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FILE NAME: Trade Publications (TR) DATE: 1951 July DOC#: TR052 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Trade Journal Article - Legislation Dominates Silica Meeting JULY, 1951 B ro r N o rd b erg Sditor R ock P roducts THE INDUSTRY'S RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY VOL- H No. 7 Nathan C. Rockwood iditoria! Consul,om This Month We Hear 35 Editorial--Agstone Associations Approaching M erger 39 Rocky's Notes--Confused Chemistry of Portlefnd Cement 41 lab o r Relations Trends 43 The Personal Side of the News 45 Industry News 49 Hints and Helps 52 New Machinery 54 Handling Large Tonnages of Gravel 56 : Large mining operation in Nevada employs belt con- vcyois to effective advantage and suggests practical ideas for best performance W a lle r B. l e n h a r t Legislation Dominates Silica Meeting 60 Car supply, improved packing methods and indus trial hygine legislation also emphasized at annual meeting Evaluation and Development of Kiln Efficiencies 65 Part IV. Marne characteristics for maximum heat trartsfer and minimum loss discussed in detail V ictor J, A zbe Gyratory Screen Developed for Sizing Fine M aterials 69 Plant Designed for Low Labor Cost 70 Campbell Limestone Co. granite plant uses surge pile, large platform scale, interlocked motors and offers many details for efficient production W a lte r B. L en h art Expanding Perlite in Rotary Kiln 74 Jacketed kiln at New Orleans plant permits pre- . heating and controlled expansion of ore Lime Producers Discuss M arket Development 77 Research, safety and government restrictions also given prominence at annual convention Reseorch on Hydraulic Properties of Granulated Blast Furnace Slag faro T a n a k a & K unihiro t a k e m o to 82 Selection of V-Belt Drives for Best Performance 85 Vermiculite Producers Hold Annual Meeting 86 NeW markets and promotional ideas emphasized by ; Vermieulite Institute Nonmetallie M inerals in Northwest 88 Minerals conference discloses great development in natural resources and potentials for future Ralph S. Mason New Applications of Prestressed Assembly of M asnry Units 109 Basalt Rock Co. finds that its Stresterete develop ment has widened sales outlets into many fields Chicago's Ready Mix Industry Continues Rapid Growth 112 Material Service Corp. has ultra-modern central mixing plant and now has more than one hundred trucks serving city and suburbs l. David Minsk Selling Block Throughout W ide Area 116 Campbell Supply Co., Marquette, Mich., utilizes dealers and advertising, has large e&p&ciif mech anized plant : W a lt e r B. L e n h a rt, Associate Editor L. D a v id M in sk , Associate Editor m . K . S m ith , Assistant Editor E. M . A m o c h e r, Assistant Editor M . A . C h r is tia n s e n , Assistant Editor Contributing Editors V icto r J. A zbe D r. F. O. Anderegg M. W . Loving Jam es A. Barr, Jr. Home Office M o r g a n K . C o ttin g h a m , Ad. Manager M a r y A . W h a le n , Subscription Dir. M . S . H e n d ric k s , Dir. of Research C. M . H a n co ck , Production Manager c . P. T e a ts, Field Representative District Offices E a s t e r n A r e a -- Richard Y. Fuller, Manager; John F. Lockitt, Assist ant, 522 Fifth Ave., New York 18, Tel. Murray Hill 2-7888. C e n t r a l A r e a -- R. P. Keine, Manager, Hanna Bldg,, Cleveland 15, Tel. Main 1-4362. M id w e s t A r e a -- E. H. Hickey, Rep resentative, 809 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago 6, Tel. Harrison 7-7890. W e s t e r n A r e a -- L. C. Thaon, Man ager, 309 West Jackson Blvd., Chi cago 6, Tel. Harrison 7-7890. P a cific A r e a -- Duncan Scott & Co., Mills Bldg,, San Francisco 4, Tel. Garfield 1-7950. In Los Angeles 5, 2978 Wilshire Blvd., Tel. Dunkirk 8-4151. L o n d o n , E n g la n d --Harold F. Charles, Managing Director, Maclean-Hunter, Ltd., Sun Life of Canada Bldg., Trafalgar Square, London, S.WJ- 0CK PRODUCTS Is published iwrtMy J ACLEAN-HUNTER PubUshinB CorpiiratRm.; icst Jackson Blvd., Chicago 6. Illinois! unter. President; E. R. Sauley, Vice P re ** , L. Frazier, Secretary, Copyright, 1951. J W jTM second-class after, Jan. 30, 1336, , igo. III. post office under the act (J. * * r- ' 579. Additional entry at Milwaukee, Wis. OCK PRODUCTS Is indexed regulvly W BSCBIPTIO B INFORMATION iscriotion Price: United States *n6 tada one year, S2.00; two years, S i lm , M ITS, S4.00. Pan American, one year, H W , " " irs, S7.00; three years, S10.00. All n. one year, S6 00; two years, irs, 515.DO. Twenty-five cents tor single WP radian subscriotlons and remittances MW ** > Canadian funds to ROCK PRODUCTS, r. i 100. Terminal "A ," Toronto. Subscribers-- Date on wrapper indicate* . . . . h which your subscription expires. ,1 have address Mianoed, pre old as war 2 ROCK PRODUCTS July i SSJ Silica Legislation Dominates Silica Meeting Car supply, improved packing methods and industrial hygiene legislation also emphasized a t annual meeting National I ndustrial, S and A sso ciation's fifteenth annual meet ing, held May 16-18 at The Home stead, Hot Springs, Va., had a diver sified program and was highlighted by round-table, informal discussions of industry problems. Production problems, traffic matters, federal laws and