EFFECTS OF SCIENCE

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20492, 7 May 1938, Page 26 (Supplement)

EFFECTS OF SCIENCE

BENEFIT OR CURSE NATIONAL POLICIES URGED Discussing the effect of scientific developments upon national and world agriculture before the newly-created Permanent Agricultural Committee of the International Labour Office, at its first meeting in Geneva this month, F. L. MacDougall, Economic Adviser to the Australian Government, urged the need for sound national nutrition ! policies to aid in keeping the demand | for agricultural products abreast of i productive efficiency. Citing the results obtained by plant breeders in evolving new wheats and sugar-canes, Mr MacDougall declared that work now going on in numberless agricultural research stations to | improve pasture grasses, clover, etc., I may soon make it possible to double ! carrying capacities of areas, at pres- ! ent devoted to the pastoral industries, j “It is quite clear,” he said, “that even should there be no further proi gress in agricultural research, the ap--1 plication of existing knowledge would j no doubt greatly increase productivity j in every country.

Considerable Difficulty. “We must all recognise that these facts are going to prove of consid- . erable difficulty in certain directions, i at least to farmers and to the general j social position of agriculturalists j throughout the world. But it is I equally clear that we cannot put back | the clock; we cannot say that we are ! not going to apply the results of I science. I therefore think we have to | ask ourselves the question: Is science I to prove a blessing or a curse to 1 world agriculturists? ! “In my opinion science can be made ; to prove a complete blessing to world agriculturists provided that demand can increase as rapidly as productive efficiency is going to increase under the application of science. I am going to suggest that that really means that nothing is of so much importance to world agriculture as a progressive and comparatively rapid improvement in world standards of living.” Mr MacDougall then pointed out i that recent reports on nutrition prepared by the International Labour Office and by the League of Nations had shown that the world needs more food; and he urged the need for the adoption of sound and progressive national policies by every ( country in the world.