STATE SCIENTIFIC SERVICES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3768, 1 June 1926, Page 25

STATE SCIENTIFIC SERVICES.

scientific service and the need of a national laboratory. Sir Frank Ileatli, K.C.B. (Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, England), in his report to the Prime Minister of New Zealand says:— There is general agreement that a start should be made in the foundation of a national laboratory for testing and investigating materials and scientific apparatus, and for the establishment of constants and standards in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory ind other srent laboratories of same kind, such as the, Bureau of Standards in Washington and the Ohemische-pliysicalisch Reiehsanshalt in Berlin. It may be noted in passing that Japan has established a laboratory and that Siam is in process of founding one. But institutions of this kind ar ® expensive to build, equip, and 6taff, and in my opinion the right approach would be by the following steps:

(a) To ear mark a site of 10 or 15 acres in proximity to the new railway workshops in the Hutt Valley for the purposes of the uture laboratory with convenient railway siding accoi nodation but at a sufficient distance from ♦•he shops where heavy work is* done to -void undue interference through vibration and noise. Care will need to be taken to prevent rover-currents when the line ia electrified

(b) To build in the first instance only j such laboratories and install the plaut , that is necesaary for the work that must be done on the spot and cannot be dona in one or other of the university labora- j tories (c) To use existing university labora-j tories as far as possible in the mean- i time, but to separate fhe finance of all ■ testing work done in them from the general finance of the college. \ (d) To include Dr Maclaurin’s labora- j tory and staff in the new organisation ( and to remove his laboratory to the new • site on convenient opportunity. ! (e) To place the whole responsibility / for testing and investigatory work into materials and scientific instruments, ap- j paratus, etc., the establishment of con- , stants and standards on the new central organisation which should appoint, a snecial committee for the purpose, including representatives of the railways, - the hvdro electric service, the post office, the Public Works Department, as \v**!l as ' independent men of science The cost of routine tests conducted for adrrirfnV \ tr.-t’ve departments of State should be > pmd for by those departments, * otherwise they will be tenmted to use less care than „ is desirable i over expenditure on r this kind of work, but any investigations or researches necessary to or arising out of the tests > should he borne on the vote of the new organisation. It would be the duty of the supervising committee to prepare a. \ programme of woTk with estimates of ' oostfi for each coming year showing whether if will he done in (he central % or in provincial laboratories. The new v central organisation and the Government . will then know how much this service ' is expected to cost and by whom ft is, being incurred. The accounts to be rendered yearly will he comparable with the estimates and furnish a guide for» future estimating. The establishment of an organisation of ' this kind will undoubtedly assist the mann-. fncturers, and it will be possible, no doubt, to undo-* •» certain amount of investi- f eatery work grouns of firms or single j businesses, so far as tbe needs of the Gov- j eminent permit, provided the full cost is borne by the firm or firms for whom the work is done. Care will, however, he needed In laying down conditions as to rho availability of results, but in this matter my department will be able to render useful assistance advice, if required. Dr Marsden’s report gives in some detail f h«* scope of the work such a laboratory) should undertake and estimates the initial 1 capital cost of the now central establish-1 ment at £20.000, nH the additional salaryj cost at about £1(500 a year. But these! figures should he reviewed by a committeeto lie set up immediately, and by the new; central organisation to which the committee would be attached, after) a careful survey of tbe avail-^ able provision in the provinces and tlwr cost of rearranging the finance of the test* work done in the colleges. Meantime. £ desire to endorse his recommendations that\ the physicist selected for appointment who % will certainly be required, should lie seat j to the National Physical Laboratory tori one year’s training and experience.