SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13662, 2 September 1916, Page 2

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

: BIG- MOVE-IN-NEW ZEALAND. , An endeavour is being made to or-, ganise scientific : and industrial research on, sound lines in order that We may Hold our. own against foreign competitors'after, the war.' This movement is British; there assigns of it throughout the British, dominions, and it is due to .■the • rccogriilf.on .by .well-informed men everywhere that." nationally Ave have a great deal of leeway to make up. A .well-known Christclnirch scientist, discussing the matter with a press representative, said:— "1 believe we have few national institutions' for working out problems arising in commercial and industrial life, or for collecting and recording what has been and is being don?. The only institutions of the sort, or approaching it, so far as I know, are.the National Physical Laboratory and the Imperial Institute in England. • In Europe—Germany, certainly—and in the U.S.A., these things are done better, The U.S.A. are 'making a start, only, but it is a good start, and there flre institutions such, as the Bureaux of Standards, of Soils, etc., which, whilst doing departmental routine work, also carry on what is apparently most vital research work. Also the Carnegie Institute, and the Mellow Research Institute, etc. .

''Now for the local aspect: The position being recognised by some, the Philosophical Society of Wellington has set up. a committee to get things moving; our local institute is also interested, particularly in regard to agricultural research, and, I trust, will take up the wider outlook shortly.'The same is happening in Australia. And the whole 1 ultimate', success, will depend on the' general public understanding the importance of the matter; hence the desire for publicity. "It is impossible for me to go into the matter more fully just now. The local committee has hardly made a start yet or - formulated, its ideas, though,. of course, there is a broad general agreement to build on. I trust,'however,, there will be some progress made before very long." .