“Shallow’’Attitude To Research

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31763, 21 August 1968, Page 12

“Shallow’’Attitude To Research

The order of priority of agricultural research was influenced too much by ability to earn or save overseas funds when the concent should rather be with stimulating overseas trade, Dr H. C Smith said yesterday.

Dr Smith, director of the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, was giving his presidential address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science.

“The first question asked in deciding the relative national importance of projects is, ‘Why should they be done?' ” Dr Smith said. The simple answer usually given to this question about an agricultural research project is that it will save or earn overseas funds.

“I think that this answer Indicates a fairly shallow attitude of mind. Overseas funds have a disproportionate value in New Zealand at present—largely due, I think, *o past Government policies of favouring those blest with overseas funds with monopoly rights to new motor-cars. /

“The true answer to our question should be that the project is important because it will stimulate overseas trade. The emphasis on overseas funds has made us too interested in our own selfish interests rather than in the needs and wishes of overseas countries and the requirements of export markets. New Zealanders in all industries must become more interested in overseas countries and overseas trade and thus learn how to make a vigorous effort to produce commodities that other countries want. I am sure we have many lessons to learn from the Japanese in this regard. . , .

“Population pressure is and self-satisfied with past something remote from New achievements in agricultural Zealand at present, but we science. As a nation we canshould recognise that it is an not afford to be complacent i urgent world problem and we and our research effort must have international obliga- double in size and efficiency tions. New Zealand has be- to retain and expand our excome a little too complacent port markets.”

Asked to define the difference between overseas funds and overseas trade, Dr Smith said that the term overseas funds had a political significance in that there had been an unfair allocation of these funds to certain persons.