The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1916. INDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1916. INDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

A matter that is of the greatest importance to the Empire is that of preparing for the great trade war that must succeed the present naval and military struggle. It is thoroughly recognised that the ordinary methods of industrial competition will not meet the new demands consequent on the resolve not to trade with our present enemies, nor allow them to trade with us. In many departments of industrial life it will be necessaiy to cover entirely new ground if the Empire is to be independent of raw material and special processes of manufacture, hitherto obtained from our present enemies. This means full and complete investigation into any and every matter admitting of experimental research, without which it would be impossible to produce satisfactory substitutes for goods hitherto obtained from foreign .ources. The groundwork of ! the new system is already completed,

for it was created when the nationalisation of industry oceanic an imperative necessity. On that foundation the future industrial and commercial edifice of the British Empire must be built up. Possibly the process may be slow, hut that entirely depends partly on whether the. spirit of patriotism will burn as brightly after the war as during its currency, and in other part on the measure of assistance and encouragement given by the various governments in the Empire. First and foremost is the scheme of chemical research, having for its object the increased output of primary product? derived from the land. Research work in agricultural chemistry has already received some attention in Xew Zealand in relation to special subjects, such as "bush sickness" in the Waikalo, when it was found that the soil was almost devoid o; iron, a million aoies of land heing reclaimed and made fit for stock by ticatment with oxide of iron or sulphide of iron, i'his single instance emphasises the need for systematic examination of the soils in every district in the Dominion to ascertain what ingredients are needed tor the production of the best results in the particular branch of farming carried on in such districts. There is far too little attention paid to expert scientific research in connection with our primary products, yet it would yield handsome results and far more than recoup all the expenditure which a complete system of research would invo've It is work for which the Government should primarily he responsible, but, above all, it is work that should be adequately remunerated. What the majority of the Government fails to realise is that the scientific expert is of infinitely more value than the field laborer, hence the poor results achieved in the past. This assessment has to be revised. We do not want the country inundated with the wrong sort of teachers of agricultural science. They must be well grounded in chemistry, botany and physics and be endowed with order and method. It i must he remembered that there are two main desiderata in the art of agriculture—increased production and elimination of waste. The great need is to obtain more from the land at less cost than formerly. The full bearing of this will be seen when present prices recede. 'Research work must also be undertaken in connection with manufactures of all kinds and for promoting the success of industries, new as. well as old. Our technical schools can be made far more useful than at present, md certainly more attractive, but the number of reosorch scholars who make practical discoveries must necesarily be few. There should 'be an awakening throughout the agricultural and industrial life of the Empire, those concerned in each industry co-operating to further its success, enlarge its scope and ensure its prosperity by having it conducted on scientific lines. If the post-war trade is to develop on patriotic lines, then the spirit of determination to conquer our enemies in that campaign must be. backed up by resolute action and systematic development.