restrictions, industrial health, foundry sand problems and a round table discussion of current problems confronting the industry were cover ed, followed by an extremely interest ing talk on the Washington scene by executive secretary V. P. Aheam. Sterling N. Farmer, Sand Products Corp., Cleveland, Ohio, was re-elected president of the association as were vice-president C. M. Hardy, Hardy Sand Co., Evansville, Ind., and treas urer Clarence R. Wolf, New Jersey Silica Sand Co., Millville, N. J. Due to a constitutional provision limiting members of the board of di rectors to a two-year term, three new members were elected at the meeting. They are Earl T. Andrews, Pennsyl vania Glass Sand Corp., Hancock, W. Va.; Emery M. Durstine, The Keener Sand and Clay Co., Columbus, Ohio, and P. W. Palmer, Browntown Silica Co., Browntown, Wis. Russell G. Cronenweth, Great Lakes Foundry Sand Co., Detroit, Mich.; Lyle T. Manley, Manley Sand Co., Rockton, 111.; and Jesse T. Morie, Jesse S. Morie & Sons, Inc., Mauricetown, N. J., complete the board of directors. Past presidents J. M. Strouss, Deck ers Creek Sand Co., Morgantown, W. Va.; A. Y. Gregory, Whitehead Brothers Co.. New York, N. Y.; and George A. Thornton, Ottawa Silica Co., Ottawa, 111., are ex-officio mem bers of the hoard of directors. The fall meeting of the association will be held at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., October 17-19. An agreement has been con cluded with The Homestead to hold the annual spring meetings at Hot Springs, Va., through 1956. The 1952 fall meeting is scheduled for Bermuda during October, dependent upon ac commodations available. Opening Session Sterling N. Farmer, president, pre sided over the opening session at which were presented the financial re port by executive secretary V. P. Ahearn and the report on nomina tions. They followed a discussion of traffic matters led by Emery M. Dur stine, chairman of the traffic commit tee and Commerce Counsel William W. Collin, Jr. Mr. Durstine com mented briefly on two cases being con ducted by the association in the in terests of its membership. Mr. Collin did not have a prepared paper. He touched upon the decision handed down on March 30 in the bonded sand case which resulted in obtaining a reduction in rates for open car shipments which is substan tial for long hauls hut leaves the d e ferential as it was for distances under 300 miles. The decision isn't all that was hoped for but Mr. Collin recom mended that a re-hearing not he sought at this time by the association because it was unlikely that testimony could be improved. The box car case went to trial on March 14 and with the support of the Glass Container Manufacturers Institute. Commenting generally on the sub ject of freight rates, Mr. Ahearn said that he believed the association should participate in freight rate cases as a matter of good customer relations m attempting to hold their down, particularly during times ^ price controls. Furthermore, he be lieves that the industry has' a right to oppose any cost increases that re-"fleet in prices, in order to protect itsmarkets. Production Problems Arnold Tanzer, New Jersey Pulver izing Co., New York, N. Y., reported on his experiences with new bagging machine parts supplied in an effort to reduce maintenance and to minimize the dust problem in packing opera tions. Due to delays in delivery of the parts, of special high priced alloy, Mr. Tanzer could speak from only six weeks' experience with the new parts. After six weeks of experience, none of the parts had been replaced but neither had those of ordinary metal in the same service over the same period. There was indication of wear on both the ordinary and special alloyparts. While he believes the special alloy may last longer he does not be lieve their life will be sufficiently greater to justify the added costs. These parts are priced four times as high as conventional metal parts. Mr. Tanzer believes they would be difficult of replacement and he has not noted anv improvement in the dust problem. Noiman H. Cussey, Wedron Silica Co., Chicago, ID., reported his experi ences with the Auger-Matic packing machine. His experience has been sat isfactory in packing sand blast sand, using valve hags, after certain need ed adjustments. This is a one-tube machine that will pack ur>ground sand at the rate of 800 bags per day. Its use has proved satisfactory in experi mental packing of ground silica, with Left to right tin picture o f l e f t l ; Mr. a n d Mrs. T. E. Rust, C loyton Silica Co.. W aterloo, Iowa, an d Mr. an d Mrs. H. P. H ordy, H ardy Send Co., Evans ville, Ind. Right: P. W. Polm er, Mrs. M arcus W right, Jr., Mr. an d Mrs, A rnold T o m er an d M orcus W right, Jr. Iliad ye : under As c : packin | much i the mi l small r Bruited j dust is 'off am affords -dust p Stan session i problei servati | machii the sti ing pr; . manuf 4-tube town i ductioi It. ( 1Mr. V search Found been v sand 1 larged for dii tr Commi "sider resins. . tempei The g 60 R nm punm ifT c Ini., SILICA ted Ing U> lire ra the ioy. six rts. 3 of but eta] ime ear Hoy dal bently >sts. s as Mr. 1cnlt o te d kmilica leriking satATld, leedtube san Its ; periwith no leakage of flour, but no attempt had vet been made to pack hot