The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) MONDAY, MAY 26th, 1924.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 May 1924, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) MONDAY, MAY 26th, 1924.

RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY. It is being declared at Home that the only way to meet foreign competition in - regard to trade and industrial advancement was with the advantageous aid of science. The subject is being ventilated through some interesting addresses the reports of which are arresting, and the interest aroused must result in considerable benefit along the lines desired to win back a reviving trade, and so ensure more general employment. One lecturer, Major Church M.P., speaking before the Industrial League at Westminster, said that the primary concern of tho scientific work-

er was not invention, but discovery which might or might not lead m industrial applications. The inventor was not akin to the research worker. Tile latter’s function was to give the world now ideals. The inventor and discoverer in the field of industry were complementary, the first needing the stimulus of “glittering prizes," the other the sympaihetie encouragement to proceed with l.is work, a reasonable and assured com] etenee. ami the provision of essential facilities. Occasionally the discoverer and inventor were combined in one person, as in the ease of Edison, but the true type of discoverer v.as oxomj lilied by Earaday : “I have rather, however, been desirous of discovering new facts and leInticiis de'endelit on then, limn of exalting the fame of those already obtained: being assured that the latter would find their lull development here.utcr." The whole world teemed with the results of science. The civilisation of our day was vastly different from that of a. hundred years age. and the dilfeieuee was not entirely due to tile growth of scientific discovery. S' l'eiue ha 1, in fact. .M ated a ' new world, but the world was still organised in the old way by men of a different out look. .Scientific men would have ;o filing their ideal of life, tln-ir standard-., their outlook and iliei, methods to organi-e the great machine Iheir di-enveries and inventions had ■rented. There was a serious stress in industry because of the liuri.'iug on of changed conditions "ml the lagging behind of the methods of eo.itrolling them, ami the whole system was consequently in dam gcr ol disruption. The fault was not ci.i.rely that of the industrialists; it was lather the laul t of the system, and more particularly of the int.dequncy of the financial system. Under the present system a sciontiff.? disi eovery applied liy one group of intorj ests might spell disaster to another j group of interests. For example. Intel | the initial experiments of Hcrz, based upon the mathematical work of Clark Maxwell, been applied to telegraphy in the early days of the cable companies it was conceivable that the millions of capital sunk in the cable companies would have been lost, as the mere threat of supersession at a time when cable transmission was in its infancy might have caused a panic. And it was almost impossible to conceive the effect, that the discovery of a method of transmission of the baser metals into gold would have on the whole of the nations of the world; and yet such a discovery was no longer regarded as an impossibility. The service which science had 'rendered to lntmMiilv through the industrial agencies was incalculable. The work of Faraday formed the basis of all modern electrical undertakings. That of Thomas Watt was ecen more far-reach-ing, and, in conjunction with that of Carnot, was fundamental to the whole modern transport and power systems. A small discovery by Sir Humphrey Daev changed the whole aspect of the mining industry, the discoveries of Perkins were responsible not only for the glories of the dye industry, but also for the horrors of modern warfare. The discovery of Hontgon rays applied to the metal industry was revolutionising the manufacture of steel and hard alloys. Such a list could he multiplied indefinitely. There was a grave possibility that Britain would he found lagging behind in industrial research unless far greater impetus was given, not only by the Government for the encouragement of research in the Uni’versifies and in industrial research associations, hut by industrialists themselves. Only those industries which could give the greatest encouragement to research, which could afford to equip and mail laboratories magnificently, and which were directed by men with full appreciation of the scientific outlook and the possibilities of science could hope to compete successfully with Germany, Austria and America.