NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2991, 31 January 1917, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE

ANNUAL MEETING AN INTERESTING ADDRESS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH Tho annual meeting of tho Board of Governors of tho New Zealand Institute was held' yesterday, tho president, Professor Benliain, in the cliair. Thereivero also present tho following:—Government nominees, Dr. Chilton, Dr. J. Allan Thomson, and Mr. B. C. Aston (secretary); Wellington Philosophical Society, Professors T. H. Easterfield and H. B. Kirk; Auckland Institute, Mr. D. Petri© and Professor H. W. Segar; Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, Dr. Hilgendorf; Otago'lnstitute, Professor Marshall and Mr. Ct. M. Thomson; Hawke's Bay Plu'losophioal Institute, Mr. H. Hill; Nelson Institute, Dr. L. Cockayne; JlanawatuPliilosophioal Society, Mr. J. W. Poynton; and Wanganni Philosophical Society, Dr. H. R. Hathorloy. President's Address. The president delivered, his opening address, in which ho briefly referred to the eminent services rendered by many scientists who had died during tho past year. Ho touched on the need for ...economy, in the affairs of tho institute, and dwelt at some length on tho need for. research work to aid industry, pointing otit that tho publication in full of the researches was , a necessary complement to the work, for unless this were done the research would be wasted and the money wasted. Tho Government must, of course, nnd the money for' this purpose, and tho publi-. cation should ho in such a form as to bo of value to.the industries. With respect to tho Cawthron bequest for establishing an Instituto of Research, the president stated , that tho trustees of the will had set up a commission' of scientific men to draw up a Tcport as to tho best way in which to carry out the wishes of tho donor. This report of tho commission had not yet been completed, but Professor Benham said that if tho recommendation contained therein wore acted, upon an institute would be established in which .research into certain agricultural problems would bq carried on under a-highly-trained scientific staff. .Jvew Zealand lad made very little progress in the co-operation of science and industry. Certain committees Jiad been set up in the four centres, and m Dunedin ah Institute of Science and Industry had been formed, which had aroused a certain amount of enthusiasm. It bad been the. complaint 111 England among the manufacturers that most of tho ■ young graduates, usually chemists, that had come to them from universities bad been useless, owing to the fact that they had no knowledge- of doing research work on a business scale;- these graduates know nothing of. the special needs of particular work's. Of sucb. matters as tho '■ most . economical way. of production, ■ tho ■ utilisation of waste material or by-products they were ignorant owing to. their lack_ of business training. To get over this difficulty Professor Benham thought that there should be a Central Research. Instituto, under a competent-director, witli business knowledge, and a knowledge of the needs of manufacturers. Hero tho graduate would be set to vrorh out special problems, presented by manufacturers, and then get eomo insight into'the.worlcing of a large concern. The-Minister of Internal Affairs had expressed his intention of calling a conference which it was hoped would result in practical stop's being taken to bring .the results of scientific research into closer relation with some of tho industries. It seemed to him that the 'institute, should take a much niore active .part in urging, the importance of a better training in science, or, rather, in scientific methods in the secondary schools, and in urging on tho industrial community tho need for scientific organisation and co-operation. It should to be to tho institute that tho Government should bo induced to turn for advice and assistance in any matters in which science .might bo involved. He understood that important reports from the British Government were received by the New Zealand Governmei& and referred to a single individual for a report. It seemed*to him that.those reports should bo referred to tho institute as a body. It was as true here as in Britain that few of our politicians had any knowledge of science or what was meant by scientific method, and the members of tho instituto ought to see that this matter was remedied \ys persistent deputations if need he wlien the present grievous time had passed. For instance, tho matter of scientific afforestation was one that demanded immediate* attention, Tho president was accorded .1 vote of thanks for his address, which was ordered to be printed in the "Transactions." ■ ■ Research Work Vote. During the'past session'of Parliament the Minister of Internal Affairs secured a grant of £250 for research work to assist the industries of New Zealand. The instituto was 'authorised, to draw up a.scheme for tlio effective application of thisgrant. The recommendation of tho institute which has been accepted by .the Government provides that preference should be given in tlie first instance to investigations which appear to- have an , economic value, purely scientific investigations to bo by no means excluded—should tlio' topic of research be ...one that . leads to' a direct economic advance,. ' tho iGovernment to xcservo to itself tho right of patenting the discovery and of rewarding the "discoverer. Tlio grant, however, is not to bo regarded in the nature of a prize or reward, but only for meeting out-of-pocket exponses incurred by the research worker. It was announced by tho president that the whole of Hie grant had Wit expended. Reports from Branches. . The various branches of tho institute sent in reports as to the action taken by them in the recent movement to coordinate seienco with industry. Canterbury reported that certain researches with industrial bearings are being undertaken by members of tho institute,-with aid from. the. £2y() grant. These irrrb. on \the phosphate rocks of Canterbury, tlio cold storage of fruit, and tho electrical prevention of frosting in orchards. The council had also made representations for tho encouragement of agricultural researches and-a soil survey of New Zealand. Otago reported tho establishment of an Institute of Industrial Science, and had spent a considerable amount of energy in inducing manufacturers to como forward with needs and problems that may exist 111 thoir lino of business, especially in the. utilisation of waste products, ami had forwarded to the Minister a list of, specific cases of wasto of material now occurring unavoidably in our factories, bufc which would form very suitable subjects for scientific research, provided Government assistance was forthcoming. The. Wellington Society expressed itself in favour of the establishment of a Technical Library.