sihca under normal plant conditions. As compared to the familiar Bates packing machine, the capacity is much lower-, but Mr. Cussev believes the machine might be ideal for the smaller plants and others which do a limited amount of bagging. As far as dust is concerned, there is a good cut off and no leakage and apparently it affords some hope of alleviating the bust problem. Stanton Walker concluded the hist session with a review of foundry sand problems. Mr. Walker added his ob servations on the subject of packing machines, he having been active in the study undei way to improve pack ing practice. He mentioned a machine manufactured in Chicago and also the 4-tube packer developed by Browntown Silica Co. which is now in pro duction. In commenting ori sand research, Mr. Walker said that the Sand Re search Division of the American Foundrymen's Association has not been verv active in recent years. The sand testing handbook is being en larged and revised and will be ready for distribution in six months. A new committee is being organized to con sider core mixtures using binding vesins. Physical properties of high temperature molds are being studied. be grinding and fineness committee has had one meeting in two years and has developed a secondary standard for testing sand. Mr. Walker said that there was much data available in his office on the subject of foundry sands as a re sult of a surprising amount of work that has been done by the association. This work, he said, has resuited in the good specifications that presently pre vail. As a result of recent questions by two industrial sand producers. Mr. Walker has been endeavoring to se cure information on the relative ef ficiencies of steel grinding balls and flint pebbles as used in grinding mills. Steel balls have proved most efficient. According to his finding's, in the portland cement industry the consumption of steel balls is 0.2-0.5 lb. per ton of cement production. For silica, the con sumption would be about I lb. per ton of flour produced. Business Conditions C. M. Hardy, vice-president, pre sided for the second general session which considered the railroad car sit uation, priorities and prices. C. R. Megee, vice-chairman, Car Service Division, Association of Amer ican Railroads, outlined the outlook for railroad cars and suggested ways in which shippers can cooperate to improve the car supply situation. He opened his talk with the statement that production and distribution con stitute a joint problem, and by saying that we can have available in the United States as much of commodities as we can transport. The industrial sand industry, with a current annual production of 12,000,000 tons, requires 200,000 car loads per year but a total of 850.000 carloads per week are currently being loaded by the railroads. Whereas a great number of cars were put in service over a three-year period, there still exists a great de mand for new cars and the principal reason for the current shortage has been lack of materials with which to build them. The need now is for 300,000 cars at a time when 60,000 cars a year are scheduled for retirement. As of April 1, 1951. there were 156,000 cars on order from the carbuilders, of which 60,000 are box ears, and 2400 locomotives. Mr. Megee pledged that the number of unserviceable cars will be reduced sharply. As of April 1, there were 81.000 cars waiting for repairs and 40.000 had been restored to service since August, 1950. The program for newr cars, as set up in October, 1950, calling for 10,000 cars a month over a two-year period has not yet been reached. The rail roads added 8000 new cars in April, 1951, and 9000 were expected in May. Steel is the critical item and the A rthur B. Schlesinger, New Jersey Pul- v e rix in g C o., N ew Y o rk , N . Y. ROCK PRODUCTS. July, 1951 61 SILICA Left: S ta n to n W alker, le ft, ond Lyle T. M anley, Monley Sand Co., R ockton, HI., discuss " s ig n a ls" or so m ething. R ight: Russel) Cronenwertj, Creof Lakes Foundry Sond Co., D etroit, M ich., with Mrs. Cronenweth of picnic disturbing element is that there is a move now to cut the quantity of avail able steel that has been promised. An allocation of 170,000 tons of steel pet month had been provided for car building and that may be reduced. There is also a move now to cut the railroads' MRO quota about one-third. Carbuilders have been lagging on filling orders since the first of the year and the net gains in car owner ship have been slow. Box cars will be the most serious bottleneck in the months ahead and gondolas will be the number two problem. According to Mr. Megee, armament production increases will reflect in heavy car requirements beginning about October, li>51. The shortage of watei shipping facilities is another factor, with some 500 carloads of Minnesota iron ore being shipped daily. Of an estimated 87,000,000 tons of iron ore to be shipped this year from Minnesota, 1,000,000 tons will come by rail. On the other hand, it was pointed out that some industries are cutting production during the transition to war goods manufacture which will re lease some cars immediately. The winter wheat cron urns down so the movement of grain in box cars will not be too serious this year. With 24,000 covered hoppers