ASSISTANCE MERITED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26781, 26 May 1948, Page 8

ASSISTANCE MERITED

ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND P.A. WELLINGTON, May 25. If the Government could assist the Royal Society in the extension of its work, then an appeal for that assistance would not fall on deaf ears, the Minister in Charge of Scientific and Industrial Research, Mr McCombs, told to-day’s annual meeting of the society. He added that the Government was doing no more than it should in encouraging the operations of the society. In connection with the forthcoming Pacific Science Congress next year he thought the grant the Government had made was justified by the value to the country of such a conference being held here.

The president of the society, Dr R. A. Falla, expressed the society’s appreciation of Government interest and financial help over a number of years. Fellowships of the society in 1948 were awarded as under:—Dr N. L. Edson, associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Otago; Dr O. H. Frankel, chief executive officer of the Wheat Research Institute; Mr M. Ongley, director of the geological survey; and Mr E. F. Stead, author of some important contributions to scientific ornithology. The Hector Award was given to Dr G. H. Cunningham, director of the plant diseases division at Auckland, for researches into mycological botany. Professor R. B. Goldschmidt, of tha University of California, and Dr R. Cushman Murphy, of the American Museum of Natural History, were elected honorary members.