N.Z. Prepares For The Nuclear Future

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28700, 25 September 1958, Page 13

N.Z. Prepares For The Nuclear Future

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, September 24. In preparation for the time when New Zealand may decide nuclear machines are necessary ■ for her development Mr T. A. Rafter, director of the Division of Nuclear Science, of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, is now in England on a four-months tour to gather information for a full report to Dr. W. M. Hamilton, secretary to the department.

This report will subsequently be placed before the Cabinet. Mr Rafter left New Zealand in mid-August and does not return until December 10. So far he has been to Sydney, where at Lucas Heights Atomic Energy Centre he saw a £7 million reactor project being developed under the direction of a New Zealander, Dr. C. Watson Munro; to Bombay, where he saw a swimming pool reactor of a type in which New Zealand may be interested, a large materials testing reactor being built by Indians in co-operation with the Canadians, and where he learned that India was making an all-out effort in the nuclear field and was training 200 students yearly in nuclear studies; and Rome where’’ he saw Italian developments.

Mr Rafter attended the second Atoms-for-Peace Conference in Geneva before going to the conference of 32 Commonwealth scientists in Britain. From London he will go to Norway, Holland, Sweden, and Denmark to study types of reactors and programmes of smaller nuclear institutions which may be applicable to New Zealand. He will also go to the United States where among other places he will visit will be the Boston High Voltage Corporation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In Canada he will see the Chalk river programme. Commenting on the Commonwealth conference which he attended with Dr. Hamilton, Professor D. Walker (Professor oi Physics at Victoria University) Professor N. Parton (Professor oi Chemistry at the University of Otago) and Dr. V. Armstrong (New Zealand senior scientific liaison officer in London), Mr Rafter said: “It was most valuable. We got to know nucleai scientists in other countries, learned of their problems and developments and gained an insight into the planning going on in Australia, Canada and India, all of which have well established projects. “It was most helpful to scientists such as myself from New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana. Ceylon and Pakistan, which have no nuclear programmes as yet ‘Tor countries such as New Sealand the main problem is |o

work out the size oi the programme of power. "Research is relatively reasonable financially since a good programme would not cost more than about £1 million, but a power programme is much more expensive.” Mr Rafter said delegates saw the zeta machines and the programme for thermonuclear research at Harwell, visited a vast power plant under construction at Bradwell, Essex, the Calder Hall reactors and a fast breeder reactor at Dounreay in Scotland which is under the direction of a New Zealander, Dr. R. Hurst. “It was all most helpful and before going to the Continent 1 shall see the only commercial research reactor, the Merlin, at Aldermaston. and learn something of the progress made in the use of radiation in food processing, and plant and animal genetics.” he said. v Mr Rafter’s report to Dr. Hamilton will be ready about December 15 and will be submitted /to the Atomic Energy Committee within a few days.