri recently turned to aluminum paint for its bridges even though white lead is superior for the purpose. In Idaho we have been fortunate, through help from our northern Idaho members, in procuring a change in the State highway specifications which will insure white lead paint being used where heretofore a zinc-titar.ium com bination was specified. During July the Bureau of Liines gave red lead some unfavorable and inaccurate publicity in comparison with iron oxide, a situation which was amicably adjusted by a personal call to the Bureau. The offending statement in the Bureau's literature will be removed. We are endeavoring to reopen before the Federal Trade Commission our complaint on unfair competition from materials substituted for calking lead by using names imi tative of our metals such as, Leadite and Mineralead. The Federal Trade Commission has given us encouragement. l ia oooft* Ever since the establishment of the Lead Indus tries Associstion we have been watching and studying the plumbing code situation in the United States, humorous codes discriminate against lead in favor of substitutes, others do not specify lead where they should. The prob lem of how best to protect our interests in this very im portant field is indeed a huge one as there are so many interests involved, - the public, journeymen plumbers, master plumbers and fabricators, being the principal ones. I have long felt that we ought to do continuous missionary work in various cities where investigation shows that lead is not receiving proper consideration or is likely to be displaced. At the present time this problem is being handled in a haphazard fashion with here and there a member company endeavoring to do its bit locally. However, the problem is essentially one for the entire industry and is not something to be carried by individual companies. One solution would be to engage the services of a mar. with practical experience in the trade, thst is, one who is familiar at first hand with plumbing, plumbers and plumbing codes, whose sole duty it would be to work with Master Plumbers' Associations, journeymen plumbers and municipal authorities in educating them as to the merits of lead for certain plumbing applications and to help them bring about changes in the codes. I think this might be done at a modest expenditure per year, considering the mar ket at stake. '.7e were able to be of assistance in some new and large Government building projects which specified lead originally but where there was a possibility of the speci fications being changed in favor of competing materials. 4. Research - The University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Plumbing Inspectors Association are planning a competitive test of service pipe materials, ffe have been invited to cooperate by supplying the necessary lead pipe. Cne of our members has already kindly consented to furnish this material. Already we have been able to clear up some misapprehensions in Wisconsin about our product. We have succeeded in modifying a proposed coopera tive test of the American Society for Testing Materials, measuring the resistance of corrosion of numerous common metals to common salt. Through an oversight, lead has been omitted from this list of metals to be tested although it is one of the most important for contact with common salt solutions. L 1400065 V 5. Lead Poisoning - Several monthB ago we were ap proached by representatives of the United Piece Dye Works of Lodi, N. J., a large company in the textile field, with a lead poisoning problem. The United Piece Dye Works control patents for weighting silk with a combination lead and tin chemical in which lead takes the form of a phosphate. How ever, owing-to oopuiar prejudice against lead, competitors found it easy to play upon this fear in the minds of pros pective buyers so that the United Piece Dye Works were hav ing difficulty in selling the fabric. R. H. Macy Company postively refused to merchandise silk weighted with lead in the absence of any proof that it was not injurious to human beings. We suggested that the safest procedure for the United Piece Dye Works was to investigate the health hazard for lead-weighted silk thoroughly through an impartial or ganization and that they base their subsequent sales policies on the outcome of this investigation. We also mentioned that an aopropriate and authoritative channel through which the investigation might be conducted was the Harvard hedical School in view of its intimate knowledge of lead poisoning. The representatives of the United Piece Dye Works followed this suggestion and accordingly I arranged an interview for the::; in Boston with Dr. Aub, at which they presented their problem. Although Dr. Aub was unable him- self to attend to this subject he turned it over to an associate, Dr. Pairhall, and an investigation was begun. In the meantime many disturbing articles appeared in the textile press on this controversial subject. The investigation at Harvard was just recently completed and a full report will appear in the November issue of the Journal of Industrial Hygiene. It demon strates conclusively that there is no health hazard in connection with the use of silk weighted with lead phos phate as developed by the United Piece Dye Works. The Harvard study indicated that lead phosphate is an ex tremely insoluble and inert form of lead which does not dissolve in perspiration or saliva. Experiments with human subjects wearing the material showed no trace of `lead absorption as a result of skin absorption from wear ing lead weighted silk. By this means another illustion about lead poisoning is dispelled in such a fashion that the im partial findings and conclusions are unanswerable. Li Aocoe6 It is reported in the press recently that the Argentine Government is to put a ban on the importation and sale of white lead. This would ineed be a blow to the oigment and I hope a means can be found for persuad ing the Argentine legislature to reconsider its attitude. An outbreak of 59 cases of lead poisoning in Baltimore, many among children, in September, caused me to investigate matters, particularly as the Baltimore press had given the subject prominent publicity. Offic ials in the health department informed me that the lead poisoning was confined to the poorer colored element and had been definitely traced to the practice of many colored families to use discarded storage battery boxes for fuel, wood being unavailable. In breaking the boxes and burning them they breathed lead sulphate and oxide clinging to the sides. The Health Department has the situation well under control and scrap battery dealers have been warned not to permit anyone to use the old boxes for fuel. The City is now providing wood for fuel to the colored people. Inas much as a similar situation may exist in other cities it would be wise to enlist the cooperation of all our members smelting storage battery plates who, in turn, might caution the suppliers. An ounce of prevention may save us reams of undesirable publicity. 