on hand and 5000 on order, the situation there is an improvement over a year ago. There are some 70,000,000 tons of coal in stockpiles now as compared to 24,000,000 tons a short time ago, which is favorable. It is Mr. Megee's belief that the use of covered hoppers to transport cement for off-shore de fense construction will not prove seri ous because the hauls are short and the turn-around time is quick. Mr. Megee urged that the industry cooperate in order to get most benefit from existing cars. He stressed the need for quicker turn-around time. The average turn-around time was 15 days for the month of April which, if reduced to 14 days, would theoretically mean 100,1100 more available cars. He also suggested that more hoppers be used in preference to gondolas when ever they can be used. Government Restrictions Government regulations and the workings of restrictive measures weie interpreted in detail by executive sec retary V. P. Abeam m an informal discussion with participation by the membership. Speaking on the subject of OPS and price regulation, Mr. Ahearn said that an industry ad visory committee will soon be appoint ed to work closely with OPS. He said that the industrial sand industry must anticipate a roll-back to preKorea prices for its products. The in dustrial sand industry, in its deal ings with OPS, is taking the position that price control is not essential for the industry because of the competi tive natuie of the business but it i6 doubtful that this recommendation will be approved. Mr. Abeam next discussed the problems and pioceduies involved in securing equipment and repair and operating supplies. Ilefense Minerals Admimsti ation is the clearing agency for all mining operations and has undei its jurisdiction the approval and allocations for access roads, hous ing, machinery, expansion program*. MRO items, etc. At present, a priority system order similar to the P-55 order operative during World War H is being formulated and the MF-I00 serial form being issued will serialize plants, covering MRO items and minor capii a1 additions. Empha sis will be on keeping existing plants in operation. Industrial sand producers will se cure a mining priority for MRO items which Mr. Ahearn believes will be a high one. Each plant will have a sep arate serial number although several plants of a companj in the same area and covered by a common bookkeep ing system may be covered by a sin gle serial numbei. The outlook for steel is not good and the demands for direct defense manufacturing are expected to re quire more than 50 percent of the total output beginning in July and L ett: N orm an H. Crissey, W edron Silica Co., C htcogo, Hi. C enter: V ic e-p re sid e n t C. M. H ardy of H ardy Sand Co., Evansville, Ind., le ft, vrith execu tive secretory V. P. A hearn. R ig h t: A couple ot live wires a t th e picnic w ere R alph Lebold, M ichigan Silica Co., Rockwood, M ic h , le tt, ond ArnpM T a m e r, New Jersey Pulverizing Co., New York City * rime us. j industj ; benefit =of ind 1 states-j been 1 and t ' So, h| for ev| cost O: do whj emploi tional : In ! mentS: during said tS tures | still U not y As o enacte sation state g uled ol ing sil n.g p< made , ty or, silicosi bity at S4U came 1 rate o ail ma Svi ;n the eupati appari <3reot a! for npet it is 1at ion i the ed in r and r orals .rene) (1 has ] rovai hous;rams. ; riority j P-56 I War cl the >d will items { impha- ] plants i vili seI items II be a sepseveral ne area nkkeejh : a sin*. >t pood defense, to re* of tire il y an' 4upu?t- Them? will he a u s i n g te m po pf demands for all critical m a t e r i a ls with the result th a t the su pp ly situ ation "'ill become toughei th a n ever known befote Industrial Health Association counsel T h eo d o ie C. Waters, in his an n u al re p o it. covered current developmenls in m atters of industrial health, including an analv, 1 5 of legislation m t io d u c e d in th e various states during the last legis lative year and discussion of indus trial hygiene codes. ]n introducing his subject, Mr Waters pointed out th at industrial hygiene is assum ing new and increas,ng importance each day and t h a t the industry is beginn in g to reap the benefits of the activ ities of b u ie a u s of industrial hvgiene in the v ario u s states. Compensation benefits have been m aterially increased, he said, and the trend is ci n tin u in g u p w a rd . So, he emphasized, d is good b usiness for every employe! to consider the cost of compensation benefits a n d to do whatever can he done to protect employes from injuries a n d occupa tional diseases. In discuss'ng legislative develop ments in w orkm en's com pensation during the ca le n d a r y e a r 1ft51, he said that all hut four s t a te le g isla tures have been in session. Some are still in session and developm ents are rot yet known. As of the end of 1950, 41 s t a te s had enacted occupational disease com pen sation schedules, an d this y e a r th e state of Vermont has enacted a sched uled occupational disease s t a t u t e m a k ing silicosis comnensable. An i n t e r e s t ing point was th a t for all diseases made compensable only to tal d isab ili ty or death receives benefits. For silicosis, there is a lim itatio n of lia bility