MONEY FOR RESEARCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19470, 28 October 1926, Page 8

MONEY FOR RESEARCH.

3 The Empire Marketing Board's - offer to this Dominion of £2OOO per - annum for five years to aid research f into the problem of eradicating the , blackberry pest, and a like amount f for two years toward investigating ; the mineral contents of pastures, is - one to be accepted with eagerness. 1 Both the Government and the i Cawthron Institute should readily 3 undertake, as stipulated, the furnisbt ing of an equal amount. The re--1 searches named nave great import--3 ance to the primary producer, and ; the money that New Zealand is asked i to find ought to be regarded as an t investment likely to return quickly j a handsome profit. Almost everything depends, of course, on the 5 capability of the men entrusted with 3 the researches. The rest relates to ; facilities for their work. The grants j cannot achieve anything by themselves. The Council of Scientific Research, recently constituted, which 1 is to supervise the investigations, t should at once give practical attenj tion to the necessity for setting to work the very best men available and for providing them with the requisite opportunity to do their 1 work to advantage. The fact that J something worth while has already - been done hero in both these fields } of investigation should not lead to the offer's treatment with com--1 placency. Rather should it lead to 1 an immediate redoubling of effort. r Care should be taken to prevent the J money's being frittered away in halfx hearted or incapable service. The danger of this has been noted by the Imperial Economic Committee. Its 1 judgment is that "the resources in - men and money at, present available . are small as compared with the probj lems awaiting investigation." Here in this instance is a very considerable supply of funds. The obtain--3 ing of the men and th# energetic f employment ought to have immediate care.