PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16938, 12 January 1923, Page 9

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

i (l*xn Press Ajwocjayio*.) WELLINGTON, January 11. At the Town Hall to-night Mr G. H. Knibbs, Director of the Australian Institute of Science and Industry and Pre-sident-elect of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, delivered the presidential address in connection with the science, congress now meeting, before a large audience composed of visiting scientists and an interested section of the general public Taking as hi? subject “ Science and its Service to Alan.” the speaker pointed out the extradrdinary concessions to man's knowledge of nature during the last century and the beginning of this, and said that in some countries great research laboratories, observatories, and technical institutions had been created 1 J and lavishly endowed. w Knibbs

las it had been, must now be measured by the state of the world to-day. Worldwide developments and expansions of various populations called for immediate consideration in regard to i our future in world politics, and of | our place in scientific effort. The role j of systematised knowledge and its ap- | plication to human needs would have , ever-growing significance. This was ili lustrated by the history of modern ! science and was the keynote cf the ad- ‘ dress. The speech indicated primarily | the characteristics of the higher ele* t meats of science, which served not mt?rei ly utilitarian purposes, namely maini t-enance of man on the planet, but proi vided such maintenance as enabled i him to spiritually perceive and intel- ! lectuaily grasp the beauty, mag- | nificence and majesty of the whole : range of nature, in' fact to make i him a student capable of appreciating | and solving problems apparently most I hopeless. Referring first, to the accessories with which man had furnished himself i in his search for knowledge, during which such inventions as the ultraj microscope, the large telescope and -k-ray spectrograph were enumerated j 2 n d describee, me speaker took subj jeet by subject, dealing first with the wonders oi the astronomic world. R.g>- ! * erring to the recent solar eclipse and 1 the Einstein theory of relativity, Air ! Ivnibb.-i said the question vas beinw | examined of how far it was a legit-i----j mate attempt to explain phenomena | b y Cleans of mathematical equations ■ applicable to a supposititious dimensional world, in which one co-ordinate time is sui generis, and is treated as if it were orthogonally related to the rest. Milden Carr had said that fiim tGln S Ti ff ° r]d v iS a ' vorld ot niero /g Vj ‘j: ie Newtonian universe could form a picture, at least, to God. but according to Einstein there cannot be any picture, even for God. of Em- ? l Y? ,verso * Hr Robb, who retentl\ discussed the whole matter, had summed this up l,v ' ft s ? e . rrJS ITom this that not ejen the Almighty Himself could unciritft”' Einstein ' s theory of relaPassing froir. the wofld of the intimtely great to that of the infinitely minute, Air Knibbs dealt interestingly wnh modern investigations regarding atoms. Radio-activity and disintegration of elements next were discussed with a wealth of technical knowledge. Dealing with tho question of science ns a weapon ol defence. Mr Knibb.s pointed out that recent studies as to • population developments of the world show that war is inevitable unices the nations should submit to mutual dis i plme Jar surpassing any dreamed of : c the present time. The character • r j various poisons used in war was re I terred to. It was said that the dye inj I*™**? w»* not merely a key industry ! hut essential to safety, and. white jit could manufacture the dyes, per ! synthetic drugs, etc., needed for i the country, it was also continually i -ivaiUbie as ni. nxpiosise and gas iac- ; for which reason other than : he taken into account, via , considersi tion a<s to the national safety. One of i the poisons used caused inflammation I of the surface of the eye. conjunctivitis. with one part in 4.000,000. O.c | of worst poisons was known /. a “ dew of death.” j The need for re,search was strongly j emphasised. It was not sufficient make available the immense stores oi existing information. Development ru faculty was also a matter of supremo moment. The lavish gifts of Prince Demidofl, Lick, Roger.-:, Rockefeller. Carnegie, the late Prince of Monaco and Air Cawthron were mentioned, uL > that the British Government ha« granted £1,000,000 for industrial re- ! search associations. a?jd otherwise j nearly four and a half millions for re--1 search. Japan had built a national rei search laboratory at a cost of ov?r I £500,000, of which sum the Mikad > | l*ad contributed £IOO,OOO. In GerI many the Badisclie Soda und Analin I Fabrik had spent seventeen years and • one million sterling in order to produce i satisfactory indigo. At the beginning | of the century Germany was paying an- ! nually £600,000. and at the outbreak :of the war was selling annual! v | £2,500,000 worth of dye. ; In urging the necessity for research, i two illustrations were taken. the ! “knock” in internal combustion engines, ! and the production of light without ; beat. The luminous efficiency of a fire- | fly was 99.5 per cent, and that of the 1 best electric lamp only 4 per cent. Mr Knibbs closed by stressing the ! need lor creating for TEJnglish-speaking countries national appreciation of sci eno.e. which must commence in ohildj hood, in order that instinctively British ! people will respond as they did not now to scientific research. His hope was to New Zealand. While" knew i what lay on the knee of the gods, there ! was something within the mind and j heart of every great people that responded to dreams of excellence and I that inflamed when the vision of nai tional destiny was before it. The Mo-; therland had hac! a great past. Was 1 her offspring in the southern seas, iliu- ! mi/ed by “the gem-pointed cross” ar/1 “ the blazing pomp of Orion,” to rise to material, intellectual and mo: a) ■ greatness among the earth’s peoples? ! if so. the path was strenuous, but gin ! rious. All visions of ease and luxur\ j were but opiates, and they led to de- | struction. We needed to gird ourselves j for the task and Create for AustraiI asia’s sons power to kuow something of the splendid mysteries of the boundless I Ttniverse and of our own little world. in order that we might use to tho fuli ; the heritage which our nation had ! given us. and then indeed would soi- ; tore have rendered noble service to the i sons of Australasia.