SCIENCE CONGRESS OPENS

Chronicle (Levin), 3 February 1949, Page 8

SCIENCE CONGRESS OPENS

Press Association

. Far-reacking Contributions • Expected

(Per

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AUCKLAND, PeD. 25. Far-reaching contributions to the scientific, social and medical knowledge of the Paciiic area and perhaps indirectly to the maintenance of world peace, are expected to. result from the seventh Pacifie Science Congress which held4its inangural meeting here today. More than 300 delegates from many countries attended. Most of the day was spent in the organisation of delegates and special committees within the nine divisions of science with which the congress is primarily concerned. Scientific discussions will hegin tomorrow and the Auckland session will end on Tuesday. Standing against a large map of the world with the Pacifie Ocean as its centre, the.president of Congreks, Dr. K, A. Falla, Director of the Dominion Museum, said the war and its aftermatli had stimulated the organisation and directian of research to a degree that all planning of the past could hardly have foreseen. This was the first large-scale international congress of a scientific nature to be held in this country. Dr. H. E. Gregory, United States Natioual Research council representative on the council of the Pacifie Science Association and founder of the congress, said iKwas significant that the centre of world intellectual activity was moving into the Pacifie at an inereasing rate. However, the Pacifie still coutained enormous fallow areas as far as scientific activity and knowledge was concerned. For this reason every effort was' being made to treat this part of the earth as a unit. "I pvedict that in addition to the two Paciiic organisations that are in existence now, those in natural science and human relations, there will be a Paeific Chamber ot Commerce and Pacifie Pact correspondLng to the Atlantic Pact," said Dr. Gregory. " As far as seientists are conc.erned it does seem as if we can do a better job by f'ull coop^ratibn and planned research." The imagination of the peoples of the Pacifie had been stirred by the clestructioji wrought by science at Hiroshiina and Nagasaki but he hoped this- congress would prove that science also had mueh to oifer people in helping theni to live a better life, said'Cthe Minister in charge of scientific and industrial research, Mr. McCombs, in extending the good wishes of the Government. Problems of publie health and food supply in the countries surrounding the Pacifie were urgent matters requiring the attention of seientists, he continued. New Zealand, with a large area including many scattered islands under its eontrol, felt a keen responsibility for ensuring the welfare of the peoples involved. He hoped the congress wopid enable some o.f the problems of this area to be solv.ed and in so doing hclj other parts of the Pacifie as well. Replying to the welcome, Professoi A. P. Elkin, head of the Australian party, pointed out that one of the main airns of the congress was to spread

^ooawui among i-'acinc peoples. Professor G. M. Shrum, leader of the Fanadian delegation, also said Canada ivould support any undertalcing that tvoula contribute toward the weil-being if the Pacifie nations. Sir Peter Buck, New Zealand Director sf the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, said Hawaii was the centre of research 7 work in the Paeific. He was particular- » ly interested in those schemes in which | the welfare of native race^ larg'ely | figured. He recited a chant, in native S language of New Zealand and Hawaii, f which was used by the Maoris when the I idea to be conveyed to an assembly was | that people who had been in a state ot 1 darltness were to be led toward the I light. | Three Scandinavian seientists who re- | plied were Dr. C. Skottesberg (Sweden), ! Dr. E. Chris.tophersen (Norway) and | Dr. A. F. Bruun (Denmark). 1 . Dr. Skottesberg referred to the | Swedish deep-sea expedition which had ! just returned from the Paeific and Dr. ! Christophersen said Norway was repre- I sented because it elaimed Peter 1 ls- | land, the most southern of the Paciiic | islands. f Dr. Bruun said Denmark was happy to, be inyited because so many of the | problems of the Atlantic could oniy be ] fully appreciated when they were com- j pared with Pacifie conditions. ] Professor G. W. Robinson, speaking j for the United Kingdom and colonial . I areas of Malaya and Fiji, brought j greetings from the Royal Society ot j London, the oldest scientific institution ] in existence. He said he was not fooJ- J ish enough to believe science could cure j the ills of this very sick world. The evil probably lay deeper than that but science could help by removihg some ot j the rnaterial obstacles to continuing j peace. He was sure international con- j ferences such as this, together with the I informaLeontacts that went with them, j were among the most helpful means 0 (' | promoting peace among men. i Referring to the reraarks of Mr, MeCombs on destructive forces released by ! science, Dr. K. A. Ryerson, leader of ! United States delegation, said some ot the ships used in the atom bomb expenments at Biltini had been left there because they were- "too hot to hold." That was typical of some present-day problems. Congress should coardinate the efiforts .of the various bodies represented so that members would have a uniform programme as they faced the difficult but not eheerless future. Professor O. • 'Jacob, representing. France and Prench possessions in the Pacifie, addressed the meeting in Prench. He presented to Dr. i'alla a shprt address from the Academy of France. ' Dr. H. Boschma spoke far the Netherlands and Dr, H. F. Bulage'for Indonesia. (