EMPIRE RESEARCH.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 72, 26 March 1928, Page 8

EMPIRE RESEARCH.

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

MATTERS.

MR. G. A. JULIUS RETURNS,

LINKING UP WITH OVERSEAS

It is necessary for the Empire generally to co-operate and co-ordinate in scientific and industrial research work so as to make the best possible use of the small number of men available," said Mr. G. A. Julius, head of the Commonwealth Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, who is a through passenger by the Aorangi to Sydney. "There is a great need for this co-operation especially in order that the younger men shoufcl be pushed forward," he continued. "We have 14 of our young men away at present studying, and it is our endeavour to secure as many good men from overseas as possible. The Commonwealth Government is giving us | every assistance in research work, and I this has been made clear by the fact | that a sum of £750,000 has been put aside during the past 18 months."

Mr. Julius is a son of Archbishop Julius, ex-Primate of New Zealand, and is a graduate of the New Zealand and Sydney Universities. He left here in 1895 and went to West Australia, where he spent eleven years. The next 20 years he spent in Sydney, and last visited his birthplace in 1914. Whilst he was away Mr. Julius represented Australia at the Imperial Agricultural Research Conference in London, and also at the International Wireless Conference at Washington. There were 300 delegates at the former conference, including Dr. C. J. Reakes, Director-General of Agriculture in New Zealand. The purpose which the conference had achieved was to arrive at a common plan of action in carrying out co-ordinate research in Great Britain and the Dominions. It was intended to establish Imperial bureaux in Britain working in close touch with institutions overseas. Research into cold storage problems was already in progress in Cambridge under Sir William Hardy.

Canada, according to Mr. Julius, had entered readily into the scheme. Still, it was obvious that her eyes were turned towards the United States, which country possessed nearly every facility for research with also abundant money.

In view of the proposition of obtaining! the best men possible to educate the younger ones whije in Canada, Mr. Julius secured for Australia Mr. Slagg, thief tobacco expert to the Department of Agriculture, and Professor Dickson, pjpofessor of plant pathology at Macdoruild University. ' 1

Mr. Julius paid a high tribute to the Americans, who had been most generous offering to show him anything, to give him literature and to place literature at his disposal whilst he was there. The visitor also mentioned that Dr. Tillyard, who had been obtained from New Zealand for the post of Commonwealth entomoligist, would continue to work for both countries, including research, which he was carrying on under subsidy from the Empire marketing scheme.

"It is obvious that a great deal of time, men, equipment, money and effort could be saved by concentrating research and avoiding duplication," ""said Mr. Julius. "There should be no need for New Zealand and Australia to carry on research into the same problems. There should be joint research work between the two rountries."