GRANTS FOR RESEARCH.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18426, 6 July 1925, Page 11

GRANTS FOR RESEARCH.

PARLIAMENT INTERESTED. • Iu tho House of Representatives on Friday tho Hon. 11? F. Bollard laid' oa the table a copy of "Transactions ol tho New Zealand Institute.'' Mr H. E. Holland suggested that the Minister might give the House an outline of tho subjects contained in tho transactions. Mr I'. Fraser strongly supported this request. The House liad a right to know what was l>ei»g done in tho matter of scientific research. Mr T. K. Sidry strongly urged tho Minister to say what ho proposed to do on tho matter of systeuiatisiiig scientific industrial research in New Zealand. There had been many requests for this, but nothing had been done. Wo had the Cawthron Institute at Nelson, and each of the University Colleges had good scientific laboratories whicli might be utilised, but the Professors wcire bound down to the drudgery of teaching.and had_ little opportunity for research. Scientific research should be encouraged, but m order to prevent duplication of effort, tho whole position should bo systematised. Mr H. Atmorc said that the work ot the Cawthron Institute had last yearsaved the fruitgrowers £IO,OOO bv the introduction of the- natural enemy Jo •a

woolly aphis, saving the great cost of spraying trcs. Jr A. Vcitch maintained that even if scientific. research did not enable tifi to increase the volume of our wool clips, it might lend to its quality and so increasing the pi if ". •Mr 0. J. IJawken commended tlio application of scientific research in con'nexiou with dairy and flax industries as a means of improving them. Mr (.!. \\". Forbes suggested that to give the scientific papers greater pnblicity they should lie reprinted in the Government Technical .Journals. Agricultural pap6rs might be reprinted ..in tlioi Journal," milling papers in the ''.Mining .Journal," and so on. Jii that way many more people would see them than do s;t now. The Hon. Sir .Tames Parr said it was a mis'takc to suppose the Department of Education was doing nothing to encourage scientific research, but, lie agreed that there, was a need ot' some Board to co-ordinato the work that was being done. In his opinion the University I'm lessors were the proper men to do research work. They should give less time to the actual work ot teachin" - and ' more timo to research. Ho -was not able to find all the mono\ required out ot his Induration vote, but if the Department of Internal Affairs would-find some of it, much moro could be done than was being done, which would: be of practical values. to cyr people. . Mr W. D. Ly?.nnr urged some comprehensive svsteni ot scientific analysis ' of New Zealand soils. 3lr J. A. Maophcrson said it was usei less farmers putt ins i a crops al< SPeat

labour and expense, if these crop* were to be destroyed hy pests a* as thev grew. Great ravages w«j» sometimes worked in grain crops ana potato crops, and in all such cases W wa.- a serious matter to the Dotnnnon» since failure of any one crop m.iko us dependent on some ojrtstfe »;»■•!!\-e n supply. He thought were not now getting valuo fort** n.onev n, were pending and adroe«t - (■/j a Scientific Hoard to take co-oniatt-tioii in hand. . , The Hon. \\\ Nosworthy Agriculture, said that tlio tluit the war left them financial liabilities, and w was jmgM «ible to find money for drcrytning that Ministers would like to «® posk* :