INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 128, 24 February 1919, Page 4

INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE

EVIDENCE IN DUNEDIN. By Teleffraph-Preeß Association. Dunedin, February 22. Before the Industries Committee to-day Professor Jack advocated the claims of research and closer union between science and industry by the absorption of science students into industry.

Professor Benham suggested as a. means of extending the School of Mines in materials, a testing laboratory, and an assay and metallurgical department. The extensive coal areas of Otago had never been mapped out in detail, and the occurrence of tungsten and wolfram on Stewart Island had never been surveyed in detail. „, Mr. C. Mitchell, of the Otago Paper Mills, advocated protective, duties on a number of lines required by his industry. Printing paper, he said, could be made in New Zealand, but could not be produced in normal times cheaply enough to compete with the imported article. Mr. J. E. Mac-Mann* said that soldiers on the bush settlements in South Otago were encouraged to destroy large quantities of valuable timber, for which no market was available, in order to provide grass. He strongly criticised the Government's policy in the selection of the settlements for soldiers and the conditions of tenure.' The carrying capacity of a great deal of cheap leasehold ! land should'be definitely, ascertained. He contended that there was still a great deal too much aggregation. .