THE “TINTOMETER"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23637, 22 October 1938, Page 17

THE “TINTOMETER"

MACHINE TO MEASURE COLOURS (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mall) j-r LONDON, Sept. 26. A machine which, by infinitely;delicate degrees in colour, can show.-; whether a glass of milk has been" properly pasteurised, detect the. presence or absence of vitamin A l ' m foods and oils, detect copper con-;'* lamination in lipstick, and measure’., the precise standard of colour in,, 1 , face powders, was one of the most interesting exhibits of this year’s;' Chemists’ Exhibition. It is known/ - as a “ tintometer.” Other interesting developments*'; shown were rat biscuits, which kill / rats and mice but do not poison cats*; or dogs, moth balls with a pleasant * perfume. j\ The chemists’ influence on future-; developments was referred to when , Dr V. E. Yarsley addressed the So-’ J ciety of Chemical Industry in Glas-;’ gow. He forecast the near advent-'; of the “plastic age,” with plastic; materials increasingly ing wood, metals, and glass as a" means of construction. / “Plastics made possible the kine- • matograph industry,” he stated,-';’ “and brought the possibility of re-' * laxation into many drab lives. It £ bids fair to bring many hitherto 1 ’ luxuries within the range of th<i; humblest citizen.” •i, In home and factory, he suggested* synthetic plastic materials in standard sections would soon be as familiar to the “ handyman ” as are the. plank of wood and metal board to<--, day. Still more remarkable was-; the help which plastics were giving;"' the engineer in saving weight in./, aeroplane design. “In one or otjier of its many ;, modifications,” said Dr “laminated and-reinforced material-; is used for decorative and construe- - tional purposes, production of high,’duty wheels, gears, and bearingsj : ’ and for air screws, struts, and con?-j» structional parts in aircraft wheremaximum strength is required com-*-#-bined with minimum weight. “The full development of these materials,” he added, “bids fair to revolutionise aircraft and autorno-' „ bile construction within the next'*"; few years.” jf * ; '