of g iad uafed benefits b egin n in g at $400 in the fiist m o n th th e act b e came effective and in c re a sin g at the 'ate of $25 per month w ith an oveta'l maximum of $4000. Several bills hare been introduced in the state of Oklahoma to make oc cupational disease compensable ar'd aPpaientlv the committee favored the SILICA adoption of a schedule law including the disease of silicosis with special provisions limiting monetary liabili ty, denying compensation for partial disability and including special limi tations with respect to the time for filing claims. j Despite the opposition of producers, / the silicosis and asbestosis compensaI tion statute effective since January 1, l 1945, was repealed, which makes dust ' diseases compensable without cer tain desired protective features. Among them are limitation of mone tary liability, denial of compensation for partial disability and restrictions limiting the filing of claims. As far as the important state of Pennsylvania is concerned, it was predicted that there would be sub stantial increases in compensation benefits but no changes in the occu pational disease provisions of the act. At present, there are 21 states with special limitations applicable to sili cosis, of which 15 deny compensation for partial disability. In those states, rates are less than half of those in states where partial disability is com pensable. As of January 1, 1951, 24 states provided general coverage for occu pational diseases while IS provided scheduled coverage. With respect to amendments, there has been substan tial increase in benefits with prospect of further increased benefits soon. The result is an increase in compen sation costs with a rise in rates which will become effective next year. With respect to the proposed state occupational health and safety bill of the U. S. Department of Labor, Mr. Waters said that the bill indicates the purpose of state labor depart ments to increase their activities in this field. The draft is being dis tributed to state departments as a guide for legislative action. Mr. Wa ters' criticism is the contemplated as signment of the administration of the bill to state departments of labor rather than state departments of health and that this plan constitutes another field of legislative activity de signed to control and regulate busi ness. Speaking on industrial codes, he said that the code pref by the United States Public Heai Service is being considered by the American Standards Association and will later be submitted to state de partments as a guide to the promul gation of other codes. Mr. Waters said that, according to the National Council on Workmen's Compensation Insurance Rating, the national experience in silicosis claims has continued excellent and that there is a trend developing that will result in further decreased insurance rates as a result. Mr. Waters credited the association with playing an impor tant part in the favorable action. However, increased benefits of 25 to 50 percent are being considered in new legislation covering workmen s compensation insurance rates gener ally. Following this talk, a question was asked with reference to "products liability'' claims which might be made against a producer in the event that an end product, like glass for exam ple, might not be up to standard and the glass manufacturer might at tempt to attach the blame to a de fective sand. Mr. Waters does not be lieve such claims can be justified and he said that insurance companies do not know how to assess premiums for such coverage. It represents a new field of insurance and rates are high. Government Regulations The concluding session, under the chairmanship of Clarence R. Wolf, was divided into an informal round table discussion on government regu lations and other industry problems led by executive secretary V. P. Ahearn, followed by an extemporane ous speech on the Washington scene by Mr. Ahearn. Mr. Ahearn had covered some of the industry problems generally, in the preceding session. He cautioned that serious penalties may be levied in violations of the wage stabilization laws, as drastic as disallowance of the total payroll for income tax puiposes. At present, Mr. Ahearn said that ftt. ttenry Roeser, J r , New Jersey Silico Sand Co., Miltvifle, N. J. U e ftl, c h o ttin g w ith Jam es H. W h rreh ead , W h ite h e a d B ro th e rs C o ., New York I*y, ot picnic. C enter Mr. ond Mrs. W. B. G yger, O tta w a Silico Co., O tto w o , III. R ig h t: W illiam J. W oods, Jr., P en n sy lv an ia Gloss Sand Corp., Pittsburgh, Penn Ileft i, chats with John H. Miller, M ifflin Sond Co., Lewistown, Penn., os Stonton W olker approaches in background ROCK PRODUCTS, July, 1951 63 there is a great fight for power now underway between labor and health agencies in Washington. This battle for power will continue in the states with the result that there will be pressure on the industry, there being great public opinion throughout the country to protect the workers. The industrial sand industry like ly will be exempted from renegotia tion, in which case the industry will be fortunate because renegotiation applies generally to all sub-contracts. Speaking on the subject of con struction limitations, it was mention ed that industrial