US PAT OFF

NOW

HE fact is well established that sawdust of some kinds is annoying and injurious to those who work about sawmills and other plants where the objectionable woods are used, says Hardwood Record. California laurel-which is not laurel but sassafras-is not widely known, and little of it goes to sawmills; but its reputation for annoyance is well established. The odor from the freshly cut wood produces headache, especially sharp pain over the eyes. The sawdust itself may not be directly concerned. The irritation is caused by oil from the wood, floating in the air, like that from a freshly-cut onion. No permanent harm results, and the unpleasant malady ceases soon after the cause is removed.

Another California and Oregon wood is clearly injurious to persons about sawmills where this wood is cut. Sailors on vessels carrying the lumber are sometimes seriously affected. The wood is the Port Orford cedar, also known as Lawson cypress. It grows in dense forests in the vicinity of

LEAD POISONING AND "IMMUNITY."

It has been shown that habitual users of alcohol are particularly liable to risk from lead poisoning, owing to its effect in weakening the body's resistance. In numerous cases where lead had been absorbed into the system, but where so far there had been no definite symptoms of disease, attacks of poisoning took place after alcoholic excesses. That is to say the resistance of the tissues to the toxic influence of lead was greatly reduced by the introduction of a second irritant.

There are other considerations, such as age, sex, and a low bodily condition arising from causes other than the immoderate use of liquor, but as a general rule the adult workman of good physical condition and abstemious habits acquires a degree of immunity against plumbism after being employed a few years in the trade. If lead compound cannot be dispensed with for leadless substitutes, it behooves the authorities to frame strict regulations in the painting of buildings and coaches.

It is recognized by authorities that risk against lead poisoning can be reduced in the painting trade by the employment of appliances for drawing off the dust given off by dried lead paints, by substituting the "wet" process for the present method of sandpapering and pumice-stoning dry substances, by the frequent washing of all floors and other places likely to harbour dust, and by scrupulous personal cleanliness. Further, it is essential that the workers should be impressed with the necessity for keeping in good bodily condition by a sufficiency of nourishing food and by observing regular and abstemious habits. Chronic alcoholism should be punished by dismissal, which, although drastic, is only in the interests of the worker himself.

A UNIQUE PRIZE CONTEST FOR BOYS.

Prize contests are nothing new. But there is something decidedly new in the prize contest announced by the Smith & Hemenway Co., Inc., of 130 Chambers St., New York, for the largest number of articles and designs made with their "RED DEVIL" Glass Cutters.

When the words "manual training" are mentioned, there rise before the mind's eye the images of things made of wood or metal. Messrs. Smith & Hemenway, after conferring with a number of manual training educators, felt that not enough attention was being paid to the possibilities of glass working. Hence, this prize offer, which deserves the thanks of the educational world and the thanks of parents who want to develop inventiveness and originality of mind as well

as manual skill on the part of the boys. And the boys themselves! Won't they feel proud of their handiwork! Proud of what they have accomplished! Proud of the many useful and beautiful things they can make with glass for mother, father, sister, playmates and-last but not leastthemselves!

The contest closes on May 31, so that enrollments should be sent in promptly.

COLOR-BLINDNESS.

(By W. H. HAMEL.)

There are certain powers possessed in childhood which grow dim or sometimes disappear with matured age until at last but faint traces of them remain. Defective color vision is one of these phenomena not infrequently noted even among skilled painters, some of whom do not believe their mistakes, and cannot be convinced.

The phenomenon of color-blindness is said to be the production of nerve impulses, and this brings up the question as to whether light stimulates the optic terminals by inducing vibrations or by the setting up of a chemical change. Indeed the physical as well as the physiological considerations are extremely difficult.

College tests recently made indicate that the percentage of color-blindness among women is one-half as great as among men. To call various colors without some hesitation is indeed wisdom worth gathering. In the merchant marine and upon the railways life and property are at the mercy of certain colors, and shades that are of the most marked variations. So, turning to that ancient legend, "He who cannot mix, must grind the colors."

"The blast furnace industry in the United States in a given year employed 38,429 wage earners to whom $24,606,530 was paid in wages, according to a bulletin issued by the Bureau of Census. The value of the products was reported as $391,429,283, but the cost of materials (including the large item of fuel cost) was $320,637,889, equal to 81.9 per cent. of the value of products. The processes in the industry are comparatively simple, and the value added by manufacturer is relatively much less than in most other industries."

"Using the formulae, wages plus raw material equal total cost and value minus total cost equal profit, we find a clear profit per wage earner of $1,201.82, and an annual wage of $640.31, and a total product per wage earner of $1,842.13."

This would show, roughly speaking, that the wage earner received about one-third of the value of his product.