NAZI NEGLECT OF SCIENCE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 87, 6 January 1940, Page 18

NAZI NEGLECT OF SCIENCE

Military Degeneration Predicted Sir Thomas Holland, principal and vice-chancellor of Edinburgh University, presiding at the graduation ceremony recently, predicted a degeneration in German military eilieiency as a result of the neglect of scientific research, which, he said, had been evident in that country during the past six years. Sir Thomas, who is a former president of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, said: During the the past six years German universities turned out from their research laboratories a gradually diminishing stream of products. Six or seven years ago no scientific man in the world would have dared to pass over the publications of the research institutes of Germany. Not only were they great: in volume but their quality was of the kind that, led the world. Today those volumes of output from research laboratories have diminished to a small fragment of their former size and the quality of the residue is negligible. One can predict quite clearly from that fact alone that the neglect c.f fundamental truth for its own sake must be followed by degeneration in technical eilieiency. What is less important; possibly, but Immediately important: to everybody in Europe, is that it certainly will be followed by degeneration in military efficiency. It: is now or never for Germany, even from the military point of view.

Referring to a suggestion that Germany might soon save the situation herself, Sir Thomas said it was a very easy thing to destroy a great structure, but it took many years to build another like it. Only the very youngest in that room would live to see the time when German universities would be restored to their old position in the intellectnnl world.