COMMENTS ON NEW ZEALAND'S PROGRESS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 101, 26 October 1925, Page 8

COMMENTS ON NEW ZEALAND'S PROGRESS

ASSISTANCE OF SCIENCE TO

MANUFACTURERS

INTERVIEW WITH SIR ERNEST

BUTHEKFOBD,

Sir Ernest ... Rutherford, 0.M., F.R.S., the distinguished scientist, and Lady Rutherford ar-

rived in Wellington this morning by the Limited express. The visitors were met and welcomed at the Thorndon station by Messrs. A. C. Gifford (president of tho Wellington Philosophical Society), P. Marshall (president of the New Zealand Institute), Dr. E. Marsdeu (Assistant Director of Education), and Professor D. C. H. Elorauce (Professor of Physics, Victoria College). During their j brief stay in Wellington, Sir Ernest and Lady Eutherford will bo the guests of Professor and Mrs. ITlorj ance. ■ Sir Ernest Eutherford and Lady Rutherford arc both New Zoalaudcrs. Sir Ernest has just completed a visit to his father and mother at New Plymouth, and to his brothers and sisters ia other parts of the North Island. The last week he has spout with his brother at Hamilton and with ' several relatives in that district.

For the past six years Sir Ernest has been' director of the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University, Cambridge.

That university has now nearly 5000 students, in addition to having 450 .students taking courses, in physics, and lias 40 scientists, representatives of many European countries, making original investigations there. The Cavendish Laboratory has played an important part in the development of research in physical'science during the past fifty years. ATTEMPTED SOLUTION OF A I MYSTERY To discover the structure of the atom has engaged the attention of scientists for many years. With the solution of this mystery, the name of Sir Ernest Rutherford has been associated for some years. In reply to a question by a "Post" representative to-day as to the importance of this branch of scientific research, and how its value could be made understandable to the non-scien-tific member, of the community, Sir Ernest Rutherford said that all matter is composed of atoms and the properties of matter in turn depend upon the structure of the atom. It was now generally believed that the atom was an entirely electrical structure consisting of positive and negative electric units, and it had been the object of research in physics during the past 30 years to find how tho atom was built up and how one atom . differed from another. Before- we could understand the possibilities of matter it was essential that' we should know the structure of the atom and have- a clear grasp of its functions. "When we consider what an exceedingly small body the atom is, it may seem only of academic. interest to investigate and find opt its actual structure," Sir Ernest said. "But when we consider," he added, "that the whole inorganic world is made by these atoms it is obvious that we can have no clear' conception of the work of nature* until we know more about tho structure of these units.

"Experience has demonstrated in a thousand ways that every increase in tho knowledge of tho constitution of matter has always resulted, sooner or later, in practical ■• developments which are of service to man. For example, the electron was discovered by scientific men who were investigating the problem of electricity through gases, and they then had no idea of the practical utility of their discovery. As wo now know, however, the whole question of the transmission and reception of wireless waves depends on the utilisation of such electrons and a complete knowledge of the problems. The whole material development of each country has been largely the result of such pure science _ investigations, undertaken in university and other laboratories mainly with the idea of adding to our knowledge, and not with the aim of achieving practical results. Thus it was that Faraday made the discoveries which have led to the employment of electrical machinery worth millions of pounds."