RESEARCH CONTACT

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1932, Page 14

RESEARCH CONTACT

SCIENCE AND THE PAEM

IMPERIAL BUREAUX

r <Fr?i" "T.^e .Post's" Bepr.esentative,),: .1- . : .liONDdN,'lßth November. ; /A story % -of smooth rand successful working of an imperially-controlled 'arid'.firianeed prganisatipn-is toid in. the second, annual. report of the Imperial Agxiculturai ; Bureaus "-. (H;M.' : 'sta-tioheryy-Ofuce). The eight bureaux are controlled by an: executive council on which all the Dominions are represented—the new chairman, Mr. F. L McDougall, C.M.G., , represents Aus-tralia-rr-and the funds are provided joinyy by the Dominions, the colonies, and the home country. : I'The.object of the bureaux is to act as clearing-houses of'; information in the field of agricultural .science, and to keep, Empire research workers in touch .with each other and with the latest scientific advances in other countries. . By the end of March, 1931, the mailing lists of the bureaux contained over 2000 names to whom bureaux publications were being sent for the most part free or in exchange for scientific literature. Both., the council and the officers of the bureaux (says the report) desire to supply information to research workers in the Empire as cheaply and easily as possible. On financial grourids.'however, the council have decided thatlimi^ must be placed on free distribution.' SClie^ liinits-■yatjr' with the'difierent sciences-rand journals, arifl on the whole,'will Jeave a wide free,di^rjbutio|j. None.the less it is reasonaljje |o expecj; that,/ taking the journals,'as.Ja whole, t]je; greater, part of the costs of printjng^arij circulation may; be recouped by sales, especially iii the case:pfthe'krger!arid more experisive.,jourfla|s, for which i fa}rly' wi^e circulation;: may be ' ariticipat^d.: In T structipns ha'veV'thereforej been .given to print'^;,price on publications issued by the; bureaux. This general policjr:jof the' cpunciliwas discussea ' with arid endorsedpby. the scientific advisers, atteriaing ;:the' Imperial .Conference: in October^ J930.''.". :; . ;" '.',_ •". '.- ..".■'," .; -- ,'•„ :-";': ? ■^--'riNANpEi .'■ -:.'';' >:•;■■. ■ 'Annual coritributipns: now amquat to £19iS43i->as'-;xompared'''v\vi'tii' £19/795 in,: the- previous year. '.Total c'ontritrai tipns rcceiivied in the year amounted' to £ 22,282 r 10s, made ap;, of> the /£19,845 annual, cbntributioris and. £2437 10s outsfaiding fr0m!1929-30,' "The: miscellaneous leceipts of -£14il!, 6s 4d con^ sist entirely' of -interest'- received -within the year. ; -The'council is~; gratified to . note that .in view pi the, - of the work undertaken by the ■ council and the character of its funds, the Inland, Eeveriue Department,'- of the United Kingdom have: decided to refund income tax deducted froni dividends on the council's investments.. As .a. result: £4X 5s deducted from, the dividends reeevied in 1930-31 will be recoyered in the year 1931-32 and will appear in the a'cepunts of that year. Expenditure in tho year.' has increased by : £'6466 9s Sd;: reflecting the result of -the first complete year in which-all- the bureaux- have beei.at work.; Though .additions :to staff will; be few, expenditure will -continue to grow with theiierease in the work of the bureaux, • arid in connection witt the systematic distribution of information.1 As the' result of, the: year's working! £5071 17s 3d. was added "to'the: balance 'at the credit: of the, council,; bringing-up the credit -balance at the end: of the year to *11j547'-2s 3d, of which £10,768 0s Bd--was invested in "United Kingdom securities; as a reserve, bringing in an annual return at the rate 0f'4.27 per cent. The care exercised by directors over- expenditure has largely' aided the formation of this reserve,, which' will be of great: use in the future. ' .;■"; 'SPEOIAL CONEERENOES,'. • Three : special " conferences ' were' organised by the bureaux during the year,'dealing with Soil Science, Animal Health, and Fruit Production. • These were an outstanding success. Several officers attached to the bureaux haVe toured one or:more of the' Dominions to' establish; personal contact with research workers. :. _Thr«e of the bureaux—-those dealing with Animal' Genetics at Edinburgh, Plant--Genetics at 'AberystWyth, and Animal Health at: Weybridge—now issue "regular" journals containing abstracts; of new: and important research papers and bibliographies of publications, in foreign as-well as in Empire countries. , ; ■ .-." ; These bureaux provide a worKing" model- of-practical Empire-co-operation.; A' resolution was adopted by tho Imperial -Conference emphasising that they provided a "notable precedent for action.-; on. a true: Commonwealth basis." For the ensuing two years the council has elected Mr. F. L. ; McDougall, C.M.G., as -.chairman,-.and'Sir Charles Howell Thomas, X.C.8.,' as vice-chair-man.; r . ~...-'. ■ ... - . .' . ... ; ' .' New Zealand representative on the. executive council is Mr. Ncvill-L; Wright. ; ■; \ ':/''.'■_ , . ,-;