IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED.
This British joint stock company, which has an authorized share capital of f65,000,000, came into being through a discussion on board the "Aquitania" in Oct. 1926 between Sir Alfred Mond and Sir Harry McGowan, the chairmen respectively of Brunner Mond and Co., Ltd., and Nobel Industries, Ltd. A merger of the British chemical and allied industries within two months was the result. A brief account follows of the participating companies and their productions.
Brunner Mond and Co., Ltd.—The history of this group dates back to the partnership of John Brunner and Ludwig Mond in 1872 to manufacture alkali by the Solvay ammonia soda process. The small works begun at Winnington in 18i4 made such progress that a company was formed in 1881 whose capital had been in creased from time to time until (1926) it stood at £15,000,000. In 1924 the output was 32 times that of 1881.
United Alkali Co., Ltd.—The alkali industry was established in Great Britain in 1823. Its founder, James Muspratt, seized the opportunity afforded by the repeal of the salt tax to exploit the chemical process invented by the French scientist, Nicolas Le Blanc. After 1875 the production of alkali exceeded the world demand, and prices fell. This coupled with the introduction of the ammonia soda process by Brunner Mond in 1881 caused all the older works to close down. It was out of the situation so created that the United Alkali company was formed in 1890 by the chief Le Blanc process manufacturers.
British Dyestuffs Corporation, Ltd.—The synthetic dyestuffs in dustry in Britain had its origin in the discovery of aniline mauve by W. H. Perkin in 1856, but through lack of research in the United Kingdom the potentialities of the discovery were not realized, and Germany developed it into one of the greatest under takings in the world. In the United Kingdom the industry was kept alive with varying degrees of vigour by Levinstein, Read Holliday and company and Claus and company. Through Claus and company the British Dyestuffs corporation can trace its de scent from Brooke, Simpson and Spiller, who bought, in 1874, the firm of Perkin and sons, the first synthetic dyestuffs manufac turers.
Read Holliday and company of Huddersfield were founded as chemical manufacturers in 183o, and in 186o they began to manu facture intermediate products and dyes. Levinstein (founded in 1865 by Ivan Levinstein) and Read Holliday and company at the outbreak of the war were manufacturing a number of dyestuffs from raw materials and many others from intermediates purchased abroad. In 1917 Levinstein, Ltd., took over the indigo works at Ellesmere Port built by Messrs. Meister, Lucius and Bruning, and synthetic indigo is produced there on a large scale. Levin stein, Ltd., purchased Claus and company in 1917. Read Holliday and company had been reorganized with Government assistance, and given the name of British Dyes, Ltd., in 1915. In 1918 Brit ish Dyes amalgamated with Levinstein under the style of the Brit ish Dyestuffs corporation. A controlling interest was purchased in Scottish Dyes, Ltd., by the British Dyestuffs corporation in 1926.
Nobel Industries, Limited.—This company was a fusion of the principal British makers of explosives, blackpowder, safety-fuses, ammunition and germane products ; it takes its name from Alfred Nobel, pioneer of the high explosives industry. The sales of high explosives in Great Britain alone have risen from 255 tons per annum about 3o years ago to about 15,00o tons annually for in dustrial purposes. (L. C. M.)