RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1934, Page 9

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

OPERATIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

NEW ZEALANDER IMPRESSED.

By Telegraph—Press Association.

Wellington, Nov. 23.

Mr. G. Shirtcliffe, chairman of the Research Council, who has just returned from a trip abroad, stated in an interview to-day that he had taken the opportunity of visiting many of the research stations in Great Britain. He acknowledged the great help afforded him by Mr. N. L. Wright, whose services to the Dominion as . liaison officer between the Research Department in New Zealand and various research- activities in Great Britain were most valuable. He indicated that great strides were being made for the utilisation of coal, and said, the research station-under Dr. Sinnatt •at Greenwich . was fully occupied, there being no fewer than 210 workers. Dr. Sinnatt had stated that he would be most pleased to carry out trials on bulk coals from New Zealand.

Mr. Appleby, research manager of the hydrogenation plant at Billingham, said he had over 100 university graduates in the department and about 50 girls and 400 other staff. Mr. Shirtcliffe visited the wool research station at Toridon, Leeds,, and summed up'the director’s point of view as follows: First, .the breeding of the best possible dual purposes sheep and the elimination of obviously undesirable strains of sheep; second, the effect of various forms of management and nutrition on the quality of both meat and wool; third, careful classification of individual wool clips. The director, Dr. Barker, stressed that any research organisation should start carefully and slowly, not promise too much and build up a good reserve of funds.

In connection with fruit research Mr. Shirtcliffe said he was astonished to learn that Kent alone, with 60,000 acres of orchards, produced two or three times the quantity of apples produced in New Zealand.

At the grass research station at Aberystwith, Professor Stapledon spoke well of the North Island rye grass and said that New Zealand could become a large exporter of good white clover, seed. Mr. Shirtcliffe said world competition was so intense that every effort must be put forward towards quality goods and more economic production.