WORK FOR SCIENTISTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19957, 28 May 1928, Page 7

WORK FOR SCIENTISTS.

RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA. NEW ZEALAND'S INTERESTS, EXCHANGE OF DISCOVERIES. [from our own correspondent.] SYDNEY, May 10. New Zealand's decision to make direct inquiries in America regarding industrial and scientific research will be welcomed in Australia, because it is in keeping with the policy of the State and Commonwealth Governments who are coming to realise mora and more the value of science as an aid to primary and secondary industries. It is realised that the Commonwealth was fortunate in securing the services of so able a man as Dr. Tillyard who, as chief of the entomological section, will undertake an extensive world tour. The appointment was certainly a great loss to New Zealand, but the loss would probably be more than compensated for if the Dominion and the Commonwealth decided upon a plan of co-operation in research matters. An exchange of discoveries and opinions would certainly be of the utmost value on either side of the Tasman whore many of the problems are similar, if not identical, in character. It will probably bo some years before many of the inquiries flow on hand in Australia will be completed, but the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has already solved some of the problems which it has faced. Hero is an instance. For more than 40 yeans a horse disease known as "walkabout" has taken toll of stock in the western districts of Australia. Until recently all that was known cf it was that it occurred usually in the first fonr months of the year, that its development led to mad fits of galloping, and then to a monotonous, aimless walk, and finally to death. The affected horse would walk into fences and trees, and anything else in its path. It had a mania for walking into houses, and there were other welldefined symptoms. The Commonwealth Council, in cooperation with the Western Australian Department of Agriculture, sent a veterinary surgeon to investigate the disease. After a while the scientist established the fact that the disease was due to plant poisoning, and not to a parasite as was popularly supposed. The problem now became one for the botanist, and a botanist was sent to the locality. A botanical survey reduced the number of possible causes to a few plant* which were fed to healthy horses. The animal whose ordinary diet was mixed with a plant known as wbit6wood, or atalaya, contracted "walkabout" and died. The rest was easy, and the elimination of "walkabout" can now be effected by the eradication of whitewoad, which had hitherto been looked upon as a good fodder plant. So far the work of the council has been concentrated upon five main lines, namely, animal problems—including nutrition and tveatment of disease —plant problems, food problems, forest products, and fuel research. Not the least difficult task is the securing of men to conduct the researches. An animal nutrition laboratory has been established at the Adelaide University under Professor Braisford Robinson. Leading investigators in the. veterinary side of stock problems are being assisted by the council. Dr. B. T. Dickson, formerly professor of plant pathology at McGill University, will investigate plant problems here, and his main laboratory will be at Canberra. The general position in respect to forest products in the Commonwealth is now being investigated, and the problem of preserving foods of all kinds is being tackled in the laboratory and the cold store. The States are co-operating with the Commonwealth and are doing their share. The Queensland Government has. decided to send the Government entomologist to Java to obtain insects to kill the banana beetle borer. He will also investigate the ravages of insect pests generally.