INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2984, 23 January 1917, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

' GOVERNMENT SCHEME OP ENDOWMENT. Referring to the. recent remarks on the subject of industrial research, by the Chancellor of tho Now Zealand University (Sir Robert Stout), at tho opening of the "University Senate meeting (now in session), ifc is interesting to recall that the British Government lias already decided to establish a. separate department of scientific and industrial research for Great Britain and Ireland, under the Lord President of tho Council, with tho President of tho Board of Education as vice-president. It has also decided, subject to tho consent of Parliament,' to place a largo sum of money at the disposal of the new department,' to bo used as a fund for tho conduct of research for the benefit of tlis natjonal industries on a co-operative basis. The Board of Inland Revenue has decided, with tho approval of the Chancollor of the Exchequer, that no objection shall bo offered bv their surveyors of taxes to the allowance as a working expense for incomo tax purposes of contributions by traders to industrifil associations which may _bo formed for the sole purpose of scientific research for the benefit of the various trades, and the allownnco woiild be equally applicable as regards traders' contributions specifically earmarked to the sole purpose of the research section of an adapted existing. association. In both cases the allowance would be subject to certain conditions —e.c., the association or the research section to be under Government supervision, and the trader's contribution to be an out-and-out payment made from his trade profits, aiid giving him no proprietary interest in the property of tho association, etc. In order to onnblc the Department to hold the new fund and any other money or property for research purposes, a Roval charter lias been granted to the official members pf tho Committee of the Privy Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, under the title of the "Imperial Trust for the Encouragement of Scientific and Industrial Research." Tho Trust, is empowered "to , ncfont', hold, a.iid disnoso of mnnoy or other personal oroportv in furtherance of the nliWs for T-hicli it has Vcn established, inelmline sums vr»trd by Parliament to that enrl." '''lie Trust can tnko and hold lnnd, nivi pan "accent, any trusts, whether Ruhioct to special oon'lit-'nns or not, in furtherance of the said obieels." ' A snhstsintipi sift, has nlrendv Iwpn iiinrlo in t]\f Trust bv two nipnihors of tli" Institute if Moclinnionl F.'ujiuonrs for f'n m"diip + 'nf a '•osea.rch in mecl'miicil encinenriii". tn be approved hv the Department, in the hope that this example will he followed by other members of tho institution.