SCIENCE MUST HELP INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2776, 20 May 1916, Page 12

SCIENCE MUST HELP INDUSTRY

4 WORKING OUT OUR COMMERCIAL SALVATION RESEARCH WORK URGED "We 'have money to spend upon a luxury like tho Conservatorium of Music, but apparently none to assist research, which would lead to the establishment of new industries," complained the retiring president of tho Royal Society of New South Wales (Dr. E. Greig Smith), in the course of his address at tbe annual meeting of that body last week. Dr. Smith emphasised the importance of encouraging scientific research, much more than was done at present, because, as lie pointed out, opportunities for the establishment of entirely new industries had arisen by the score, on account of the war. Tho war had made them realise how they had neglected their own opportunities, and allowed the enemy to step in and reap the benefit. The war had made it clear that the Umpire must be self-reliant. They must bo able to make everything, and bo independent of other countries. The cost of tho war was rapidly mounting up, and this cost must bo met in the future. The Britain .with its huge increase in the national debt of from two to four thousand millions, would be different from the Britain of the pre-war days. The same applied to. Australia. Taxation would be greater and, labour would not lower its Toward, so that the spending power of the individual would be lessened. How. then was tho situation to be met? There was only one way, and that was in the economy of production, whether it lie by the utilisation of labour-saviug devices, by a saving of useless labour, by the concentration of many isolated fields of labour for the saving of the cost of transportation and for the co-operation of similar industries not for the purpose of raising prices but for the purpose of reducing working expenses. A scientific spirit must be developed in the nation in order to meet and cope with the new conditions. Science and industry must both be mobilised, and work together. Rewards of Sciencc. The war was, he said, bringing home to the masses how much -the'nation was dependent upon scientific research for its existence. This was a scientific war. in which all the available resources of science were being utilised to enable us to win, ■ that we might confer upon the world the advantages of civilisation untrammelled by military despotism. All the engines of destruction used in the war were the creation of scientific thought, the result of patient research and experiment in scientific laboratories, and the power behind all was tho scientist, quietly plodding in his obscure laboratory, unheard of and unseen. He was in the background, out.of the limelight, and ignored. It was unfortunate that in this world a man was put at his own valuation, and as the scientist c-ared little for the opinion of the world, and lived, entirely in his work, ho wus not accorded the credit that was his; due. He thought it would- be good for scientists to -get into.; the ; lime-' -light more, not for their own sakes, but for the advantage of science. Unless they did so science would again be Cinderella as sho was. before war, the fairy., god; mother, had brought her before the public ° It was an. unfortunate thing that the heads of niost of their industries were not much concerned with the scientific side. There were some exceptions, such' as the. Colonial Sugar, K-efining Company, .which recognised science, and had risen to the pre-eminenco it had attained through scientific methods of work and finance. Manufacturers.-in Australia, at all events, appeared to bo unable to get away fromthe idea that-there .was some ulterior motive,-in the -scientist trying to! help them without gain or. reward. It was not a business met hod. They apparently could 'not understand 1 that science; was not a business, but a calling,..-and that 'the scientist tried to benefit others because it was his nature. He must progress, and if he had to work upon purely academic matters instead of purely industrial matters it was the fault, of the manufacturer who would neither - voluntarily supply the material nor. - divulge his troubles. - .: . ! , "■ New Industries.

Since the commencement of the war, several associations or committees ox scientists . and industrialists i had been formed here, and these, as weU as certain existing societies, had undortaien. mvestisations into-the means of improving the conditions necessitated by vne Mar or likely to occur when the war was .over. Tho local branch of the Society ui Chemical Industry was doing good work m this connection, and it would be of gieat benefit to manufacturers m showing m what' directions their energies could be employed in preparing new. lines Iho Munitions Committee; while devoting its energies to furthering the production ot shells, had been inquiring into the resources of iiin.tcri3.ls tor ivnrJikG puiposes and investigating the possibilities of some of them. The use of grass-tree gum for tho production of picric acid had been shown to be oiit of the question,-as tho acid could be obtained cheaper from coaltar., The use of posidonia'.fibre'for. preparing gun-cotton and the resources of the country in glycerine, nitric, and sulphuric acids, anil the possibility of growing cotton had been reported upon. The National Industries Committee, consisting of members of'the University staff, of representatives of commercial : associations and of the Government, had for ; its objects the consideration of methods for increasing the efficiency of tho whole industrial system by tho establishment of new industries, by the elimination! of enemy; influence, and, by the development of new markets. The committee was seeking to. obtain information from representative firms , as to the extent that their respective industries. had been dependent upon the enemy for raw or intermediate material and machinery. ' Especially was it inquiring into the manner in which the. want of these had been met, and tho extent to which they we're being or could be made in Australia. In the event of their not having been mads liere, the committee proposed to examine the factors which had prevented their manufacture. In the case of . articles which were made locally ami which had been competing .with enemy goods, information was sought as to the conditions which would .entail the goods being manufactured completely in Australia. : . ' , Prevention of Wastage. There .was, Dr. Smith said, a great deal of waste of labour and a . great deal of waste of material that might be saved if consideration were given to ! the matter. .A calculation showed that about 312 tons of tin were thrown away annually in Sydney, and with tin at .CITfl per ton, and -it was higher than that to-day, the money involved was' approximately J:53,000. The loss iii the utilisation of fuel was perhaps an example of the greatest national waste. There was a great deal of loss in the manufacture of coke. Quite a number of industries had fatty bodies as a waste product, and the question of their utilisation had been discussed. The recovery of wool fat for tho manufacture of lanoline, the. waste soapy and fatty waters from the wool scouring, the fat in bones, in meat meal, and in fusli men! were a few examples. The scienlist could only suggest methods for tho utilisation of trade waste. The probability of the suggestion being economically successful must always, rest with the manufacturer, who had to consider the cost of the plant, Ihe expense of labour, and ihvalue of the won product. Enough had bj-on said as to the need of doing something to save national losses, and of (ho necessity, of Industry greeting Science as a helpmate.