24 PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



there should be much closer co-operation between the university and 

 industrial research. Industry should recognise that it must depend 

 primarily upon the universities for its trained research men, and co-operate 

 to the fullest possible extent to the end that properly trained men be 

 turned out. 



Do you realise what this last sentence involves — you who 

 are connected with the big industries? It involves that industry 

 should recognise that, from a purely selfish motive if from no 

 other, its interest lies in endowing research chairs at the univer- 

 sities, and in seeing that they are occupied by men of genius. 

 The very nature of industrial research implies that there must 

 be a constant accession to the ranks of its workers of persons 

 trained in pure scientific research. If such accession be inter- 

 m.itted. or if the increase of knowledge by means o'f pure scienti- 

 fic research be hampered, industrial research will inevitably be 

 limited in corresponding degree. 



The Government has acted wisely and well in endeavouring 

 to establish a system of industries in this country : do we want 

 these industries to fizzle out, or to go through years of laborious 

 struggling? If we wish to minimise preventable disadvantages 

 of that kind, let us do without delay whatever we can to foster 

 research, so that the men to conduct it become available as soon 

 as they are needed. 



National research approaches more nearly to the industrial 

 than to the university type. It is often undertaken for the 

 advantage of industry in general, but its outlook is considerably 

 broader than that above embraced within the scope of industrial 

 research, restricted, as the latter is, to the requirements of indi- 

 vidual industries. In South Africa the cry for industrial re- 

 search has become more imperative of late, and the Industries 

 Advisory Board, as well as the Scientific and Technical Com- 

 mittee appointed on the initiative of the Minister of Mines and 

 Industries, have gone some distance, both in educating the public 

 to the need of this type of research and in giving an impetus 

 in the required direction. Mainly, however, the agencies used 

 were of two classes : the laboratories of the University Colleges 

 and those of certain Government Departments, together with the 

 respective officers of those institutions. 



There are two fundamental principles on which I must now 

 lay stress : they are expressed in the words " co-operation " and 

 " co-ordination " — co-operation between workers in different 

 branches of science, co-ordination amongst those who work in 

 the same branch, in order that the maximum of benefit may be 

 attained. So interdependent, in fact, so interlaced, are the three 

 types of research to which I have briefly alluded, that it should 

 be patent as the sun at noon that the closest co-operation between 

 them all is essential. It is to be feared that this is not yet as 

 clearly realised as it should be. The waste of time and energy 

 that has arisen from overlappping, which in turn has resulted 

 from lack of collaboration, is incredibly great. It has stifled 

 work of value in the past to an extent that is certainly not 



