CHEMICAL RESEARCH

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 23, 28 January 1928, Page 8

CHEMICAL RESEARCH

IMPORTANCE STRESSED . ITS ECONOMIC VALUE A dinner in connection with the first annual conference of the New Zealand section of the Institute of Chemistry of Groat Britain and Ireland, a body formed locally about twelve months ago, was held at Gamble and Creed's rooms last evening. There was a representative gathering of guests, including the Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup), the Hon. K. A. Wright (representing the Government), Dr. H. B. Gibbs (representing the medical profession),, Mr. G. Hart (City Engineer, representing the engineering profession), Mr. F. Castle (representing the pharmaceutical profession), Air. F. J. Burton (representing the Manufacturers' Association), Professor T. A. Hunter (representing the University of New Zealand), and Mr. B. C. Aston (representing the New Zealand Institute). The chairman (Prof essor'T. H. Easterfleld) presided. Several apologies were received for inability to bo present, including one from the Prime Minister (the Eight Hon. J. G. Coates). IMPORTANCE OF CHEMISTRY. After the loyal toast, an address was delivered by the chairman (Professor Easteriield), who stressed the importance of fostering chemistry, and said there was a tendency before the war to sneer at its importance. Undoubtedly that tendency had been shown in Great Britain. Now the attitude was different. The chemist should be well educated all round, and the more allround his education the more likely was he to impress upon the public the importance of chemistry to the community. He referred to the great work the Swiss people had done in chemistry, and said that in proportion to total population, Switzerland had a larger number of highly-skilled chemists than any other country in the world. That was remarkable, considering that she was such a small country. No other country was producing so much, or doing so much, in the science of chemistry. "I want New Zealand," said Professor Easterfleld, "to be as much to the fore as Switzerland, and I would like to see every chemist make his mark in the community as a man who really does things." ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES. He went on to speak of the great possibilities of the application of chemical research to flax production, and remarked that the New Zealander did not seem to realise what there was in it. If scientific investigation had been given to flax in the past as it should have been, our exports would now be at least ten times as great as they were. In Lancashire they were attempting to make a material resembling wool from New Zealand flax, and he would like to think that that advance was the result of experiments conducted by New Zealanders. Nevertheless", it was very satisfactory to know that such work was being attempted, and he hoped it would be successful, for it held enormous possibilities. That was only one subject in which chemical" research was capable of producing great value. Much had already been done, and was still being done, for the advancement of primary production, and he expressed the hope that Mr.B. C. Aston's experiments in overcoming bush sickness would produce good results. Many people believed a chemist was a man who sold face creams, and it was rather extraordinary that the New Zealand legislation prescribed that a man could not call himself a chemist unless he was registered as a pharmacist. Chemical knowledge should be disseminated through the whole community, but in a healthy way and not by cramming. . In conclusion, Professor _ Easterfield gave some personal reminiscences of great chemists he had met. ' PABLIAMENT In proposing the toast of "Parliament," Mr. T. A. Glendinning said it might be claimed that in New Zealand, at any rate, Parliament had retained its' dignity. Nevertheless it was said Parliament had become very tedious, very loquacious, and very argumentative, ' and consequently very wasteful of time., But one might ask, "How prevent it?" The whole question was a very difficult one. All must be impressed with the time given, and sacrifices made by members of Parliament in the interests of the community. INTEREST IN POLITICS. Speaking in humorous vein, the Minister of Education, (the Hon. B. A. Wright), in responding, expressed thanks for the sympathy with which the toast had been proposed. Mr. Glendinning seemed to thoroughly understand the position. The people of New Zealand, he said, seemed to have been educated to believe that Parliament could do something for them in any circumstances, and that legislation was the panacea for all evils. The Government was generally held responsible and in many things it had to take the responsibility, especially when it had a large majority. Too often, Parliament was expected to act in order to carry the country through bad times. People forgot that bad times were largely due to economic factors, and that it was not always possible to legislate against them; no legislation could prevent market fluctuations. People would continue to blame the Government until generally they took a keener interest in the political situation. Too many people became interested in politics only at election time. Democracy and Parliament would fail if the state of indifference was allowed to permeate society to such an extent that no interest at all was taken in politics. Mr. Wright related some humorous experiences of election campaigns, and he endorsed Mr. Glendinning's remark concerning the dignity of the New Zealand Parliament and paid a tribute to the ability of the present Speaker of the House of Eepresentatives. He doubted if there was a finer Speaker in the Empire or in the world. In regard to the attitude of Parliament to research work, he said, that members of the Legislature were fully alive to what could be done by the chemist, and to the importance of the work of chemistry from the point of view of helping the Dominion as a whole. It was true that the general public did not know what the chemists were doing," and he suggested that greater publicity should be given to research discoveries. He felt sure that the Press would readily assist, and that the people, once they understood the value of the work, would be chemists' hearty supporters. In conclusion, Mr. Wright spoke of the good results achieved by the Cawthron Institute in regard to the woolly aphis, and said he felt sure that Parliament would do its best to assist the chemist in any way it could. The toast of "The Guests" was proposed by Mr. B. C. Aston, and replied to by the Mayor and Professor T. Hunter.