SIR ERNEST RUTHERFORD

Hokitika Guardian, 30 September 1925, Page 4

SIR ERNEST RUTHERFORD

research work. WORLD-WIDE INTEREST'

AUCKLAND, Sept. 28. Sir ldrnest Rutherford 0--M.) the .cientific immortal New Zealand hits -iten to the world, reached Auckland ,v the Niagara oil a short- visit to his native land. It is 30 years since lie ended his student career at Canter--1.,,,-v C ollege and went to Cambridge to pur.-.tie bis destiny : only 30 years, one Aiould say. because his rise to fame, although achieved in the quiet of his laboratory, lias been meteoric. Tiie hard-working, patient student with tho pal,it of gathering scholarships and c-x----hibit ions'" i-ould hardly liave dreamed u 1,,.ii he joined the brilliant body of iiw-n then assembled at tire Cavendish Laboratory, that within 30 years he would he its head and the inspiration e.f physicists of the English-speaking u ,„-Id and leyoml. Yet genius has not phued her mark upon him out from the world. Tall, robust, with a bright

■MUploxion and blue eyes that really joht up with merriment, lie obviously "as his being on the ordinary plane ,(' |jfe. In the laboratory he may cuter a kingdom in which only a few

great minds may gain entrance, but outside it human fellowship one should si ,v counts a great deal with him. He i- 'anything but the absorbed and forgetful professor ol the comic papeis. ami when lie mentioned that ho was keen to see how New Zealand was developing. he readily harked back to his I echoed days, when the practical nff;.i i's of his father's farm kept him well employed. AVliether he once rounded up cattle on a pony lie did not sav. but the problem "f the atom lorn not dulled the bright memories of lie carl-.' coni b. PROGRESS ok M i I'nee. lb- paused for a moment when a-T J for an interview, and then said that a few words eu the more practical ■ hie of scientific investigation might be of interest. After the war he proreeded. there was a general idea that the progress of science would be much delayed, but in the interval there had not only been a very large increase in tile Inumber of students study ing ' s deuce ill the Eniversit ios. lint also a

great activity in research in all direction-. This applied not only to Great Britain and the Dominions, but to all European countries, and even Germane, although sullering Irom certain financial difficulties had got into her stride again and was doing very useful and good work.

Tu Great Britain il had been much ussited by the Government Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. which had organised research in all industries as well ns assisted voting men of promise in continue their training in research by means of grants. I'nder this Department : number of big research schemes had been inaugurated, specially in the cotton and engineering industries, on the fundamental problems of wireless, and in regard to the properties of fuel. It had keen responsible for starting the low temporal are station at Cambridge lor l lie detailed study of the processes involved in the transportation of foods from lhe Dominions. Tn consequence ol i lies,■ developments there were more min nnderi.aking research in pure science and in industry than bclore the war. and in many direction- rapid pi nThe Department had taken the broad .. i"W that fundamental re-car,-h ~n luudameiital problems was < f even mure importance than dirccl investigations on to. hnienl problems. In this way it was possible to provide a number of voting men of promise wbo would ultimately develop technical research, which was dependent on the advance in pure :■ <"i i • IK" 1 . and experience had shown I hat progress only c ame if there were flourishing schools of invest iga-

lion in ill" rTi• • 1 1.>m;■ 11 !:i! |n<il>l.• 111 >• iliai J limit rlay tin-ir ajiplioat ion to industry. : Similar efforts worn loins liuulf in j Canada and to a limited extent in Ainj trail::. Xo doubt llie interest of OoI'ormnoiit' in the prose,m ion of reM'an!i in industry must load In us,.fill I results. j OWN' DIKC'OAT.RTES. j I n regard to lii- n'.'ii diseoeries. Sir Ernest would not he drawn as io what I ) i rn' ■iii a I application iliov might have i to c\er.v day affairs. 1 ‘'The expendin' of science without e.v old ion.” lie said, “has hern that any in-lease in our knowledge of |uire physios alfoi't s the whole outlook of j s,'teller. and is inevilaldv followed In praoi ii a I appliea l ions." I This led la a remark hemp; passed ■ihoiii llie still'll in" prophecies occasionally made in respect to development. “This is a time." replied Sir Ernest, “when there i- great general Interest in '• ienti'. and there arc often sensation'll paragraphs in the press dealing uilh tile possibilities of the future. Tn ! many cases these suggestions required to he read with scepticism. It is easy io prophesy in a few minutes what might take od years of concentrated investigation to prove or disprove, ft is inevitable in a generation that has seen the rapid advance oT wireless and Ir'oadcnsting that there should lie n tendency to believe that everything is possible, and this gives an opportunity for the sensational type of writer to go ahead of the facts. The public should he on Us guard against accepting much that is written about great achievements of the future.'’ TO AVER BA" AATRELESS.

Reference was made to a rceenl prediction about the distribution of power by wireless. “Well" said Ernest. “no one has yet transmitted power hv wireless," and he smiled the smile of a man who is possessed of an indefinite i opacity for taking pains and the patience of Job, and never “gets ahead of the facts.'’ This is the third visit Sir Ernest has paid to Now Zealand since ho left as a student, the last occasion being at the beginning of the ar. The main object of this trip is to sec his relatives, and to. find out the progress the New Zealand ITiiversity is making. At the same time, as a New Zealander, lie is nnxi u,s to see how the country is developing. He expects to spend about six weeks in the !">. minimi, and will gite a lecture in e.v h of the four centres.