construction has been placed under licensing for the first time. A license is required if more than 25 tons of steel are needed for such construction even if the nec essary steel is on hand in advance. Acceleiated depreciation is provided foi in DPA regulations based on a 5-year plan. Such amoitizatlon is per missible covering the percentage of production used in actual defense and will be difficult to obtain. The boaid of directors has decided that the association again conduct a wage rate survey similar to the one completed last year. These studies are considered of lahie in negotiations with unions. Mr. Ahearn cautioned that the sixth round of wage in creases is coming, which will put heavy pressure on the industry for pay raises in the face of a growing shortage of available help. He believes that the five percent percentage depletion allowance re cently approved for the industi-y by the House Ways and Means Commit tee has a good chance of approval by Congress although there will be dif ficulty m getting it through the sen ate. Efforts will be continued to se cure the 15 percent allowance orig inally sought. Mr. Ahearn paid trib ute to Charles Brady, Lilesville, N. C., and J. Rutledge Hill, Dallas, Texas, for their fine work in presenting the case for the industry in conjunction with the sand and gravel industry. Procurement of MRO items and capital equipment was discussed but, by the time this report is published, there may be more recent orders that have changed the picture. The industry is subject to regula tion 4 of D.M.A. for M.R.O. items and for minor capital equipment costing less than $750, said Mr. Ahearn. He lecommended that DO-97 forms not he used unless a producer is forced to use them. While quotas for MRO items are limited, on a quarterly basis, to the amount, purchased for the correspond ing quarters in 1950, the trouble is that higher prices have developed at a time when more supplies are needed. If the allotted amount is insufficient, a producer should apply for a greater quota. In the case of major capital equip ment, it was suggested that producers apply directly to H. A. Montag, di- R/t ------------ SILICA ------------ rector, Requirements Division, De fense Minei-als Administration in Washington. Through use of this pro cedure, Mr. Ahearn said that two concerns had been successful in se curing their requirements within three weeks. He did not know of any rejections. It was suggested that a list of customers be attached to such applications and that evidence be of fered that the equipment was unat tainable without a priority, prefer ably by letters secured from manu facturers as proof. As of the time of Mr. Ahearn's talk, rubber goods and bags were no longer covered by DO-97 ratings and must be purchased on the open market or, if unsuccessful, be obtained through use of a special rating. It was pointed out that customers of the industry constitute a "hlue ribbon" list of value in gaining assistance. The industry is under general price controls until a tailored order for the industrial sand industry is written. Such an order may be written specif ically for the industry or covering the nonmetallics group of industries. A committee to be appointed for the purpose will have a great deal of in fluence. The industry is subject to the roll back to pre-Korean prices hut will take the stand that normal competi tion is effective in holding its prices down. The industry will be able to in crease prices to compensate for labor increases up to March 15, 1951. There was much discussion of regu lations governing permissible 10 per cent wage increases over January 15, 1950, figures. The opinion was that the annual total payroll is governing and that wage increases may be dis tributed in any way. If the number of men has increased in a plant since January 15, 1950, application must be made for a proportionate allowance. Vacations and paid holidays, sickness and accident benefits are all charged against the 10 percent wage rate lim itation. If a new job is created, the producer should go ahead and fix a sensible wage rate covering the job. If a raise is due a worker because his status has changed to a more impor tant job, proof of that fact will per mit deviation from the ten percent limitation. Bonuses may be continued, if given before, but they may not be increased more than 10 percent. There was so much interest in the application of wage increases that Mr. Ahearn will put out a special re port on application of the 10 percent rule. In any discussion of wages, re gardless of government regulations, Mr. Ahearn advised that companies continue to bargain in good faith with the unions and not base refusal of wage increases on wage stabilization iemulations exclusively. In commenting on price controls, the general price regulation limits prices to the highest prices customers of the same class paid during the De cember 19, 1950, to January 25 in- period. A company must not buy &n' sell at figures over those base pri-e The prices that govern are the deliv' ered prices, quoted prices governin' if no deliveries were made during base period. Customary price diff e entials must be maintained. Railroad freight increases must be absorbed if a company quotes delivered