OUR INDUSTRIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 118, 12 February 1919, Page 8

OUR INDUSTRIES

THE NEED FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SPECIAL BOARD SUGGESTED THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY The Industries Committeo of Parliament set up to inquire into matters tending to benefit and encourage tho industries of the Dominion continued its Wellington session yesterday. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (chairman of the committee) presided. The firet evidence heard by the committee was that tendered by Dr. J. A. Thomson, as a member of the Board of Governors of tho New Zealand Institute. Dr. Thomson enid that practically the only one of tho Allied countries at,war which, had not established an organisation to bring scienco into closer touch with industry was New Zealand. The question of scientific research with regard to the maintenance, development, and establishment of industries was one of those referred by the Government to Hio National Efficiency Board. The board had asked the New Zealand Institute to prepare a scheme to that effect, and submit it to them. The institute set up a committee in Wellington, consisting not only of members of the Wellington Philosophical Society, but also of the heads of all tho Government scientific Departments, and representatives of the University, and they had before them the schemes which had been prepared in other parts. After incorporating as.far as possible opinions given throughout New Zealand by various branches of the institute, the committee evolved what might bo looked on as the well-consider-ed opinion of all the scientific men of New Zealand.

.There was a feature of the British Department of Science and Industry_ which the institute had incorporated in its scheme, and which was the only feature of the scheme to which any exception had been taken so far. That feature was a clause setting forth that tlio board for Scientific Kesearch which the institute wished to see established should be a. trust to administer public and othej funds Riven for the purpose for which /it was constituted, 'and that an adequate sum (not less than .£IOO,OOO should be invested in trust) to encourage the carrying on of scientific research work in the Dominion. One of the reasons for proposing the establishment of a trust was that scientific investigation of a difficult nature might extend over \several years, and a board could not etart a proper ■programme and carry it out unless its finances were absolutely assured. , The institute recommended that for the first five years the finances •of the board should not be subject to any amendment bv'Parliament, though'.they should be only audited. The feeling upon the matter was' very strong. Tha institute maintained that the problems of New Zealand demanded tho whole time of men' over a series of years, and the work must offer some solid inducements before the right men could be got to engage in it-, , Getting tho Rinht Men.

A-member: Why could we not Ret tho scientific work done by the scientific men wo aro already paying in the Government Departments?—" Those men aro ail paid for definite work, but very fow for work in connection with industry." Tn amplifying his answeir, Dr. Thomson said* that men engaged in scientific research required to be as free as possible from all administrative duties. What the institute wanted was not to create new buildings and laboratories; but to utilise all tho existing laboratories and to have a board which would bring tho 'University and the Government Departments into line with each other. • Mr. Hornsby: Is it not a- fact that at present we.lose time to time men who go to other countries and become famous, ninny of them leading men in the scientific'world, through having no such opportunity as yon wish to present under this board ?-"Yes, undoubtedly, though-of course even with a hoard we could not hope to hold them a 11 . ,- Mr. Hudson: Is the future at present sufficiently clear to induce a father to advise' his son to take up the kind ol work you speak of?—"It is not at present." , „ ' You hope-to be able to mate it sufficiently clear to induce men-to with the object of making it their lifetime's work?—" The position has improved so much in England owing to the new attitude in regard to science that it is bound to be reflected out here. There will be careers in the future to an extent such as there have never been in tho V \ir. Luke: Is there any great desire to have separate local advisory committees, Dr. Thomson '-"There is a very strong feeling in the other centres aramst having the board centralised in Wellington. They consider that it would be nucli better to have local boards dealing with tli«. the provinces. \sked whether the New Zealand Institute reinforced by a member from each one of the universities would not approximate, the ideal council to further research in sciepce and industry, Dr. Thomson renlieri that, such a body would do very well if nothing more than nn ■advisory council of scientific men to con : trol researches .were wanted. The ordmavy university professor was not, however, an industrial man. What was wanted wns industrial representation on the board. And men who would give the whole ot their time to tho work. Work of the Institute. Dγ Cockayne, president of the New Zealand Institute, addressed the committee upon tho work of the institute. Hβ endeavoured to show the value wnich the country was receiving from the, institute as a return for a grant of ,£SOO a year from the Government. The institute was still getting only =6500 a year, notwithstanding that the population of New Zealand had greatly increased, that the number of workers had greatly increased, and the quality of their work had also greatly improved. The: witness spoke at some length upon tho value of researches' in pure science, and emphasised the manner in which these were required to lay the foundations of the most important practical j works. . I Waned-A Scientific Spirit. "The country does not know what it has lost owing to the lack of a spirit of science throughout the country," said Professor T. H. Easterfield, tho next, witness, "and one cannot help comparing tlie British Empire thero with Germany, which undoubtedly lias prostituted science, but has appreciated what science can do. You could not go to a place tlie size of Wellington' in Germany without finding twenty-five or thirty really expert chemists—not all experts in the same branch of chemistry, but men among whom you could obtain really good scientific advice on any branch of chemistry you'wanted. The number of scientific chemists in Wellington is exceedingly small, but I suppose it is bigger than tho number in any other part of- New Zealand. That arises chiefly from tlie fact that people do not know what science can do for them. Someono will say to that, 'We are always willing to get a scientific man to give us advice when we have got into a corner, , but science would have kept them from getting into the corner at all. Wo aro in the position of talking in this scheme of distributing, and of training up the men. Had we been peoplo with an appreciation of science, those men would have been trained, and something would have been found for them to do, just ns we find salaries for military men in peace-time. Wo may say that it. is moro by luck than pood management that this (Hug did not lead ■, us into a very much worse position than j wo have actually been in during the war." •

