Refresher Leave In Tulip Time

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30998, 2 March 1966, Page 16

Refresher Leave In Tulip Time

l ew, if any, staff of the University of Canterbury have spent refresher leave in Holland. Dr. T. J. Seed, senior lecturer in physics, spent six months at the University of Leiden because it was there that helium was first liquefied, permitting research at very low temperatures—in the region of minus 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dr. Seen has been using these methods to study the magnetic properties of solids at very low temperatures in Canterbury. He found Holland a stimulating place in which to work and a fine place in which to live.

“I went with some trepidation,” he said, “because 1 knew no Dutch and I did not know anyone in Holland. I was relieved to find many people spoke English and was told that whenever I was in trouble: ‘Ask any schoolboy.' The reason for this was that Dutch, English, French and German are compulsory in schools and the keen types add Latin, Greek and another language as well.” Leiden was a very international university with members from as far afield as America and Jordan, but he had most sympathy for a Turk who often had to have Dutch translated into English and then to Turkish because there was no Dutch-Turkish dictionary.

Living in the bulb-growing area, Dr. Seed said he saw the glory of tulip time, he revelled in wonderful art galleries. and much else to be seen in short compass. “Holland is about the size of Canterbury with a population of 13,000,000.” he said. Authority Liberal

Dr. Seed found Dutch authority “extremely liberal” while the population was “extremely conservative.” This was confusing at first. Relatively few rules were made but these were strictly obeyed. After restrictions of all kinds in New Zealand, many of

them skirted, this was a complete change. Dr. Seed said the transport system—trains and buses—was "superb and cheap.” train travel costing about lid a mile compared with about 5d in Britain. Television was also “superb” chiefly, Dr. Seed thought, because hours were restricted to 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. This meant that alternative programmes were both highly-selective with no “rubbish.” Material was drawn from all over Europe and overseas, the Eurovision network was used with discretion, and satellite transmission gave world new pictures simultaneously or within hours of the event.

University research in Holland differed from anything Dr. Seed had ever heard of. “It is based on a team of master, journeyman and apprentice,” he said, “so that brand-new students, those of five years experience, and masters in scientific fields use the same equipment, often on the same problem, and at the same time.

“This has handicaps in what we call ‘getting on with our own work,’ in our New Zealand scheme of a one or twoman team, but the extra manpower certainly gets things done and life seems leisurely." Dr. Seed spent the other six months of his leave also on low-temperature work at the Clarendon Laboratory of Oxford University, the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell, and the Royal Radar Establishment at Malvern.