SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

Taihape Daily Times, 21 November 1917, Page 3

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

BRITAIN WAKING UP. Lord Curzon, Lord President of tlie Committee of the Privy Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, has issued a report for 1916-17, anu after referring to the new Department as well as to the creation of the Imperial Trust, it is stated that it is intended that the Trust shall hold on behalf of the Department the sum of £1,000,000, which Parliament has voted for scientific research to be J spent over a period of five or six years.

The Advisory Council has decided that the money should be spent in the form of grants in aid of research undertaken by firms in any industry which may combine to conduct it on a co-operative basis. In order to deal ays identically with the problem of fuel economy, a Fuel Research Bearn has been set up, with Sir G. Boiiby as director, and an Irish Committee of Enquiry into peat as a source of power has been set up under the chairmanship of Sir J. Griffith. A grant of £IOOO a year for five years together with a grant of £7oo for special apparatus, has been made to the Department of Technical optics, to be devoted entirely to research purposes. Three new kinds of optical glass have been discovered by Processor Jackson, who hais 'also found out how to produce optical glass hitherto made only at Jena. The Committee has considered and approved recommendations in respect of aid to 44 scientific investigations of industrial importance Substantial progress is reported towmrds the establishment of a National Research Association for the cotton industry, beginning -with the study of the cotton plant and ending with the finishing of the manufactured article.

An application for scientific eqiupment was made by a man who through his connection with his employers had become interested in independent research and was working in a private laboratory. The equipment he' asked for was granted, and the report says: “After a few months’ work interesting results were obtained, which it has been thought desirable to protect during the war by a secret patent. The investigation is proceeding, j the results already obtained have been communicated to \ the Government Departments interested.”