SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 55, 3 September 1934, Page 10

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

DEPARTMENT'S REPORT

WIDE RANGE COVERED

The annual report, of the.Department of Scientific and Industrial - Besearch, as submitted to the House of Representatives by. Dr. E. -Marsden, shows in its detail what a very wido field is covered by' research in New Zealand. The expenditure for the. year covered by tho report totalled £64,443. Of this sum £31,18S was devoted to research work. That the Department could have spent with advantage twice that sum had it been available is not expressly stated in the report, but can bo deduced by Reading between the lines. What the report does say is.:, "The year was one iv which a great number of financial difficulties were experienced, partly because of tho £mpiro Marketing Board ceasing to funetioD, and of the difficulty,of knowing, far in advance, what action; was being taken to deal with the unexpended balances, and the unexpended terms of various researches which had been inaugurated by the assistance of' this board." ■ The main lines of research development and tho various activites of the Department are set out in detail. The Dominion Laboratory, the Meteorological Office, tho Geological Survey, the Observatories, and tho Plant Research Station all havo sections of the report to themselves. Sections are also, devoted to geophysics, the mineral content of pastures, flax research, wheat research, kauri gum research, dairy research, . fruit research," soil survey, leather and pelts research, and to the work of the Development of Industries Committee. During the year, says the report, the services of the Department have been called upon to an increasing extent, and apart from1 the main' lines of research development, upon,'which it is engaged, there is a rapidly increasing number of what ■ might be termed "minor 5/ inquiries from numerous industries. These inquiries-have'involved a great deal of additional work, and despite the restrictions imposed by rec?uction of financial resources, very full service has been rendered as the result of tho loyal co-operation of all scientific workers. ■ ■ .'■ . • ':■.■-.

The miscellaneous problems, which the Department 'has been called upon -to investigate*have been ( of a. very wide range. They include such, important items as the .chilling, of beef, the manufacture of ■ cellulose, from phorjiiium tenax, the treatment of fruit juices so as-to enable them to be preserved and transported overseas without appreciable loss of flavour^ irrigation probloms, and .problems,, connected with wool. . .■■•■•.

Reports have also been prepared on numerous questions, relatiyo to industry, including .-..passion-fruit preservation, asbestos utilisation, bentonite, diatomaeeous earth, '"'tung, pulping, kauri gvfm refining, utilisation of kauri peat,'resources' of tanning materials, oil resources, alcohol production, coal utilisation- probloms, etc. The; report emphasises, the value of maintaining direct contact with overseas research developments, particularly- those in Great Britain. The Department's liaison officer, Mr. Ncvill Wright, who is attached to- the High Commissioner.'s. Office in London, has enabled the Dominion to ' have direct technical representation on the executive council of the Imperial .Agficul-j tural Research Bureau and on other bodies directly concerned with problems of moment to New Zealand.,' Through tho liaison dfflcer'it has also been possible to secure advance information concerning industrial, scientific, or research tendencies which have proved of the utmost value.