SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 137, 17 June 1926, Page 1

SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

NEED FOR INQUIRY. A Mounting Expenditure. Lord Eustace Percy, giving the toast of “ The Scientific and Engineering Societies ” at the annual dinner of the Institute of Naval Architects in London, recently, said he was being constantly confronted by the effect of the work of scientific societies, and he found they were expensive and "disconcerting. The work of education would be simple and, cheap enough hut for the demand for scientific and technical education, and the chief expenses he had to unload on the country were due to the growing place occupied in the curriculum of schools by science. Those responsible for education would need in the future more and more the advice and aid of scientific societies, and a thorough inquiry would be necessary Into the question of higher technical education in the country. Sir William Ellis, president of the Institute of Civil Engineers, replying, said that the country had in the last twenty years changed its attitude to science and scientific education. In introducing a wide system of examination for members of their different institutions they had, he thought, done a great work for special and applied 1 education, on which the success of the country depended. Speaking as a member of the Scientific and Industrial Committee of the Privy Council, he was conversant with the amount of* money that was being expended in scientific research over a wide field, and it could, not fail to help us in the great industrial problems with which . the country was faced. In view of the j magnificent service to the country by j naval engineer officers in the war, i how could the country be so ungrateful as to allow the recent blow to their prestige and status to go unchallenged? (Cheers.) How could their brother officers of the executive, with any feeling of comradeship, countenance the discrimination in social rank that the engineer officers considered the recent Admiralty decision conveyed? Further, how was it possible •for naval engineers to command, the respect of their staffs that should be shown to them in view of their great responsibilities if they had the knowledge which was inevitable of a dislinction in social position between the xecutive officers and their own su- , perior officers? He felt that they would all sympathise with their feelings in these matters and hope that something miglht he done to deal with their claims.