ATOM POWER FOR CARS

Chronicle (Levin), 25 January 1949, Page 5

ATOM POWER FOR CARS

Press Asso&atipuj

Not Eikely For Spme Years Yet, Says Scientist

( Per

s WELLINGTON; Jan. 24. His e'uess was that it would be live to ® * ien years before atomie energy was used for incjustrial puvposgs apd then only for major power- installations anci not for such things as mptor cars or aeroplanes, said Professor Sir Geoffrey faylor, the distinguished British scientist, 011 his arrival-' ip the Dominion Monarch. Sir Geoffrey will attgird sessions of the Pacific Science -Congress at Auckland and Christchurch. He is Y arrow Research Professor of the Royal Sociyty and prominent in expprimental meteor ologv and aeronautics: He was in the New IMexican desert for the explosion of the first atom bomb in 1945. Every country now had the knowledge available to it for the manufacture of atom bombs, he said. The theory of tlie bomb- was published in the i'nited States after the first one was dropped in Japan. The difiiculty was uot now in discovering the theory Dut m tlie actual nianuf'aeture of the boiuu. Whether Russia had, or could produce ihe. bomb, lie was sure nobody outside Russia knew. Sir Geoffrey said any estimate of I the time required to harness atomie energy for iiidustry, was a mere guess, Imt in Auierica a great deal of work was being concentrated to this end an 1 he baseu his guess on this fact. One of the most importaut aspects of atomie power was the production of materials useful in medicine and agriculture as by products of the chain reaetion pi'ocess used 111 manufactqriiig plutonium for the atpm bomb. Tracer elements and radio active materials of ■nauy kinds were produced which were likely to prdve of great value to mankind. The British atomie energy establishjnent at Harvvell was now produeing • ome of these materials for practical purposes. At the Pacific Science Congress, Sir Geoffrey will speak in his capacity as ineteorolog'ist. He said that in meteorology, the study of the upper a'lr had been made possible by developments in ■iviafion and had opened new fields of investigation for meteorologists and made ]>ossil)le greater. accuracv in foreeasting.