pricesotherwise prices may be proportion' ately increased. Mr. Ahearn predicted that a series of increases in railroad freight rates is coming. Washington Scene Ladies at the convention were in. vited to hear the concluding talk on the Washington scene, which was an unprepared speech by Mr. Ahearn in which he gave his impressions on a number of matters of interest t0 everyone. At the start, he said that the Wash ington story still is the "great de bate." Appraising this subject, he said that General MacArthur came into the picture at a time when the coun try needed a hero, shortly after the Kefauver committee exposed the de grading side of public officials. The most important result of the Mac Arthur episode is that he stimulated morale, he said, and only time will tell whether his powerful appeal t;> the masses might prove dangerous. General Marshall's answer to Gen eral MacArthur was touched upon, and the risks of war that might be taken should the MacArthur program be undertaken. The popular opinion in Washington is shifting to the Mac Arthur point of view. Secretary of State Aeheson was referred to as being politically indiscreet, but he is not responsible for the removal of MacArthur. He serves as a whipping board for the administration and his resignation has been on President Truman's desk for a long time but will not he accepted. It is Mr. Ahearn's opinion that President Truman will probably be the 1952 presidential candidate for the Democratic party and that Gen eral Eisenhower will not accept nom ination from either party in that event. Senator Taft is believed to fan short of "winning" qualities, Gover nor Dewey symbolizes defeat, Gover nor Warren is on the "liberal" side and it is to be hoped that Genera MacArthur does not run, in the word of Mr. Ahearn. The two most important problem facing the world today are the short ages of natural resources and surplus population. It was pointed out tha the United States is not a self'Ce11 tained nation, having to import irn ore, copper, aluminum, rubber, chromite, manganese, tungsten, ' zinc and lead, etc. Because of t needs, we are committed to a un'. n world and must build an organ 8 of nations with prestige and aut \(uminued un P"Se 1" if H1 EcsW lumi fthe - or 8 inori test ' -th ] is e age abou of rea* wayi futi, poor utili; don In. ; but 1 suite ter, ; poor requi utillj Re causi capa is 1 gene ts ah vailh Tb izatii : th n ^ and th 4 busti ; bighi cond , only : They : trolh f Wi - ant t ell ; hilt [ lion" 5 that fc flame T but t . the h L that ? "big! I's thl ; erate . eomb > fuel i `Art* Industrial Research, State College of Washington, Pullman, in his paper "Dimensional Changes in Unit Ma sonry," outlined the findings of the division during its extensive research into the problem. Pumice aggregate block, while nothing really new, came into widespread use during and im m ediately after World War II. Pumice block have good insulation qualities, can be sawed readily and have good jiailabilitv. Acoustical properties are superior to standard sand and gravel units and fire resistance is excellent. Vast deposits of granular pumice in central Oregon, located close to both rail and highway transportation, offer the concrete masonry industry an abundance of excellent material at reasonable cost. "Cracking" of finish ed pumice block structures has dis couraged builders from making the greatest use possible of the light weight block, however. lTie problem was attacked by mak ing a prolonged study of the rela tionship between moisture and dimen sional change at constant tempera ture. Test walls of standard 8- x 8- x 16-ln. 3-core block, obtained from commercial block plants, were erected with both standard sand and gravel block and pumice aggregate units. For the long term tests the panels were placed in a room equipped with humidity and temperature control equipment. Temperature was main tained at 85 deg. F. and relative hu midity ranged from 20 percent up to near saturation. Dimensional changes in the panels were checked at 12 points in each panel with a 3 5&-in. dial indicator graduated to .001 in. The efficacy of patented wire joint re inforcement materials was also test ed in additional panels. Accelerated tests on single block were run, but on a wet vs. dry basis only. Panels were inspected closely for signs of cracking. First cracking was detected 97 days after the panels were placed in the test room. Cracks that were readily visible during the low humidity cycles disappeared durwg the water spray periods. A few of the largest cracks failed to close once they had formed, however. Dimensiona! changes were found to take place quite rapidly with changes in hu midity, particularly during humidity increases. This was probably due to he comparatively rapid rate of in crease in moisture content as op posed to the slower rate of loss during , , e drying cycle. In the individual ock used in the accelerated tests it was found that approximately 90 perent f the dimensional change oeurred in a few minutes while the ock were heing immersed, th nc^us'ons leached as a result of atm ^es^s indicate that for an equal the S^ er^C humidity change, (1) sin ^>t?rn^ce block have greater dimena n change than the standard gravel afemegate Un]t?' (2 > the !iumice block chan ex^'hit a more rapid rate of ^2) ?b re&tilar units, and he maximum dimension change below the 40 percent block moisture content level for the pumice aggre gate block was 0.750 in. per hundred feet contraction. One interesting fact discovered during the accelerated tests was that the permanent change had apparently all taken place wfithin about 45 days. The use of wire re inforcement laid in the mortar joints provides considerable restraint on the horizontal dimension change of pum ice aggregate panels. Flotation James A. Barr, Jr., research chem ist, Armour & Co., in his talk "Recent Advances in Minerals Benefieiation," revealed how radioactive atoms are now aiding industry. "Tagged" atoms, obtained from the Atomic Energy Commission, are used to trace the paths of various components in flota tion feed. Formerly this was a very difficult task but with radiation de tecting equipment it has become rela tively simple and rapid. Another in teresting feature in flotation research is the occasional accidental discovery of a suitable reagent which works perfectly but for no readily apparent reason. It often requires painstaking "Edisonian" research to discover the reasons why one reagent works while another closely similar one does not. Mr. Barr supplemented his talk with a high-speed motion picture showing the flotation process in action. Minerals Uses At the noon luncheon, held in the Mirror Room of the Portland Hotel, Richard J. Anderson of Battelle Mem orial Institute briefly enumerated some of the newest uses for the im portant industrial minerals. Follow ing this the guests were taken on a Kodachrome tour through the nu merous laboratories of Battelle, an in dustry-sponsored research organiza tion located at Columbus, Ohio. Asbestos With the technical sessions cleared away, delegates relaxed at a cocktail party which blended eventually into the evening banquet. Dr. A. B. Cum mins, research director, Johns-Manville Co., and chairman of the Indus trial Minerals Division of A.I.M.E., gave the principal address of the eve ning on "Asbestos--a General Re view." Dr. Cummins described the various types of commercially used asbestos, emphasizing that the amphibole type of material is steadily assuming a more important place in the industry which has relied largely upon chrysotile fibers in the past. Al though the United States leads the world in the consumption of asbestos it must depend aimegt entirely on ma teria! imported from Canada. The eastern Canadian asbestos deposits extend in a southwesterly belt of con siderable length which stops almost exactly at the U. S. border. The one domestic deposit of any economic im portance in this country is located at the very southernmost top of this belt ROCK PRODUCTS July. 1951 in northern Vermont. A color film which traced the various stages in the processing of asbestos, producer! by Johns-Manville, rounded out Dr. Cum mins' talk. Plant Inspections No conference would be complete without plant tours, so on Saturday 35 rain-repellent delegates visited Smithwick Concrete Products' Haydite plant. The plant features the largest rotary kiln, measuring 100 feet in length by 8 feet in diameter, used in the industry. Fossiliferous shale brought in 40 miles by rail is expand ed to produce lightweight aggregate. At the Mixermobile Manufacturing Co., guests were shown through the large plant where various types of earthmoving and concrete-mixing equipment are manufactured. Of par ticular interest was the radial threecylinder steam engine being built to power a large earthmoving unit. Es timates by the group of the time re quired to "fire-up" the radical de parture from standard motive power ranged from several hours to 10 min., but the designers believe that 40 sec. will be sufficient. Last stop for the day was at the Oswego plant of the Ore gon Portland Cement Co. Raw mate rial is obtained from two sources, widely separated. High grade lime stone is shipped from Lime, Oregon in the eastern part of the state while a low grade limestone is quarried at Dallas in the Willamette valley. Industrial Sand Meeting (Continued from page 64) ity. The opinion was expressed that we should not withdraw from the United Nations but that we would if Red China gains admittance. The world cannot stand another war. In conclusion, Mr. Ahearn said that the most important asset of this country is the individual character of the American people. Entertainment There being some 35 ladies pres ent, a delightful program of enter tainment was provided. A bridge-tea was conducted on the opening after noon and golf tournaments, with ap propriate prizes, were conducted for both men and women. As per custom, cocktail parties and bingo games comprised the evening entertainment and a special feature was a picnic for all in attendance as guests of the as sociation. Cement Plant Expansion A lpha P ortland Cem ent Co ., Easton, Penn., recently announced plans to expand facilities at its Jamesville, N. Y., plant. Plans call for increasing the plant's capacity to 1.000. 000 bbl, of cement annually. MacDonald Engineering Co., Chicago, 111., has been awarded a general con tract for the construction. The new facilities are expected to be in op eration by 1952. on