CAWTHRON INSTITUTE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 32, 1 November 1919, Page 8

CAWTHRON INSTITUTE

WHAT IT MEANS TO NEW ZEALAND

PROF. T. H. EASTERFIELD'S APPOINTMENT

Professor Easterfield, who has been appointed to the office of director of the Cawthron Institute, has forwarded his resignation to the Council of tho Victoria College University. Professor Easterfield states that tho new appointment will give him opportunities to do work of a research character which ho has not been able to do in Wellington, and whilst he confessrethat teaching has been no drudgery in his case, there will, he hopes, be opportunities in Nelson to comi>ensato him for the certain pleasure he had derived in his professorial capacity at Victoria College. The work of the instituto is one of tho greatest national importance, and nothing should be done to in any way hamper or restrict the operations of the Trust. If only one discovery were niado in respect to agricultural development or one which would help to grant immunitv from a diseaso in the crops, how could its value 'be computed? Who could place a value on the work done by Pasteur for the viticultural industry of Europe? He saved tlie wine industry for France. A rut who could attempt to compute the value of the discoveries of Faraday to the wnole world? New Zealand has not had much chance in the past to do research work thoroughly, but I in the Cawthron Institute there will be 1 possibilities. Professor Easterfield anticipates that he will not be able, to leave Wellington until late in April, 'as the College Council would probably have to appoint a successor from England. Furthermore, he, as a rule, worked with his next years honours men throughout the summer vacntion. and coald not, of course, see tlieni stranded. Speaking of the institute, Professor Easterfield said that a 20-aere site had been secured for the buildings grounds, where the two roads to Richmond met-a charming elevated and well-wooded bit of country , which rverlooks T-isman Bay nnd die Waimea Plains, and there he hoped to create a hivo of scientific industry which would have a very real and certain value to the district and New Zealand generally. The will of the late Mr. Thomas Cawtihron was a peculiar one. The clause which bhe Institute is based on is a brief one: — T wiil and bequeath all other real and personal property belon»inir to me unto Ttlie trustees ] all in trust—and who are all also to be. the executors of tin's my will—for the purchase of land and erection and maintenance of an Industrial and Technical School Institute and Mu-sri.-n to be called tlie Cawthron In-

sl.it ute. This paragraph had to be considered carefully, and to do that a commission was set up. The commission w;>s a private commission directed by the trustees lo Sir James Crfenny Wilson, president of the Board of Agriculture; Dr. W. B. Benham. M.A.. D.Sc., F.Z.S.. F.R.S., president of Mie New Zealand Institute. Professor of Biology in tho University of Otagu. and Curator of the. ntap'fi University Museum; Professor T. JT. JJasterfield. XI.A.. Ph.D., V.T.C., F. 0.5.. Professor of Chemistry in Victoria University College, ellington; Dr. P. Marshall,- M.A.. ,D.Se„ F.G.S., F.R.G.S., then Professor of Gcologv and Mineralogy in (he University of Otero; Dr. F. V'. Worley. M.A., D.Sc., F.C.S , Profe>sor of Chemfsfry in University College Auckland; and Dr. Leonard Cockayne. Ph.D.. F.L.S., 0,5., widely known for his work in connection with systematic and economic botany and botanical research. The commission decided;—" That the wishes of tho late Thomas Cawlhrnri will be mast suitably given effect to by tho establishment of an institute, in or near the ciflv of Nelson, to be calle f ; the Cawfilivnn Institute. That a museum illustrative in the widest sense of (he industrie:. of Nelson provincial district be an inteiral part of the institute. That the chief scope of the work of the institute should be instruction in and performance of scientific research, as suggested bv the trustees; such research to be definitely, related to the industries of Xel=on, and of the Dominion, Tlsit inasmuch a-s hrliciilhmi is an ( J is likely to Temain for many rears the most important industry both' of Nelson and of the Dominion, the research work should in the first instance bear, chiefly upon (ihis_ industry and in particular upon fruifcrowing. That provision should, however, be made, as funds permit, for systematic research on other subjects, e.g.. the chemistry plivsifs and biology of soils, tho development of forest including reafforestation. Hie utilisation of clays anil other minerals. Mm fishing industry, and such other subjects as may from time to time be deemed important and worthy of study.

