STEADY WORK

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 99, 21 January 1935, Page 8

STEADY WORK

National Government in Britain ‘HAS DONE VERY WELL’ Deserves to Hold Office For Further Five Years An eminent scholar who arrived at Wellington last evening by the New Zealand Shipping Company’s liner Remuera from London was Professor W. E. S. Turner, 0.8. E., D.Sc. (Loud.), M.Sc. (Birmingham), F.lnst.P., professor of glass technology at the University of Sheffield since 1920, and president of the International Commission for Glass Technology. Professor Turner is accompanied, by his wife, and will tour both islands in the course of a three or four weeks’ holiday in the Dominion. “I was supposed to forget everything about my profession while on this holiday, but now I am here I suppose I will see something of glass while in New Zealand,” Professor Turner said in an interview with “The Dominion.” Formerly, he added, there were two firms domiciled in New Zealand, the Southern Cross Company, Ashburton, and the Australian Glass Manufacturers, Auckland, who were members of the Society of Glass Technology, of which he was the founder. Benefits of Protection. Discussing the position of the glass industry at Home, Professor Turner said that in regard to domestic glass,, inasmuch as its manufacture depended iu a large measure on hand labour, the economic conditions and low wages which had developed in Europe had made successful competition most difficult. Without arguing on the merits _of tariffs, Professor Turner said that without a doubt the change in the economic position of the country in 1931 iu respect of the gold standard and the pro-

tective measures introduced had meant that there was uow a new spirit in that branch of the industry. Where it Had suffered considerably from want of capital, money was now being extended in extensions and in new plant. The position was now much better than it had been for probably 25 years, omitting, of course, the war years, when there had been obvious protection. Speaking of the new spirit now evident in British national life generally, Professor Turner traced it back to 1931. In 1931 England bad decided to face the position. Any man who took stock of himself and found things not as they should be usually made good and lie thought that applied to the nation as well, The National Government on the whole had done very well. It had to be remembered that it was always far easier to criticise than to put forward .a constructive policy. The National Government had done steady, progressive work, and might well be allowed to go on for another period of five years nt least, he considered. Social Conditions Improve. Slum clearance was proceeding very actively and was one of the most prominent. features of the Government’s policy at the present time. There was a general improvement in .social conditions. Professor Turner, whose recreations are walking, mountaineering and travel. has travelled very widely in his position as president of the International Commission on Glass Technology. He knows the United States of America fairly well, and has visited most of the countries of Europe. He described himself as a ' holiday amateur climber” and would most certainly see something of the Mount Cook region while in the South Island. In the North Island he will visit Rotorua and hopes to see something of New Zealand country life on the farm of a friend, Mr. T. H. Hampshire, Cambridge, Waikato. After going through New Zealand he will also go on to Australia. He is visiting both countries for tho first time. “It is really delightful to come over 11,000 miles to New Zealand and see on the wharf just the sort of folk one might have left at the other end,” he said. He had met numbers of New Zealanders at different times, and it had always seemed to him that they were almost more English than the English. Distinguished Career. Professor Turner, who was educated at the University of Birmingham, has had a distinguished career. At Birmingham lie was a university research scholar in chemistry and Elirhardt research prizeman. He was appointed. lecturer in physical chemistry, University of Sheffield, 1904. organiser of the department of glass technalogy, 1915, was secretary of the Society of Glass Technology, 1916-1922, and president from 1922 to 1924. His numerous publications include 300 scientific papers dealing with problems in physical chemistry and glass technology. He is editor of the journal of the Society of Glass Technology and of the “Glass Review.”