EXCHANGE OF RESEARCH WORKERS

Evening Star, Issue 23179, 31 January 1939, Page 16

EXCHANGE OF RESEARCH WORKERS

MUTUAL PROBLEMS WITH COMMONWEALTH CO-OPERATION ESSENTIAL [Per United Press Association.] ’ WELLINGTON, January 30. ■ Problems of mutual interest to New Zealand and Australia, including the development of a plan for the exchange of scientific research workers, were discussed by the chairman of the New Zealand Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (Professor H. 0. Denham) with the Commonwealth Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in Sydney recently. Professor Denham, who is Professor of Chemistry at Canterbury College, was a New Zealand delegate to the Science Congress in Canberra, and he returned to Wellington to-day by the Awatea. Associated with Professor Denham at the discussions were the Director ot the Cawthron institute (Sir Theodore Rigg) and Mr F. J. Rrogan, of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, who also attended the congress. In an interview, Professor Denham said the- proposal for the exchange of research workers was an extension of the principle. already in operation at the Dairy Research Institute, where an Australian representative had been actively engaged in research problems , in butter for the past three years. “The agreement we have is that where there are problems of mutual interest, to the two countries the main attack will be made in the country which is most interested in the problem,” Professor Denham said “ The other country is to co-operate by putting one or more workers into the team. The results of the course are to be available to both countries. The idea is to secure a really greater return for the money spent in the two countries by preventing unnecessary duplication'amt intensifying the whole programme. One cannot hut be impressed by the highly efficient team of workers which Australia has got together for dealing with tiny many phases tof animal research in the M'Master laboratory ami its field sta tion. It is doing extremely fine work on such problems as sterility, which

is of tremendous importance to the dairy farmers of New Zealand.” Professor Denham said it was hoped that before an intensive campaign was developed in New Zealand effective coordination with Australian work would be effected. One could not but he impressed by the extreme readiness with which the executive of the Australian Council -of Scientific and Industrial Research was prepared to reciprocate to the fullest extent in devejoping such a plan of campaign. The Commonwealth Council, he said, was held in very high esteem in the scientific world in Australia. One-could see that its results had been such that it now commanded' the whole-hearted support of both political parties, and that meant the support of all tinpeople, At a recent session of Parliament a capital grant for buildings, etc., of £250.000 had been passed without a single dissentient vote in either house. The important point of difference between Australia’s organisation and our own,” lie continued, “lies in the executive, which in the Commonwealth has the power to implement all its resolutions. It is more than a mere advisory body. In New Zealand the organisation is advisory, although in a large measure our resolutions have generally been put into practice.”