"We helieve that an institution upon flits plan would have a moot important bearing on the material welfare and eduontional progress of Nelson, and of th° 'Dominion. It'would lie an industrial anil technical school ''i the true sense of the word. taac'iiino: effpctivclv the application of science to our naKo'ip.'! industries. Hitlwto research work in New' Zealand has been to a larsre extent of a «pasniodic nature. Members of the staffs of onr university col'c.?p«. Government officer*. stmlmils and others bnvj devoted such of thoiy time as could be snared from routine wort- to filie ce.rrvinq; out of scient'tV investigation, but there has been in New Zealand no inslitulioii in irliieh properly orctmised research '>as heen f''« mam function of the iiifti'uition. We do not desire to under''<ite II"? value of the results hitherto obtained, and we appreciate to th" full th» diiPenlI'os u"dov v. ilich New Zoahnd iti'-estisrn-tor.« have as a rule curried onM'lieir ■vvoi'V. l>ut wo helieve (innlv that in an institution ilosifrued, oouiniwl, financed and organised for -cipnlific research results can he far more etl'ect.ivelv obtained thau under (lie hnnhaza>l system at present P'evnilin?. We desire to emphasise the educational importance of an institute such as we are recommondinst. We consider that the value of research n« a factor in education has heen ouite insufficiently recognised in New Maud and throughout the British Empire." When application was m-ido to the Sunremo Court for certain intei'Drotaiions, Mr. .Tustice Chapman, referring to the commissio's report, sn'd: "T think (lie scheme indicated by the report may be described as both comprehensive and elastic and mav ho characterised as one which the trustees could adopt ivith great indv.Hll.lffe both to Nelson and- to tho Dominion, if it falls within 11'" pterins of (he trust declared by (li« will. One imnorlant interpretation of the Court was that respectin'r the nomination of the trustees in (lie will. J lie Com'!: decided that in reirard to those nominated sininly ns 'Mayor of kelson, chairnmn of the Harbour Ronrd, M.l . for Nelson Bishop of Nolson. and chairman of tlm Waimea County Council, the absenco of the words "for (he time bein" " indicated that such nci'son* were In be the trustees during their lifetime. The tru=l«fs. then, are Bishop fcsimier, Messrs W TTnrlev. IT. Duncan, T. A. TT l ? ield M.l'.. Horatio K-verilt, and W. limit, iun. 'the latter bejiiu (he only trustee nominated by name. The «el'eroe recommended by the commission in V"" nml admit pd by the trustees of the Cawthro" Trust is described b.v Mr. Justice IMiiir,', in a judgment delivered in .Tulv last, as "a coimivehensivo and clastic one. and one which I lie trustees could adept wit h jjreat ndvantaso lo Nelson and the Dominion." The oili"f scene of the work of llic inslilnte is lo b/> scientific research definitely related to the i»diislries of Ne|.o;i and 'the Dominion. The s(amn duties riaid hv Hit- I rust''"" amounted to no less suui than .ftO.fifln. In v'ew -f the national clini'.icter of (ho work In bo 111,d»rlal;"ii, a depii.tnlimi of scionHic men and others is ro wait unon Cabinet at i).in a.m. to-day to remiest that an annual «iihsid.v o; .titWO he ''aid to the intitule. Sinn beiuir - r ' per cent, on tho amount Inken from tho Trust through th" inii'iuui of death duties. The folloivinsr l»b' n nhow the financial nnsition of the Cnwlliroii Trit=l in August last, and the tialurc of (he inveslmenls.' Rank deposits 10,0*10 Debentures 20,000 '

AV;ir Loan Bonds 10,000 Mortgages 1G(3,204 Institute* site r>,075 Observatory land o'iU Cash in bank 1,M3

APPEAL FOR SUBSIDY. A request for a subsidy for the Cnv* thron Institute was m;;dc to the Government yesterday by a deputation representative of the sajiciiUfic and commercial interests of tin.- Dominion. The deputation was introduced by Mr. T. A. H. Field, member for Nelson, where the instituto is situated. The request wis for a subsidy of .£2OOO per annum, this lieiiijf at the rate of 5 per cent, on the amount of paid us death dut:es on the Cawthron bequest, Tlie speakers for the deputation were the Bishop of Nelson, Professor Easterfield (director of the institute), the Hon. 0. M. Thomson, and Mr. 11.- Mainland (president cf tin' Wellington Industrial Association). A3l the speakoii: urged that the work to be undertaken at the institute would be of the utmost, importation to the primary nnd secondary industries of the countn-. iind it was pointed out partieu. larl.v that the capital fund available would provide an income of just about £2M',I less tlinn wn* required to do the work which it was desired should be done in the institute. Mr. .Massev siid that there was nothing dfoerriiig of more encouragement than the work that the institute proposed to undertake. The request, in elfeet, was that the death duties which had been charged on the bequest should »e remitted, but if die duties were In be remitted in one ease t.bc-y would ha.va to 1» remitted in :< number of cases, in all of them, in fact. Mr. -Field w'd that it li.nl oeen don# this year in the Howard Est)!/: Bit:, passed this session. ~ , iMr. M.issev said that he could not recollect all the terms of this Bill. Tie went on to speak of tlie great deraniirfj upon the finances of the countrj, and lie said that he conl' 1 promise no more at. the present tuno 'ban that the matter would receive the sympathetic attention of Cabinet. . , Sir James Allen, as Minister ol Finance, had e litt.e more to say to 111" deputation about the finances of the conntrv. He said that the Supplementary Estimates had yet to come down, and they had already mounted up to much more than' the balance available to meet them. It had apparently been the hope of the last Minister of Finance that it would be possible this year to reduce taxation, wlixh was pressing heavily upon somo industries, but it fiflu not been possible to do so. Indefd, so far as he could see, th» or remitting taxation next year were fairly remote. In these eh-cums-lanees it was thf dutv of the Government to ascertain what were the most Mment of the needa of thp country would bo asked to help tiniates. In v:-ow of these facts he could not see how the request of the deputation cou'd be acceded to this yror. Next year lie hoped, to be able to eliminate from the Estimates certain items which were not of so great importance a? the work of scientific research to be done in the Cawthron Tpstitute. The National Efficiency Board had made a recommendation in favour of .tht enccurngenwnfc of scfontifip- aud it would be the duty of the Government in the. future to decidt. liuw til's could be done. He lwd uo doubt that tho Cawthron liißt.iV.nte niul the universities of tho country would I>d asked to liolp in the work, and of course they would be given financial assistance.