SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 25, 29 January 1918, Page 8

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

!a very serious need

N.Z. INSTITUTE'S ANNUAL

MEETING

HECTOR MEMORIAL PRIZE

AWARD,

Tue annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute was held, in the Dominion Museum uAildings this morning. Professor Beniliam, ' F.R.S. (President), presided, and there were also present Mr. C. A. Ewen, 'Dr. J. Alan Thomson, Mr. B. 0. Aston by the Government), Pro-j , 'fesaor Kirk, and Mr. 6. Hogben (Wel- , S'litjgton Philosophical Society), Professor j i'SiSgar and Professor Thomas (Auckland llusEtute), Dr. Hilgendprf and Mr. Berks ■i (Philosophical Institute of Canterbury), ,JSfr.';.G. M. Thomson, and Mr. E. J. Parr ,{6tas<> Institute), Mr. H. Hill (Hawkes .Bay Philosophical Institute), Dr. L. ■Cockayne (Nelson Institute), Mr. M. A. 1 ''ißlidtt (Manawatu Philosophical Society), and .Dr. P. Marshall (Wanganui Philosophical Society). Dr. C. Chilton(Otago Institute) was granted leave of absence. .^RESEARCH IN 1 PURE SCIENCE. '' *-In addressing the boards the President ■'■'.■ ifiSi'he trusted that steps would be taken •. t(J persuade the Government of the very •serious need for encouraging in every ;;way, and especially by generous finan'eiSu'support, ..the prosecution of scientific 'a-gsjSirch:,, not merely of research as 'applied ito to industry, but also,' and .primarily, of research in pure science.:, It had taken the scientific men 'of Britain over 40 years to convince-the \ British Government of the value of scientific research, for as long ago as 1870 a 'Royal Commission recommended the esLtablishment of a State Council of Science '.presided over by a Minister of Science. \JSb2 Professor Pope-" pointed out in' an (address delivered in October last: If,, 'suitable provision had been made by the 'State for the pursuit of' scientific research, even 20 years ago, we should 'have been spared the horrors of . j tlie present conflict." It was only , !rip\v', as the result' ■ .of the urgent : "appeals of scientific'men in Britain sinco '■itW commencement of the war, that the J British Government' had established a (department of scientific and industrial research with an endowment of '£1,000,000. Since the war began the ! public had awakened to the fact that, all" our present needs in ordinary life v were "the outcome "of discoveries made ; ,lbyi scientific'men in their laboratories,: and several books had been published impressing upon the public thai? much of ,the backwardness in theJ3ritish Empire was due to 1 inadequate recognition, financial and social, of scientific research. 11l New Zealand there was need for a : constant; reminder .of those facts. .The councils' of-the University Colleges must .Bel, uEged".again) arid! again to make proper provision; for carrying on researches ,jh'pure'Science. . Provision must also *be made' for obtaining men to do research. Greater encouragement should be given to graduates to continue their studies in the University Colleges and to ]eirn how to carry out research work. '■' The present Research Scholarships should be held 1 out to graduates so that „ they might encourage those students who were capable of research to continue 'their studies. At the last meeting it • was resolved to urge.the Government to ■ .take immediate steps to form a scientific and technological library. Had anything been done in that direction? ..'.'_ -i ':■ , " .INSTITUTE'S JUBILEE. ,*.'--In its annual report, the Standing Committee stated that this year the Institute completed its fiftieth year of Activity. It recommended that, owing to the war, any recognition of the jubilee be postponed until a more convenient season. A moat important feature in the history of the Institute was the appeal from the Government National Efficiency Board for advice on the relation : i)i, .scientific and industrial research to : national efficiency. On 7th June, 1917, a letter, from the chairman (Mr. W. Ferguson) of the National Efficiency Board was received by the committee, asking its advice and suggesting that the committee should hold a special meeting to conbide^ the subjectl. A special committee was set up to carry out the re/quest, as already reported to Parliament.' The report of the committee was adopted. ' . FINANCIAL POSITION. Some discussion took place regarding the financial position of the Institute) but it was eventually decided to adhere to the levy of 2s 6d per volume towards the costjof the "Transactions." Professor 'Ihomas moved that strong representation be made to the Government for an jnciease of the grant from £500 to £750 The motion • was seconded by Mr. H. Hill, who remarked; on- the fact that the work of the Institute had been carried out during the year by the expenditure of the magnificent sum of £13 10s on clerical assistance. Such a body as the Institute ought to be the body utilised for the* development of the scientific spirit and work of the Dominion. Mr G. M. Thomson said it was not a question of lack of funds on the part «f tho Government, which gave £400,000 to tho Civil servants-which was not asked for.' (Hear, hear.) Tho motion was cained unanimously. . NOTABLE AVORK IN BOTANY. Hie President read -the following letter which he had received from the convener of the Hector Memorial Award Committee (Dr. E. Cockayne) :—"Dear Sir, —The members of the Hector Memorial Award Committee for 1918—Professor C. Chilton, Dr. L. Cockayne, Professor T. H. Easterfield, and Dr. P. Marshall—having carefully considered tho claims of all botanists who, in their opinion, might be entitled.to receive the .Hector Memorial Medal and Prize, have unanimously decided to recommend Mr. T. F. Cheeseman, F.L.S., F.Z.S., s as tho recipient of the Award. This they do on the grounds not only of the great excellence of. Mr. Cheeseman's published researches in New Zealand systematic botany, photogeography, and floral biology, which have been carried on without a break! since the early 'seventies of the last century, but also because of the supreme influence of his work, especially of -his admirable manual of the New Zealand flora upon botanical investigation throughout the Dominion. The report was adopted. Previous holders of the memorial arc: —1912, L. Cockayne, Ph.D., F.L.S., V R S., for researches ;in New Zealand botany; 1913, T. H. Easterfieid, M.A., Ph D., for researches in chemistry; 1914; Elsdon Best, for researches in New Zealand ethnology; 1915, P. Marihall, M.A., D.Sc, F.G.S., for researches in New Zealand geology; 1916, i'Sir Ernest Rutherford, F.R.S., for researches in physics; 1917, Charles Chil'ton, M.A., i>.Sc, for researches in .izoology. !' At this stage tlio Minister of Internal -Affairs (Hon. G. G. W. Russell) attended, and) was welcomed by the president. i MINISTERIAL ADDRESS ■; ; In reply;; the Minister said he hoped ■the time would come when women woulft '•■'be present as members of the Board of 'iGov'errib'rs'of, the Institute: He had not stressed his position as a Minister in connection with the Institute, but I.he had fendeavoured to assist the Institute in ' vAiious ways. The Government had, ajj.