6, Promotion Activities - Issues of cur bulletin LEAD have appeared regularly. For each issue there has been a widespread demand for additional copies and the magazine seems to be performing its function of spreading news about modern developments in lead among architects, engineers and others. A little booklet on White Lead is in press and is expected to be distributed within a week. Several members have ordered copies for their own distribution. We are continuing to prepare papers for technical societies and others on numerous lead products. At the Autumn meeting of the American Welding Society a paper is to be delivered on Lead Burning. Another paper is in pre paration for the Journal of Chemical Education on Lead, while still another is in prospect on Calking Lead for the American Water Works Association. In addition a paper for the American Landscape Architect and a Master Plumberb ' or ganization. That the dissemination of greater technical infor mation of our products is a worthwhile procedure seems to be demonstrated by an unsolicited letter recently received from an architect, Mr. E. J. Russell, who is President of the l ia o ooe 7 >9 American Institute of Architects and a member of the firm of Uauran, Russell and Crowell of St. Louis. His letter reads as follows: "The book entitled 'Useful Information About Lead' that you were kind enough to send me has been read with a great deal of interest, and I congratulate you on the thoroughness with which you have covered the subject and the man ner in which you have presented it. "If each branch of the building industry were to cover its ora field as thoroughly as you have, it would be of immeasurable value to all concerned." We are planning to study the calking lead situa tion in the light of one water company's experience which indicates that calking lead is better than brittle substi tutes as it reduces breakages in the water mains. As an inexpensive bit of publicity for white lead, we are endeavoring to paint several of the model houses to be erected at the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition. At the same time we are trying to keep abreast of the newer developments in the mass production of houses so that white lead and red lead paint will receive proper con sideration. 7. Miscellaneous - Numerous national associations are endeavoring to occupy a orominent part in bringing about desirable changes in our Government which will help us out of the depression. For examole, the National Association of Manufacturers, in cooperation with other associations, is making a drive to reduce taxation, federal, state and local. The same organization is also trying to present the case for business in the problem of Government competition with busi ness, two very important matters. The Lead Industries Association, although comparatively young, has already demon strated its national force and importance and can be used as `an effective tool to help in bringing about changes in the situation whenever the Board wishes to do so. I should like to know whether the Board of Directors desires to have me co operate with these movements on the part of other national associations. Respectfully submitted, Secretary. i i?.onnPB The resignation of Remington Arms Company from membership was accepted. The application for membership of the Master Builders Company cf Cleveland, 1'nio, was considered, WHEREUPON, it was moved and seconded that the Master Builders Company be admitted to membership in the Lead Industries Association. Motion carried unanimously. The application for membership of the Hudson Smelting and Refining Company of Newark, N. J., was con sidered, ". HEREUPON, it was moved and seconded that the Hudson Smelting and Refining Company be admitted to member ship in the Lead Industries Association. Motion carried unanimously. The use of the Lead Industries Assocation emblem on products manufactured by the members was next discussed. The feeling of the Board was that the use of the emblem should be confined to stationery and advertising literature of the members and should not appear on their products be cause its used would lend indirect approval of the quality of that products, the Association having no facilities for testing them. The Secretary explained the plumbing code situa tion and recommended that the Executive Committee give it early consideration. L I A00089 The Board discussed the problem of Government com petition with business and the work of other Associations in combatting this tendency. It was felt that the most effective assistance which the Lead Industries Association might give would have to await the convening of Congress. The most im portant branches of the Lead Industries Association already feeling the brant of this competition were adequately rep resented through other organizations in presenting their pleas before Congressional Committees. One pigment manufacturer brought up the sugges tion that all the fabricators of write lead ar.d lead oxides combine to exribit in a booth at the forthcoming Convention of the Federation of Paint & Varnish Production Clubs on November 11 to 15th. Uember companies had been solicited individually to take separate booths, but as the value to each company of a separate exhibit was negligible, the joint display met with the approval of those pigment manufacturers represented at the Board meeting. The Chairman appointed ILx. F. M. Carter and Lr. R. k. Roosevelt as a Committee to have charge of the Lead Industries Association participa tion with the suggestion that the expense actually connec-ted with the exhibit be distributed among the pigment manu facturers represented in the Association. 400090 Secretary. LIAC0091