SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17175, 27 October 1926, Page 13

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

BLACKBERRY MENACE MORE ASSISTANCE OFFERED MARKETING EOARD'S GRANT (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. Evidence of the close interest taken by the Imperial authorities in the problems of overseas producers, and Ho value to New Zealand of a department lt.ivr.ij a genera! supervision of cientific rc'iearch is provided by an announci--nui:-; made by .Mr. O. J. Havvken today that two important proposals have l,i •■ made by the Empire Hoard to give practical aid in

the investigation of problems affecting the primary producer, "The Empire Marketing Board," said Mr. llawken, "has offered New Zealand a grant of £2OOO 'per annum for five years to be expended on research into the problem of eradicating the blackberry pest, on condition that- the Government and the Oawthron Institute between them will assist with a like sum. This is an investigation which the Department of Agriculture and the, Cawthron Institute have been conducting for some time, and it is probably well known that- Dr. Tilyard, of th« Cawthron Institute, is at present oB an extensive tour, having as its main object the discovery of a means of controlling the spread of blackberry, and other weeds. He has been chiefly instrumental in bringing about this Jction. CONTENTS, t)F PASTURES.

Another offer which the Empire Marketing Board has made is a- grant of £2OOO per annum for two years on condition that the New Zealand Government will similarly contribute towards a- further investigation into the mineral contents of pastures. This i.s a most important investigation, of value not only to New Zealand, but to farmers in portions of the United Kingdom. A good deal of progress has already been made in (his matter in New Zealand, the investigations of the agricultural chemist of Department- of Agriculture, in connection with his work on bush sickness, having aroused wide spread interest among scientists in Hie United Kingdom. It is recognised that. New Zealand has already made a valuable contribution to this sphere for research. In making proposals to the Empire Marketing Board for tlie working out of a scheme we have been able to point out that New Zealand lias set up a special organisation for the purpose of co-ordinating all scientific research helpfully co-operating with the Department- of Agriculture,, (ho Cawthron- In stitute. and all other scientific activities. We, therefore, propose that the genera! supervision arid co-ordination of -these investigations shall be in the hands of the Council of Scientific Research, and that specific phases of the work will be undertaken by those branches, of scientific activity which already have these problems in hand.''