PLASTICS - Modern Marvel of Science


by John E. Pfeiffer
Science has learned the secret of converting natural gas. milk, acetates, ammonia and waste materials into useful products that enrich our lives. This is the third article of a series revealing their laboratory magic.
THE plastics industry crept up on the United States during panicky depression years. New that things have calmed down, people have time to look around a bit—and everywhere they look, they see hundreds of plastic-made objects. The moldable rivals of metal, lumber, china, and such materials that go into the making of objects for your home and office, are all around you in various forms, including everything from combs to salt shakers. Jewelry using plastics is to be found in Tiffany's as well as Woolworth's. The old-fashioned bar with its wooden surface and brass rail is giving way to stylish bars made with a brilliant array of colored plastics. John D. Rockefeller has plastic-made panels for the bathrooms of one of his homes, and the great ocean liner the Queen Mary uses about $100,000 worth of the new industry's best wares.