FARM AND RESEARCH

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 122, 20 November 1930, Page 28

FARM AND RESEARCH

EMPIRE COUNCIL'S. REPORT

<From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 3rd October. Last year eight Imperial Agricultural Bureaus were set up under the control o£ '■an. executive council, representing the Home Country, the Dominions, Ipdia, and the Colonial Empire. ■ The chairman of the executive council is Sir Robert Greig, M.C., LL.D., and! New-Zealand is- represented, by ■Mtr..Nevill L. Wright. Vln-the first report of the council, just published, it is recalled that the Imp rerial Agricultural Eesearch Conference-i of 1927.,recommendcd the establishment of clearing stations' for information in- eight branches of agricultural science—soil science, animal nutrition, .animal health, animal genetics, animal parasitology, plant genetics (for all crops other than herbage plants), plant genetics (for herbage plants), and fruit production. In all cases except that of the Bureau of Animal Health, the conference indicated tho Eesearch Institute x at which'these various "clearing •stations" coulcl,-in-its opinion, be advantageously ' located. The functions of a station • were to collect, collate, and disseminate among research workers in the Empire information of a scientific and technical character; to reply to inquiries on scientific and technical problems from agricultural departments and, scientific workers in any part of the Empire; and particularly to facilitate • intercourse ■ among groups of workers on closely allied problems. It was proposed that fuuds for establishing and developing these new Imperial Bureaux and correspondence centres should be contributed by tho Governments of the Empire, and that they should be administered by "an authority representative of tiie contributing Governments." ■The proposal met with general-ae--s^&lnce subject to satisfactory financial and administrative arrangements

being r evolved. • Accordingly,; His Majesty's- Governments- in the United '■Kingdom,' Canada, the Commonwealth of: Australia, New_ Zealand, the UnioEof South Africa and the, Irish Free State, the Government, of .India and—on behalf of the colonies, protectorates, and mandated territories— the Colonial Office, appointed representatives to attend a meeting to prepare a; scheme., This meeting was held in London in November, 1928, under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs. Tho . scheme, then prepared was accepted and is in operation. '■ During the past year all the bureaux have started work and the staffs have, be"en appointed. "An officer who has either, received part of his early training.pr who has served for some time in some part of the Empire overseas, .has been selected in almost every, case •for.the post o£chief officer under.the says the report. Official correspondents to the various bureaus have been nominated in overseas parts of. the "Empire. Arrangements ;haye been- made for the collection of research information from all parts of the world,-and for summaries to be disseminated to all workers in the Empire. . A .sum of. £20,000 was originally suggested as the total' for the fund, and. .of; this £17,350 was actually received, during- 1929-30. Estimates for ue,xt. year amount to £19;300.'