A.—6.

whole, and note as an example of special promise the recognition and extension of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Station as an Empire centre of research in the field of animal health. " (iii) The Committee also welcome the facilities provided by the Board for enabling scientific workers to visit different parts of the Empire." Financial Provision for Research. The Committee considered it desirable to emphasize the importance of scientific investigation being steadily pursued if fruitful results were to be achieved, and passed a resolution in the following terms : — " The Research Committee of the Imperial Conference, being convinced that progress will in the future be dependent to an increasing extent upon the growth and application of scientific knowledge, desire to direct the attention of the various Governments of the British Commonwealth of Nations to the importance of making adequate provision from State funds for the steady pursuit of scientific research into the various problems affecting the material well-being of mankind. They also desire strongly to urge their view that the severe economic depression from which the British Empire, in common with the rest of the world, is How suffering should be regarded as a reason not for the curtailment but for an expansion of expenditure on research. The greater utilization of the help which science can give will be a potent factor in the rehabilitation of existing industries, including agriculture, no less than in the development of new ones." Visits of Research Workers in the Empire. The Committee passed the following resolution on this subject: — " The Research Committee of the Imperial Conference are of opinion that the existing facilities, by means of which research students throughout the British Empire are enabled to visit laboratories and research stations in other parts of the Empire in order to receive training in research and to gain additional experience, should be extended, and that funds should be definitely provided in the annual budgets of research organizations with this object in view. The committee regard it as even more important that financial provision should be made to enable senior workers engaged in research to visit laboratories in other parts of the Empire for the purpose of consultation and the promotion of co-operative relations. ' Questions referred to the Reseabch Committee by the General Economic Committee of the Conference. The General Economic Committee referred a number of matters to the Research Committee for an expression of opinion on the scientific issues involved, and recommendations were made as follows : — * (a) International Institute of Agriculture, Rome. " The Research Committee are of opinion that the value of the assistance rendered by the Internationa] Institute of Agriculture to scientific workers in agriculture in the British Empire is negligible, and does not warrant the continuance of this work, especially having regard to the effectiveness of the services now rendered by the Imperial bureaux. " They consider that the energies and expenditure of the Institute should be concentrated on the statistical side of its work, particularly in the directions of greater completeness and speed of distribution of information." f (b) Dissemination of Research Results among Agricultural Producers. " The Research Committee of the Imperial Conference, being impressed with the potentialities of the cinema as a means of disseminating the results of scientific research among agricultural producers, recommend that steps should be taken to stimulate the production of agricultural instructional films having a common interest

* See also Section XX (c), page 42. t See also Resolution 111 on page 46.

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