no SCIENCE PROGRESS 



they would not be in a position to submit the general scheme 

 (first asked for in September 191 1) before the expiration of the 

 period for which the interim advances had been granted, i.e. 

 March 1913, and they asked that the interim grants should be 

 continued for another year, with an additional amount of 

 £1,500 for the Board's research vessel. 



In January I9i4the Scientific Research Committee appointed 

 by Mr. Runciman twelve months previously reported, and 

 shortly afterwards information leaked out that a comprehensive 

 scheme had been prepared by the Board acting in conjunction 

 with the Scottish and Irish authorities, and was presumably 

 under consideration by the Commissioners. The Board now 

 ask for £60,000 for the first year, and £25,050 per annum after- 

 wards. Of this only £6,000 per annum is to be devoted to all 

 the local authorities in England and Wales, the remainder 

 being absorbed by the Board. This scheme, so far as it relates 

 to England and Wales, has been prepared without the local 

 authorities being in any way consulted. In addition to the 

 three research steamers asked for by the Board in April 191 2, 

 two motor-boats are now considered to be necessary. The 

 estimate of maintenance of the steamers has now gone up to 

 £15,000 (from £10,000). One motor-boat is to cost £1,500, the 

 other £1,000, and in each case the maintenance is fixed at £750 

 annually. Presumably this enormous expenditure is additional 

 to that already incurred by the Board in respect to England's 

 share in the North Sea fisheries international investigations, 

 which amounts in the Civil Service Estimates for the year 

 ending March 31, 1915, to £7,530. No mention is made in the 

 estimates that any portion of this sum is repayable from the 

 Development Fund, though in other cases " Fishery Develop- 

 ment " grants in aid of research work and investigations con- 

 ducted by the Board amounting to a total of £10,905 are so 

 repayable, except as regards £1,105. If» therefore, the scheme 

 of the Board be adopted by the Commissioners, the Board will 

 spend during the first year's working of the scheme no less 

 than £68,635, and afterwards about £33,000 a year. The bulk 

 of this expenditure, in fact all except a small sum, is new. 

 Most of the proposals are quite unjustifiable, and little or no 

 attempt has been made to utilise existing organisations. The 

 Marine Biological Association has a magnificent marine 

 laboratory at Plymouth, and there are similar institutions at 



