TOO MANY COOKS?

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 31, 7 February 1927, Page 10

TOO MANY COOKS?

RESEARCH COUNCILS GALORE

(By "Libra.")

Quito a distinctly Gilbertian situation has arisen in connection -with scientific and industrial research in New Zealand. At considerable cost to the country, the services of Sir Frank Heath wore obtained, and in his report he emphasised the need for the prevention of overlapping in all research work, stressing the importance of co-ordination. He further advocat-' ed the establishment of a council of scientific and industrial research, and this has been done, the council being already at work on a very comprehensivo programme.

Now, for many years, there has been a body of scientists and others called the New Zealand Institute. They have had many kind and unkind things said about them, and have been criticised, rightly or wrongly, as a body of armchair scientists. Individually the Institute's members are splendid workers in their own particular lines, but surely bounds were overstepped when the professors of the various " —ologies" met in solemn conclave a few days ago and said: "We ought to be the National Research Council for New Zealand; let us be the advisors of the Government and of the Scientific and Industrial Research Council. And, so that we may all have a finger in the pie, we will limit our numbers on the National Council to only 40!" In other words, the New Zealand Institute seems to want calmly to usurp the functions of the newly-constituted Council of Scientific Research and to make themselves the Supreme Council of Research.

Was it unconscious humour on the part of the Institute to decide to submit their scheme for the approval of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and to ask for the Government's kindly consideration, plus financial support? If Charles the First had been asked to sign the warrant for his own execution, would he have done it? It takes no prophet to anticipate that at the Instituo's next meeting two letters will be amongst the inward correspondence. One will lie from the Government and the other will be from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research; each will be couched in different terms, 110 doubt, but the essence of each will be, in vulgar parlance, "nothing doing, thank you all the same."