SCIENTIST ON TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 152, 24 December 1926, Page 8

SCIENTIST ON TOUR

DR. C. C. FARR IN JAPAN

VALUABLE RESEARCH WORK

SO-V..K HINTS TO NJOW ZEALAND,

It is a remarkable, tiling, and one to bo uoliccd, that many of the "practical" research institutions of Japan arc connected with universities, states Dr. C. Coleridge Parr, D.Sc, of Canterbury College, who represented the New Zealand Institute at the recent Pan-Pacific ■Science Conference at Japan. Homo remarks of Dr. I'arr on the tour and conference were published in "The Post" last evening. Following arc further observations made by him.

"The Iron and Stool Institute," lie says, "is a part ojf the Imperial University at Scndai, and the Aeronautical Institute is part of the Imperial University of: Tokio, whilst the Institute of Physical and Chemical Kesearch is most closely connected with the Tokio Imperial University. This fact becomes more and more imprcHsivc the more of: these institutions ono is able to obtain information about. The Iron and Steel Institute started in a somewhat small way iii 1915 to deal with problems arising out of the war, but its scope lias been rapidly enlarged until in 1924 its staff was increased to about 100 persons, with Professor Hcnda, a man whose reputation has been recognised in Europe for many years, at their head. The research staff consists of twenty gentlemen, all of them of distinction and learning.

"Forty-one questions have been the subjects of investigation since September of last year, of which a few may bo enumerated, though these are picked at random from the list. Some of the forty-one are, for example: (a) The viscosity of molten metals and alloys, (b) comparative investigation of hardness testers, (c) investigation of magnetic sands, (d) the effect of sulphur on iron and steel. The institute publishes its results, or at least some of them, in the science reports of the Tohoku Imperial University in European language, and has thus published in some accessible European language no less than 140 .papers. The knowledge contained in these papers must be a very mine of information for those engaged in metallurgical questions, and it speaks most eloquently for the broadness of the view that the Japanese adopt that they have published these papers in a European language, as indeed they do most of their papers in every institution. In the vast majority of cases the language used in recent years is English. "The regulations with regard to patent rights arising from workdone in tho institute arc well worthy of study, more especially as similar questions will crop up in connection with the Department of Industrial Research which has just been established in -Now Zealand. GEOGRAPHICAL LABORATORY. "The Geographic:.! Laboratory at Beppu. is situated in one of the principal hot springs regions of Japan. Tho work undertaken there consists of researches, amongst others, into changes of level, temperature, hydrogen, chlorin, and iron content, and electrical conductivity of the hot springs waters; micro-seismographs magnifying 50,000 times are to be seen there, and the institution is undoubtedly being, established on a very broad and valuable basis. Indeed it might form a better model upon which to establish our own proposed vulcanological station than the Hawaiian Vulcanological Observatory. The latter, is perhaps more concerned with the activities of a living volcano, .whereas this geo-physical laboratory is iv a region not very unlike Eotorua, although perhaps of rather less activity than Eotorua. I was able to spend an all too short time at the laboratory. Dr. Shida, of the Geophysical Department of the Kioto University, is in charge, and many of the instruments in use in it arc of his own design." FIRST-CLASS MEN. Dr. Parr states that the Tokio University besides teaching its students, or rather perhaps as an aid to teaching its' students, maintains the following institutions: (a) The Tokio Astronomical Observatory; (])) the Earthquake Bosearch Institute; (c) t-hc Aeronautical Beseareh Institute (d) the Institute for Infectious Diseases; (c) the Seismological Institute; (f) the Botanic Garden; and (g) the Marine Biological Station, as well as some others.

Attention was drawn by Dr. Farr to the fact that the staffing of the research branch of tho University is liberal, and the students are older and more mature than ours. He was told that the average age of the students was about 22 years. Such a system, he added, produces first-class men, and, moreover, so restricts the field of study of the professor or teacher that he is enabled to be really an expert in his branch rather than a man nrho perhaps knows something of many branches and known none of them well.