SCIENCE TO HELP.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 February 1926, Page 4

SCIENCE TO HELP.

IXD'I’KTRfAI, PROBLEMS. SIR, PRANK HEATH INVESTIGATES. CHUISTCII t'RCl]. Feb. T-’. •Sir Frank Heath, who is to make a report on the question as to lmw. in New Zealand, science can best assist our secondary industries by research, arrived in Christchurch Iroin the West Coast an Saturday evening. Sir Frank Heath has been making investigations in Australia, and is now turning Inattention to New Zealand. He is secretary of the Department of Seientihic and industrial Research. Loudon, and is impres.-. ,i with the necessity ol securing active co-operation between the Homeland and the Dominions.

‘‘The application ol science to industry,” lie says, “is the best means of promoting inter-imperial trade. Ythilc here 1 will meet the people who known all about these things, and see as much as possible ol the industries ol the country. I want to investigate the whole position, and determine a method ol organising this important work. I bote isT vast need for organisation. Lots of things are going on here, although it is not a big country. DIFFICt'LT COM ME X! CAT lON.

“Communication, tor instance, is not easy. If a business man in Dunedin wants to discuss something with a man in Christchurch, he has a. long journey. If his destination is Wellington ot Auckland, then he arrives, perhaps, not in the best form to transact his business. The real measure of the size of a country is time rather than distance. The organisation of a system of getting people into touch with each other m an easier manner is necessary here. And how that is to he done will be m the report I will make to my Government.” Sir Frank added that people at Home found it difficult to be in communication with settlers in the Dominion. AVI lot was needed here was an organisation with which England could communicate direct.

‘•We want a link—co-ordination is the word. The policy of my department at Home is to decentralise to toe utmost, and push the responsibility on the people doing the woik. Christchurch has its problems, for in-

stalin'. therefore Christ! hmvh must cl" i lie work in sol villi' them—il it will. KXOWkKUHK CANNOT RE BOH.IHT •'ln i l:; 1 list rial Hint tors unless people do tile M-ientilie work for themselves they cainiot expect to out the lull boue!ll of it. K uowledge is not someth iup yo.l ran kil.v lIV til.' pound. R must lit. 1 made belore it ran lie list'd. t)igunisal ion is wanted here, hut not eeiilralis.at ion. and that is the problem l Pope tl> solve." There welt' difiietilties at, Home, and in tile I loiniuions which eotild he eliminated hy eo-operatioit !>etween the two. TR.AXSPOKT OK DOORS. Till' <|Uestion ot the transport ot liitit ncded attention. The t rotlhle was r-allv in the orehard here, therefore how could it ■ h.' solved in Kn-himl ! The belter transport ol meat turned ,m the eolidit ion under which the animal was nurtured, slaughtered, and driven to the .slinigliter-lmu.se. Interesting work in t his connexion was now poing on in Argent inn. _ If an animal was hurried to the slaughter-house, the Idood pressure was raised before the killing and that affected the quality nl the meat when frozen tor expotl. Ini cleansing and disinfection of cold stores was another matter to he gone into. Then tame timber and loresi products. .It would be necessary in the near futuie to put it large amount of timber on the export market, and the exporters must know how to kill and dry it, ami test for .strength. England could not do that work fur the Dominion, so eoooeration was wanted there. STI'DY OK WOOL.

There wits an ot ganisation at Home engaged ill making a scieiilihe study ot wool.’ continued Sir Frank, and a great advance was being made in crossbred wool. 'They had learned to treat crossbred wool so as to produce a yarn which would weave into cloth much more like merino than hitherto. Experimental breeding was also going on. lint the conditions here were diflcrent. and that must he another matter for investigation. , , TREATMENT OF COAL.

‘•There ore great possibilities in the scientific treatment ol coal, both in industry and defence. If you can make fuel, ‘oil and petrol from the proper trentnu'nt ol com!, you will uot bo <lopendent oil importations in time ol war. New Zealand could thou help herself and help us too. both part ies benefiting. All this u ill help _ interiuipei ial trade ami help the Empire. Tke success of the secondary industry depends on the solidarity of the primary industry, and all the industries need cheap credit. Ihe credit of the country depends on the primary industry. II the is sound, credit is good, hut il shaks. then credit is had." The secondary industries under modern conditions, he added, were really in competition with the lies! that could Ik' produced in the world. U was possible by research to lower the price of tanning leather. Some of the linns here were very progressive and had made a definite offer of financial assistance. The Cloverimient could help, encoiirtu'e. and give backing. K\'l RENTE OF WASTE.

There- was evidence of waste in timber milling, and the millers realised it. It was appalling to find a hike, the fisii in which were being killc-d by the sawdust from a mill. By the elimination of waste the Dominion could improve its productive power. A big business man had said that the success of his huge business was entirely due to the elimination of waste. rapid improvement.

Sir Frank considered that the dairying industry in the 'Waikato was improving rapidly, and he was deeply impressed with the work of the Cawtiiron Institute out of which, he said. New Zealand was getting full measure. I he Institute’s work on the woolly aphis alone was a good example of sound scientific work. He would like to see the Institute twice as strong, and was pleased to read of its new endowment.

Yesterday .Sir Frank Heath gave up in a tour of Ilia Canterbury Plains, lode y he will go to Dunedin, .stopping on the way to visit the AYnituki Bovs' High School, because he maintains that il is the young people who will have the work to do. ’I I tree days spent tit Dunedin examining the University. the Exhibition, and the various industries. On February '27th. he will return to Christchurch for three days, and then go on to Mellington, Inlet visiting Taranaki anil Mttnawalo.