Professor Easterfield proceeded lo state that Now Zealand's men of ecionco were known throughout the vorld, and lie instanced many names of New Zealanders now honourably associated with important scientific institutions in other countries. "Tho loss .of these people," he said, "is yery largely title* to a lack of apnrecintio'n- of science here." The remaimlor of the professor's remarks wero addressed to tho institute's scheme for a hoard to encourage research. Mr. Lulce: Are you convinced, pi'ofesBor, tlmt.tlio. setting up of this board

and of the local advisory councils would lie tho best thing in the. interests of the industries of the .Dominion?—"l see no better way." Asked by Mr. Sidey what recommendation ho would advise the committeo to make with regard to the production of alcohol from wood, Professor Ensterfield said that lie would suggest that tho committee recommend very full inquiries in connection with all processes that had beon tried. ' Cigarettes, Hats, and Toys. George Craig, Assistant Comptroller of Customs, was called to give evidence as to Customs tariff and excise duty on cigarettes. Ho said that the protection given to cigarettes made by machinery in bond in New Zealand from imported lent' was Gs. 9d. per thousand. If the cigarettes were made by machinery in bond from New Zealand-grown tobacco, the protection vn\s 11s. 9ri. per thousand. The, duty on cigarettes made by hand in bond from imported raw leaf was made up as. follows:—lmport duty, 2s. per lb., and excise duty, 4s. per lb.; totalling Gs. per II). or. 15s. per thousand. Therefore the protection given to cigarettes made by hand in bond was 10s. Gd. per thousand when the. cigarettes were made from imported leaf, and 15s. 6d. when they were made from New Zealandgrown tobacco.

A member: What does the expression "Made in bond" mean?—"A bond is a factory that is licensed by the Customs Department to manufacture these goods prior to payment of duty." After consultation with the witness, the chairman read to the committee the folio wing comparative statement on the matter:—"The duty on ordinary cigarettes manufactured in the United Kingdom is Bs. Gd. in Australia and 10s. 3d. in New Zealand. The duty on imported leaf is the same in both places, 2s. The excise duty on cigarettes manufactured within the country by machinery is 4s. 6d. in Australia and ss. (id. in New Zealand, which gives the Australian manufacturer a preference of 25., and the Now Zealand manufacturer a preference of 'Is. 9d. per lb. On hand-made cigarettes in Australia there is an excise duty to the maker of 4s. 3d. per lb., and in New Zealand of 4s. per 11). The preference to the maker in Australia is 2s. 3d. and to the maker in New Zealand Is. 3d." Mr. Wilkinson observed that in view of the evidence given by cigarette manufacturers a few days b'el'ore, the question for the committee to decide would bo whether it ought to recommend a further preference of Is. Gd. per lb. to the local manufacturer when there was already a preference of 2s. 9d. in New Zealand as compared with 2s. in Australia. The witness also gave tho committee information as to .the. tariff on hats in Australia and New« Zealand.

■ Mr. Hornsby suggested, that it might be.possible to have a sliding scale of duties on hats, eo that if. the local manufacturers' prices rose, as a result of an increased imposition on imported lwits, the duties could fall, and so prevent the local manufacturers from taking advantage, of the public. The witness gave statistics regarding the importation of toys and fancy goods into New Zealand. He said that the total viluo imported in 1918 .was British fancy goods and toys, JJ67,0(1f1; and others, Tho value of the importations from Japan was .£'61,000, and from U.S.A. ,633,000. Mr. Craig said that if such stuff as woollen materials for the manufacture of toys could be cut in such a way that fliey could not be used for anything but toy-mnking, the Department would be prepared to recommend tiiat they be duty free. This view would apply'only to materials that could not be made in Sew Zealand. . . Mr. Luke: Could that be done by regulation?—" Yes." Various Propositions, Professor Eastorfield was again before the committee at tho afternoon session. Questioned upon (ho distillation of oil from tho residue o£ coal, he said that uniess a good sale could be found for the gas and tho coke produced in the process, the proposition did not seem to bo a commercial one. "The prico of sulphuric acid in New Zealand is, I think, something that tho committee would do well to look into," said the professor, in passing on to the question of other manufactures. Sulpliurio acid was used in almost every branch of chemical manufacture. 'Before' the war the largo consumers (he thought) had it at. ten guineas per ton on the wharf. That was too high a commercial price for a number of manufactures that depended largely .on the use of sulphuric acid.

A member:). That was b?foro the war? -"I think you will find it is probably twenty now." . The chairman asked whether the witness considered that oil-prospecting was justified by probable results, and whether, if it was justified, it was a matter for the State to take-up. The professor, said that it was the duty of the State to develop its industries, and to prospect, but there should l>o an understanding beforehand with regard to improved value. When any particular district which was barren was by a particular method of treatment mad'd to become prosperous country, there should be a email research tax 'upon the whole of tho area, because of 'the improved value.

Mr. Hornsby asked a question upon a statement made by Dr. 'Thomson as to the* value of the clay and limestone deposits in New Zealand. Professor fasterfield said that the clay would be of immense value in future when the country required large quantities of refractory materials, such as firebricks. "I be', lieve," he observed, "that we in New Zealand are unusually blessed with good firebrick material, though I -suppose we import as much firebrick as we need. We ought to make our own fire-clay goods, I believe." „ . ~ '