Historical Articles

A. E. S. News

Detroit Branch has launched an intensive drive for sustaining members.

The immediate reason is the need for more information about water pollution by plating chemicals and the desire to provide funds whereby A. E. S. Research Project No. 10 may be expanded and accelerated. To quote from a letter which is part of the solicitation "package":

"The costs of necessary research, engineering, installations and operations involved are prohibitive to small business and practically .so to the majority of large firms. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that early cooperative effort be made by all concerned to accomplish a solution (of the pollution problem) at lowest possible cost . . . (and) to avoid prosecutions under activation of laws now in effect..."

The aforesaid package, which is being sent to a large number of concerns doing plating, consists of the letter, which includes (1) the names of Branch officials, A. E.S. Executive Board and Research Committee members, and Detroit Branch Research Committee members, with their company affiliations, (2) a list of sustaining members, and (3) excerpts from testimonials to the importance of the undertaking by the Department of Public Works of the City of Detroit and by many prominent companies; a copy of Standards and Regulations Controlling the Discharge of Industrial or Commercial Type Wastes into the Detroit Sewage Systems; a copy of the Facts about the American Electro-platers Society; a statement about the A. E. S. Research Program and lists of Research Projects and Research Reports.

The recipients of the package are then contacted personally by sales representatives of the important supply houses operating in the Detroit area, the names of which are also listed in the letter.

The Detroit campaign is headed by W. B. Knight of Knight Plating Company, 3143 Bellevue Avenue, Detroit 7, Mich., Chairman of the Detroit Branch Research Committee and representative of the A. E. S. Research Finance Subcommittee. Other members of the Detroit Committee include R. M. Shock, Secretary of The Plating Institute; C. E. Heussner of Chrysler Corporation, J. L. McCloud of Ford Motor Company, W. M. Phillips and C. F. Nixon of General Motors Corporation, W. L. Piuner of Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, A. D. Wagner of Hudsou Motor Car Company, and F. E. Olinstead of Packard Motor Car Co.

A National campaign patterned after the Detroit campaign is also being organized. It is intended to begin in certain key Branches and gradually expand the effort to other Branches.