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

POLICE CASES. Mr. L. 0. Ueid, S.M., presided over tlio' police sido of tho Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. A YOUNG MAN'S LAPSE. Samuel Stanley Howan, a youth nf 18, pleaded guilty to a cliargo of fraudulently omitting to account to his employers, tlio U.S.S. Compauy, for tho sum of £W 6s Detcctive-Serg-eant Cox said that the lad, who lad previously foorno a Rood character, was a junior clerk in tho company's employ, when ho committed the oll'euce. Mr. J. J. Jl'Grath, for tho accused, said that the offenco had arisen out of tho lattor's inability to balancetho cash accoumt, of which ]io was in charge. Ho had not had tho moral courage to tell tho head' cashier of his difficulty, and had finally resorted to making an alteration in his returns. Ho,'had done so with full intention to iuato restitution, but had been discovered and arrested. His Worship said that in view of what the police and counsel for tho acoueed had said ho was quite willing to givo the boy o. chance. Honan was convicted and. ordered to come- u/p for sontenco when called upon to do so. i OTHER CASES. For insobriety, Wm. Henry W.atterson, Michael Lcouara, James Butcher, and Alexander Hayes were each fined 10s., with tho alternative of '18 hours' imprisonment. Murdoch M'lntosh, who had been found helplessly drunk in Lambton Quay, was ordered to pay medical expenses amounting to 355. Augustus Webster was convicted of attempting to commit suicide at Johnsonville by cutting his thjwt. His rasli act, said Inspector Hencrrey, had been the result of despondency, duo to illhealth. His Worship ordered Webster to cotno up for eentenco when called ■upon to do so. CIVIL CASES. Mr. W. G. Biddell, S.M., presided over tho civil business. Judgment by default of defendants ■was given for plaintiffs in the following cases:—Medallion Art Co. v. Kathleen Turner, ,£2 19s. 2d. and costs 125.; F. Crossley v. 8. Malono, .£3 4s. and 125.; Wm. Campboll, Ltd., v> G. S. Falla, .£7 I2s. Bd. and £1 3s. Cd.; Edward , Jno. Benge v. Bert. Ward, £1 17s. and 55.; Wright, Stophenson and Co., Ltd., 'v. Lou Hoon<r Bros., £48. ips.and £2 Us.; A. Norman Jones v. Mrs. T.' W. Price, 41 19s. and 85.,-11. G. Dim and Co., as assignees of New Zealand Brushware Co., v. Dominion Hardware Co-., costs 10s.; Chapman, Skorrett, Tripp,. and Blair v. Adam Waugh, .£72 6s. 10d. and £i 155.; •J. B. Clarkson and Co., Ltd., v. C.Blake, £1 19s. 9d. and 55.; Hettv Olsen v. W. G. Thompson, £12 15s. and .fils 11s. 6d.; John Griflitlis v. Duncan and Abbot and Hugh Maguire, ;£27 14s. Bd. and £2 17s. JUDGMENT SUMMONSES. Judgment summons cases were dealt with as follow: —Leslie King was ordered, to pay John Dinneen .£1 17s. by February 27, or serve 48 hours' imprisonment; J. Marshall was ordered to pay Edward Collie, Ltd., .£4 18s. 6d. by February 13, or servo 4 days' imprisonment; Harold White was ordered to pay Wm. M'Goldrick £i 9s. by ' February 13, or serve 4 days' imprisonment.