GROWTH OF N.Z. INDUSTRIES

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26671, 4 March 1952, Page 8

GROWTH OF N.Z. INDUSTRIES

FUTURE NEED SEEN FOR ENGINEERS VIEWS OF VISITING U.S. FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR “In 20 or 30 years you will have a great deal of mass production here and you will need a large number of mechanical and production engineers. I think the universities should prepare for this, particularly in the development of new facilities and new laboratories.” This opinion was expressed yesterday bv Dr. V. L. Streeter, of the Illinois Institute of Technology, who is visiting New Zealand on a Fulbright scholarship and is to spend an academic year at the Canterbury University College School of Engineering. “New Zealand is young in the development of its resources, compared with the United States.” Dr. Streeter said. “The number of work engineers per 1000 workers in United States factories has been increasing steadily and the same thing is bound to occur here when the country develops. This should be prepared for as it takes a long time for a country to produce a large number of technically learned people.

“Forty years ago we had large university enrolments in civil engineering. It was the biggest branch of engineering. It has declined, however, over the years as the country has developed, so that now mechanical, electrical and chemical engineers are being trained in far greater numbers than civil engineers.”

Dr. Streeter, who is an authority on hydraulic engineering, said he was impressed with the hydraulics laboratory at the School of Engineerng. which he visited for the first time yesterday. It was equipped for many more experiments in hydraulics than were United States schools. For instance, he said, it was the first school at which he had seen a Kaplan turbine test stand. He was also impressed by the possibilities for research on river control problems. “I am sure I am going to have a very stimulating year here,” Dr. Streeter added.

Hydro-Electric Projects During his visit Dr. Streeter hopes to be able to see hydro-electric projects. He has himself worked on big dam projects in the United States and wishes to compare methods of design and construction.

“I believe that the proportion of the power developed by hydro-electric in New Zealand is one of the highest in the world,” he said. “Water is only a secondary source of power in the United States, where we have enormous steam plant facilities. There are still many sites left for water power but each year they are becoming less economical, as the best sites have been taken. “When we built the Hoover Dam we were worried about what we would do with the electricity, but we soon found that there was ample demand. I think that will usually be the case; once power is available, there will be the man there to use it.” Dr. Streeter said he also hoped to be able to work on some phase of the development of geothermal steam power in New Zealand. There were many problems to deal with in this type of project, but there was no reason why they should not be overcome. “You have a vast source of energy there and it is just a question of whether you can afford to build the machinery to convert it into electrical energy,” he said.

Dr. Streeter’s work at Canterbury College will include lecturing research and advising graduate research students.