PARLIAMENT AT WORK.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 July 1925, Page 12

PARLIAMENT AT WORK.

QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE. VALUE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PLEA FOB GREATER ACTIVITY. IiIEORTANCR TO PRODUCERS. By Telegraph —Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The House at Representatives met at 8.39 p.m. Replying to Mr. W. E. Parry (AuckCentral;, who drew the attention of the Prime Minister to a ease of destitution in Auckland, the Hon. J, G Coates said it was the duty of the local institutions to look after such cases, But it was hhs intention to look thoroughly into the conditions in which the people generally were living in the large centres of population. In reply to Mr, P. A. de la Perrelle (Aararoa), Mr. Coates said full inquiry was always made into accidents which Occurred in connection with electric installations. As to the danger from live wires falling on.roads, that was always difficult to overcome, but he would see wiiat further precautions could be taken to protect the public. I luring the course of formal business the Hon. R. F. Bollard laid on the table a copy of “The Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.” Mr. H. E. Holland (Leader of the. Labour Party) suggested that the Minister might give the House an outline of the subjects contained in the transactions. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central i strongly supported this request. The House had a right to know what was being done in the matter of scientific research. THE AID OF SCIENCE. I Mr. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) strongly urged the Minister to say what he proposed to do in the matter ot systematising scientific industrial rest area in New Zealand, There had been many requests for this, but nothing had been done. There was the Cawtitron Institute at Nelson and each ot the. university colleges had good scientific laboratories, .which might be utilbut the professors were bound to the drudgery of teaching and had little opportunity for research. Mr. H. Atmore ('Nelson) said the work of the Cawthron Institute had last year saved fruitgrowers £lO,OOO by the introduction of a natural enemy to the woolly aphis, saving the great eost of spraying trees. Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) maintained that even if scientific research did not enable us to increase the volume of our wool clip it might lead to improving its quality and so increasing the price. Mr. O. Hawken (Egmont) commended the application of scientific research tn connection with the dairy and flax industries as a means of improving them. The Hon. Sir James Parr said it was a mistake to suppose that the Department of Education was doing nothing to encourage * scientific research, but he agreed that there was need ot some board to co-ordinate the work that was being done. In his opinion university professors were the proper men to do research work. They should give less time to the actual work of teaching and more time to research. He was not able to find all the money required out of his education vote, but if the Internal Affairs Department would find some of it much more could be done than was b ing done, which would be of practical value to our people. Mr.. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) urged some comprehensive system of scientific analysis of New Zealand soils.

HELPING THE FARMER. Mr. J. A. McPherson (Oamaru) said it was useless farmers putting in crops at great labour and expense if these crops were to be destroyed by pests as last as they grew. Great ravages were sometimes worked in grain crops and potato crops, and in all such cases it was a serious matter to the Dominion, since the failure of any one crop made us dependent on some outside source ol supply. He thought we were not now g-uing value for the money spent, and he advocated a scientific board to take co-ordination in hand. The Hon. W. Nosworthy said the trouble was that the war left them \ ii heavy financial liabilities, and it v.as impossible to find money lor everything that Ministers would like to see pushed on. Scientific research was probably one of the matters that had to v ait, but now that the pinch was over ri-.c Government was not losing sight of it. They were constantly helping varie.H phases of research and when mere money was available more would be done.

The Hon. R. F. Bollard, in reply, said he was glad to see that the House was at last taking an interest in scientific research and m the transactions of the New Zealand Institute. A great deal of money was being spent and a great deal ot work being done, but the trouble was that people took no interest in the subject. The printing of these transactions cost £1776, and copies were sent all over the world. The debate on the Address-in-Iteply occupied the remainder of the sitting, and the House rose at 10.45 p.m. till 4.39 p.m. on Tuesday,