Men Needed For Pacific Explorations

Chronicle (Levin), 19 January 1949, Page 6

Men Needed For Pacific Explorations

Press Association)

(Per

A U GivLi AiN JJ, Jan. ra. While New Zealand had plenty of dollars to spend on education and scientific worlc, brilliant young men were unable to get sufficient of this currency to undertake a full course of studv overseas necessary to develop theif talents to the full, said Professor H. E. Gregory, of Honolulu, when he arrive.l at Auckland for the seventh Pacific Science Congress. -Professor Gregory, wlio is Unite.i States representative on the Pacific Science Council, said tliat as the result of tlie setflement of lease-lend aecounts, New Zealand owed 3,500,000 dollars which need not be paid baek but musl be spent 011 science and education. Tliere was an urgent need for brighi young men in many fields in the Pacific but although fellowships for a number of New Zealanders were being approved in the United Statesj they were not allowed from the Dominion sufficient dollars to live on. Ile liinted tliat. steps niight be devised to get roun.l some of this difficulty and added tliat it niight well be discussed at the science congress. Somewliat similar difficulties existed in tlie case of Australia. ' ' Briglit young men are hard to get, too," added Prh f'essor Gregory. "Before, our difficulty was to get money to educate thosc otl'oring. Now we havc money, although the WheeTs may need greasing, but cannot fuid the men. The Pacific is still largoly in the exploration stage and we eould do ivith 100 more scientists working there. Tliere used to be explorers liere. Has the desire for adventure, the urge to go out souiewhere 011 a joh for its own sake, gone from this parl of the world for good?"