THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 151, 29 June 1931, Page 6

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY.

Dr. Marsden's address to the National Dairy Conference on the value o£ scientific research is very much to the point. It is not an exaggeration to say that this country has had to wait for instruction from that hard teacher adversity before it has begun to realise the value of the scientist in industry. All pioneering communities are much the same. Learning is regarded as a luxury; the ideal is tlie "practical" man. At any rate NewZealand has hitherto given little attention to research. There have been feAV openings for University-trained men, especially in private industries, and salaries for the most part have been insufficient to keep this country's best men at home. The delegate who seconded the motion of thanks to Dr. Marsden at New Plymouth said that for thirty years NeAV Zealand had lagged behind the rest of the world in dairying research, and it certainly does seem extraordinary that this very important industry should have had to wait until the opening of Massey College for an adequate central station in which this line of inquiry was pursued. As Dr. Marsden said, this is the most difficult period in the history of the industry, for competition is increasing and the world is threatened with overproduction. In these conditions, high quality and consideration for the needs of customers will win, and New Zealand cannot afford a repetition of the .standardised cht mistake. But, of course, Dr. Marsden's appeal really joes beyond the dairying industry. The complete freedom for research for which he pleads should extend to every department of our industrial life and to our cultural affairs as well. It is encouraging to learn that the Government is putting encouragement of scientific research on its programme, but the G-overnment cannot do everything. It really lies with the community to give brains and special .knowledge their proper place above rule-of-thumb methods.