Two factors weigh heavily against the effectiveness of scientific research in industry. One is the
general atmosphere of secrecy in which it is carried out, the other the lack of freedom of the
individual research worker. In so far as any inquiry is a secret one, it naturally limits all those
engaged in carrying it out from effective contact with their fellow scientists either in other
countries or in universities, or even, often enough, in other departments of the same firm. The
degree of secrecy naturally varies considerably. Some of the bigger firms are engaged in researches
which are of such general and fundamental nature that it is a positive advantage to them not to
keep them secret. Yet a great many processes depending on such research are sought for with
complete secrecy until the stage at which patents can be taken out. Even more processes are never
patented at all but kept as secret processes. This applies particularly to chemical industries,
where chance discoveries play a much larger part than they do in physical and mechanical
industries. Sometimes the secrecy goes to such an extent that the whole nature of the research
cannot be mentioned. Many firms, for instance, have great difficulty in obtaining technical or
scientific books from libraries because they are unwilling to have their names entered as having
taken out such and such a book, for fear the agents of other firms should be able to trace
the kind of research they are likely to be undertaking.