THE PRICE OF RADIUM

Evening Star, Issue 20252, 13 August 1929, Page 14

THE PRICE OF RADIUM

Js tho price of £IO,OOO charged for a gramme of radium justified? Professor Lhidemann, who is professor ol experimental philosophy at Oxford, and one of the leading physicists of the country, has expressed in a letter to the ‘Daily Telegraph' the view that it is so exorbitant, as to demand an explanation. Radium experts in this country do not support the complaint of excessive charges, and Captain Chapman, secretary of the British Empire Cancer Campaign, made tho following statement in reply to inquiries by a representative of the ‘ Observer ’ : “ The international conference on cancer by the British Empire Cancer Campaign last July was,” he said, “instrumental in greatly advancing interest in the national movement for radium for the treatment of cancer, and indirectly in tho national radium fund. “ L am satisfied that the Radio Beige, 1 of Belgium—namely, that part of the Plant Katanga Company who market radium, are actuated by a desire to supply radium at a reasonable profit. “Tho British Empire Cancer Campaign have amongst many others received majiy kindnesses from the Radio Beige, who for many years past have frequently loaned quantities of radium for research purposes, without making any charge whatsoever. “ The Committee of Civil Research, who were charged by the Government to investigate world supplies, have given figures in their report showing that the profit at £11,500 per gramme is roughly 20 per cent. “I am inclined to think that if tho responsible authorities approached tho Radio Beige, or their accredited agent in this country, in a spirit of appreciation for their generous actions in the past, and with an honest desire to deprecate irresponsible criticism made on erroneous data as to cost, they would stand every chance of securing radium at a fair trade profit.”