SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY IN INDUSTRY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14639, 7 April 1948, Page 5

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY IN INDUSTRY

ESSENTIAL FOR . PROGRESS Views Of British Scientist Part In Research On Radar “I am convinced that unless industrial concerns build up within themselves a nucleus of scientific activity they will be unable to take a place in progressive industry.” This is how Sir Clifford Paterson, the noted British scientist, who arrived in Wellington recently, summarised a discourse on the essential relationships of science with industry today. The application of science to industry has been a close interest in Sir Clifford’s association with the National Psychical Laboratory in Britain and in his career as director of the research laboratories of the General Electric C 0.,, Ltd., of England. In this latter position, a scientific staff and scientific equipment in industry had been—and still were—being built up with his aid, to help various electrical manufacturing industries to define their problems technically, he said. These aids were giving the industries scientific service in improving processes and products. Practical Products

Speaking of industrial laboratories, Sir Clifford said that such institutions must be prepared to devote their full consideration to facilities for development work in order to prove that -when the results of certain researches were applied to industry, the products were practical and worth while. Among the staff of 1200 at his laboratory at Wembley, in England, Sir Clifford has between 300 and 400 men with special scientific knowledge or qualifications. One of the functions of Sir Clifford’s laboratory was to carry out the long-distance researches which resulted in the change of certain electrical practices. The latter, and several other tasks, were successful, he said. The results of these tasks include fluorescent lamns for ulitility purposes, high-intensity discharge lamps for street lighting, radar on extremely short-wave lengths, wide-band short-wave radio, and link transmission for television. In Sir Clifford’s opinion no projects had tended to revolutionise the existing practices of science as television had done. Research On Radar The first effort of- research into radar during the last war was started by the investigation into and development of special radar valves required for short-wave operation, said Sir Clifford, speaking of his work as a radar research scientist. He was knighted for this work. This led the experts, continued Sir Clifford, to work on complete short-wave radar equipment* Pioneer work was carried out on this project by Sir Clifford and his fellow-research workers, in conjunction with British and American scientific establishments.

Informed that the generation of electricity by thermal steam was to be investigated in New Zealand, Sir Clifford said that although this aspect of the generation of electricity was new to him, it was always economic "to harness any form of natural energy in this respect.