been _ unmindful of the necessity of increasing tho amount to be devoted to science. It was a surprise to him to findy that the annual grant of £500 to the society was only the same as that which was paid in 1868. He hoped the Government would fully realise, the responsibility it owed to science, and he would place before Cabinet a proposal to greatly increase that amount on clearly • defined lines.- (Applause.) He thanked the Publications Committee for its assurance that this year the "Transactions" would be carefully pruned, because only the most necessary work'could be done at the Government Printing Office. The' Minister added that in addition to the vote of £500 there'were further sums totalling £750 for research and other work. BOARD OF SCIENCE. Sneaking generally, the Minister said Cabinet had still before it the Institute's report submitted to the National Efficiency Board, and he believed that it would' enable the establishment of a really effective Board of Science and Industry in New Zealand. As to the financial proposals in that report, be thought a definite sum would be set aside year by year, so that the expenditure would come yearly under the purview of Parliament, and it should, in his opinion, be devoted to providing better equipment for the four University laboratories and also of the Dominion Laboratory. New Zealand had up to the present been in a kind of happy-go-lucky position in 'regard to the income of its inhabitants. They had had gold "rushes," wool, meat, flax, and butter and cheese. To a large extent those industries had not called for science, and he believed that arising out of the war problems we must by means of science strive to exercise all our by-products and to create secondary industries. It ■was necessary to create an industrial population to produce articles which we now had to iimport. HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER. ■ In future, added the Minister, we would be greatly helped by what the Government had done in the production of electric power. New Zealand was pre-eminently fitted for the production of hydro-electric power, and if that force was .harnessed we would not only save coal, but thereby obviate a great deal of industrial trouble. He thought the State should use every endeavour to develop the Dominion's resources in that respect. He also referred to the subject of our fisheries, which contained, he believed, one of the most valuable sources of wealth'in the future. He looked to the help of science in that respect. There was also our phormium, and in this respect he said he was anxious to have a thorough examination and test made of the hill flax that grpws in the centre of the North Island. As an outcome of the war the import to New Zealand of the commoner : classes ; of earthenware had been stopped. In Canterbury works had been started for. the manufacture of such goods, but not much could bo done owing to the absence of expert labour and material. Enquiry should be made into the discovery of suitable clays. We should, also consider' scientifically the' subject of our petroleum fields, and investigate the huge areas of mineral-bearing country which had never been visited by 'a geologist. Again, they should enquire into the so-called "poor-," lands'of the Dominion, and it was applied science which would show the people of New Zealand that there are probably veiy few useless areas in the Dominion. No more important work could be done than that connected with the economic and statistical sides of research, and he hoped that full attention would be paid to that side of the subject. The Government l'ecognises very fully the important part that science must take in the development .of New Zealand, and every recommendation the Institute might make would receive the fullest encouragement not only from himself but from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, and the other members of the Government. (Applause.)