The Development of Optical Industries

Abstract

THE observations of Messrs. Carl Zeiss, of Jena, challenge the article, “The Promotion of Our Optical Industries,” published in NATURE of February 10 last on three points:—(1) They deny what the article asserted, that supremacy in the optical glass industry passed over from this country to Germany, on the grounds that England never held supremacy in this industry. (2) They deny that State subsidies were made continuously to the optical glass industry in Germany from the time of the investigations of Schott and Abbe in 1881 down to the declaration of war in 1914; and they state categorically that, apart from a sum of 3000l. contributed by the Prussian Government in 1883, no State subsidy has ever been paid to the Jena glass factory. (3) They dispute the proposition that “if the British optical instrument industry is to be maintained and to develop so as to turn out products equal, at least, to the best production of other nations, it must not be dependent on foreign sources for the supply of optical glass, but must have an adequate home supply equal, again, at least to the best available anywhere.“