Technikatörténeti szemle 22. (1996)

Papers from the Second International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Eger, Hungary, 16–19 August, 1995) - Vámos, Éva Katalin: Contributions to the History of the Association of Hungarian Chemical Industrials

factories and of the significant increase of capital at industrial companies, both in the year 1917, bear witness to war prosperity. Amidst the war-related news of Volume 1918 there are, from time to time flashes of hope that soon there would be peace. This was indicated by the news about the creation of a Hungaro-Rumanian Petroleum Share Company with its seat in Budapest, in order to exploit the Rumanian petroleum sites as well as a reader's letter dealing with the prevention of increasing alcoholism to be expected on demobilization. In issue 11 -12 of the same volume we can read about the subscription to war loan No. 8. In issue 21-22 the fate of Hungarian chemists after the war was dealt with: as a measure against the unemployment to be expected stopping of the employment of Austrian, Czech, Croatian, etc. chemists is being considered as well as preventing chemists working in offices from taking jobs in the industry. Some factories of the war industry ceased working, e.g., the manufacture of glycerol from sugar had stopped production. The question of what should become of the gun-powder factories in Magyaróvár, was raised. A report can be read on the demilitarization of the German chemical industry. Entirely different in tone is the last, incomplete Volume 1919 of the gazette. In his inaugural announcement the new editor-in-chief, Ignác Pfeifer, writes about the "socialisation" of the plants. Another article raises the question, whether there would be a need of a fertilizer monopoly and of state-owned fertilizer manufacture in Hungary. The question was dealt with by the section of chemical engineers of the Hungarian Association of Engineers and Architects (Magyar Mérnök- és Építészegylet) on December 27, 1918 and the section did not speak in favour of either. Among the "Official announcements" we can read of the employers' protection of interests. This was a new feature activity the Association was compelled to deal with as the Federation of Chemical Workers came forward with.ever more "impossible" claims. Several articles deal with the production carried on on the occupied territories and with the production losses due to the occupation, respectively: the Oil and Fat Commission stated that on the occupied territories management was better, at the same time, owing to the occupation of Transylvania the soda and caustic soda supply of the industry got into a difficult position. The possibilities of corn oil production were not promising either as the only factory was in Nagybecskerek, under Serbian rule and there was the crop land, too. The calcium cyanamide factory in Dicsőszentmárton had fallen into the hands of the Roumanians, however, the Hungarians had stopped its production earlier and the workers had scattered away. In the last issue (No. 3-4) Gyula Halmi raised the question of what the future of the chemical industry would be like in maimed Hungary.