SIR FRANK HEATH.

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 26

SIR FRANK HEATH.

FAREWELL FUNCTION. REPORT HANDED TO GOVERNMENT. (From Ocr Own orrespoxd'" ”) WELLINGTON, March 12. Sir Frank Heath, secretary of the British Board of Scientific and Industrial Research, who has been ask to advise the Government in respect to how, in his opinion, science can best assist industry (primary or secondary) has completed hie inquiries and he forwarded his report to the Government this afternoon. The Hon. R. F. Bollard, after welcoming Sir Frank Heath, at a meeting of the Board of Science and Art to-day said that members of the board knew Sir Frank occupied a very important position in connection with the British Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. He was in New Zealand at the special request of the Government on a mission in which the board had the greatest interest. The high reputation of Sir Frank in the industrial and scientific world had long been known to New Zealanders and the consent of the Imperial Government to allow him to visit the Dominion was received with special gratification. There was no doubt this country would benefit from intense researches. Mr Bollard said that, as a practical farmer, he recently had a conversation with Sir Frank and found that his researches, before coming to New Zealand, gave him a knowledge of our primary industries. As a matter of fact Sir Frank had astonished him by what he knew of our primary and secondary industries, and our aims and aspirations. The Minister added that he was looking forward with real interest to his report. If Sir Frank could now point to out weaknesses and instruct us how to overcomi them—as no doubt he would—he would be doing an invaluable service to this country. Undoubtedly, every producer and manufacturer in New Zealand owed a duty to his business. That duty was to improve the quality of his utput and the work under his contrl, and keep on improving them. In like manner every workman owed a duty to his craft to improve the quality of his workmanship and to keep on improving it. The limit of endeavour was not reached in a day or a year He thought Sir Frank Heath would agree With him that New Zealanders as a people were frequently accused of having an excesivelv practical spirit. It could not be denied that in the various concerns which added to the material progress of the country we had shown considerable energy. Still we were quite willing to acknowledge cur weaknesses, and if Sir Frank could : show where improvements could be made we would be highly pleased to receive his advice.

In reply Sir Frank Heath said he was leaving Wellington tc-morrow morning, and would hand in the report containing his recommendations to the Government before he left. He had enjoyed every moment of his stay in this country and there was no part of the world outside his own country ■where he felt so much at home as he had dene here. New Zealand was the most beautiful country he had ever seen. There might he other countries with some grander features, but he knew no other country in which the same variety of beauty was to be found—at anv rate in anything like a similar area. Although he could not frrreshadow his report, he thought he might quite properly say that what he pleaded for was a spirit of cooperation. There was so much to he done, and if the authorities would pull together enormous progress could be made. That was really, he thought, the key of success in the future of every possible field.