N.Z. INSTITUTE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 113, 30 January 1918, Page 6

N.Z. INSTITUTE

ANNUAL MEETING OF BOARD

CALL FOR SCIENTIFIC HiSSJSAIttjH The annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the iNew Zealand Institute was opened yesterday in the library of the Dominion Museum. Professor Benham, F.R..S. (president), was in tho chair, and there were also present Dr. J.' Alan Thomson, and Messrs. B. O. Aston and O. A. E.ven (nominees oi the Government), .Professor Kirk and Mr. G. Hogben (Wellington Philosophical Society), Professor Segar and Professor ! Thomas (Auckland Institute), Dr. Hilgendorf and Mr. Berks (Philosophical Institute of Canterbury), Mr. G. M. Thomson and Mr. E. J. Parr (Otugo Institute), Mr. H. Hill (Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute). Dr. L. Cockayne (Nelson Institute), Mr. M. A. Eliott (Manawatu (Philosophical Society), and Dr. P. Marshall (Wanganui Philosophical Society). Dr. C. Chilto'i (Otago Institute) was granted leave of absence. Scientific Research. The in the course of his address, said there would be placed before tho meeting a summary of the Bteps taken by the Standing Committee to elaborato a scheme for the co-ordin-ation of scientific and industrial research. He trusted that this matter would not be allowed to rest, and thai) cfi'orts would be made to persuade the Government to encourage in every way possible the prosecution of scientific research, pure and applied. Britain had been very slow to realise the importance of science, and it was only now, as the result of the urgent appeals of scientific men in Britain since the commencement of the war, that the British Government had established a department of scientific and industrial re-sr-arch with an endowment of £1,000,000. Since the war began the public had been awakened to the fact that all our present needs in ordinary life were the outcome of discoveries mado by- scientific men in their laboratories, j aiid several books had been published j impressing upon the public that much of the backwardness in the British Empire was due to inadequate recognition, financial and social, of scientific research. In New Zealand there was need for a constant reminder of thoso facts. The councils of tho University Colleges must be urged again and again to make proper provision for carrying i on researches in pure science. { At the recent meeting of tho University Senato a letter had been received from one of the professors of chemistry, pointing out that it was better to provide adequate trained assistants to the professors, who would thus be relieved of some of tho routine work, and might then be ablo to devote time I to research than to award scholarships to graduates. This was certainly true, and it was necessary that greater encouragement should be given to graduates to continuo their studies in the university colleges and to leany' how to carry' out research work. The. national research scholarships, providing. £100 a year for two years, wero not sufficient to attract students unless they had independent means. If the colleges had the funds to provide adequato payments to their own assistants and demonstrators, a certain number of young men would be retained at tho colleges aiid trained in research'as well as in teaching. , . Tho Standing Committee, in its annual report, stated that the institute had this year completed its fiftieth year of activity. Tho committeo recommended that, owing to tho war, any recognition of the jubilee be postponed untif a more convenient season. A most important feature in tho history of the' institute was the appeal from | the Government National Efficiency i Board for advice on tho relation or j scientific and industrial research to national efficiency. On June 7, 1917, a letter from the chairman (Mr. W. I'erguson) of the National Efficiency Board was received by the committee, asking its advice and suggesting that the committeo. should, hold a special meeting to consider tho subject. A special committee was set up to carry out the request, as already reported to Parliament. . The report of tho committee was adopted. Some discussion followed regarding the financial position of tho institute, and the need of additional funds for tho publication of the "Transactions. It was decided to maintain the levy of 2s. 6d. per volume towards the cost of publication, and to urge the Government to increase its grant from ioUO to £750 annually. A Minister's Address. The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell) attended the meeting and was welcomed by the presiMr. Russell said he realised that the Dominion of New Zealand ought to increase the amount of money it was spending on science and scientific research. The institute was doing very valuable work, and he had been surprised to find that the annual grant of £500 made to it by the Government had not been increased since 1868. He hoped the Government would realise fully its responsibility for the encouragement of science. He intended to place before Cabinet a proposal to increase the grant substantially on clearly defined lines. Cabinet'had still before it the report submitted by a committee of the institute to the. National Efficiency Board, and he believed that tho report would provide the basis for the establishment of a really effective board of science a ud ! industry in New Zealand. His own idea I was that Parliament should he asked i each year to voto a special sum to be used in providing improved equipment for the four university laboratories, and also the Dominion T.nlwtory. The time had come for Sow Zealand to face seriously the. pro'ilcw of utilising byproduct's mid crc:iHn<j, secondary liidush tries. The country could not, count upon mniiitniniiiß and extending its prosperity through the primary products alone, aiid sciencn must be nrnui'lir. to the aid of industry. There should be a large industrial population, capable of producing many of the nrticlos that were now imported, and of umii" locnllv much of tho raw materia] tli!>t"New Zealand could supply. He hud no doubt that development of this nnturo- and the advancement; of pontine research, we're going to be assisted materially by what the Government had clone and would do in the harnessing of tlic Dominion's abundant water power The amount of water-power that could be dnveloned was enormous, and ita use would cheapen production, save coal, and obviate a ftrent deal of industrial trouble. The Government shoukUuso every "effort to hasten this development. . The field of work for the scientific investigator in New Zealand was very widn indeed. The sea fisheries offeree: food and wenlth that science could assist to make available. There was still need for much work" in connection with the treatment of flax. Ho would like to sen competent men investigating the possibility of using the hill flax that "rew so'plentifully in the interior of the North Island. Then New Zealand ought to be using its own clays and coal to produce earthenware, which was now in short supnly owing to the stoppage of imports. Search should be mado for suitable clays. The Dominion's petroleum fields should be investigated and the prospecting of the mineral areas should be expedited. Then scientific research was required to bring into full productivity the so-call-

Ed poor lands. Applied science could prove that there was not much useless land in New Zealand. Mr. Russell added that the institute could bo assured that its recommendations would receive the fullest and most sympathetic consideration from every member of the Government. The board sat during the afternoon and dealt with various matters. Dr. Cockayne was elected president for the ensuing y?ar. The meeting will be resumed at 9.30 a.m. to-day.