342 PHYSICAL LABORATORY OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



A petition to Lord Salisbury followed, and as a consequence a 

 treasury committee, with Lord Rayleigh in the chair, was appointed to 

 consider the desirability of establishing a national physical laboratory. 

 The committee examined over thirty witnesses, and then reported 

 unanimously, "That a public institution should be founded for stand- 

 ardizing and verifying instruments, for testing materials, and for the 

 determination of physical constants. 11 It is natural to turn to the 

 words of those who were instrumental in securing the appointment of 

 this committee and to the evidence it received in any endeavor to dis- 

 cuss its aims. As was fitting. Sir Douglas Galton was the first wit- 

 ness to lie called. It is a source of sorrow to his many friends that 

 he has not lived to see the laboratory completed. 



And here I may refer to another serious loss which in the last few 

 days this laboratory has sustained. Sir Courtena} 7 Boyle was a mem- 

 ber of Lord Rayleigh's committee, and as such was convinced of the 

 need for the laboratory and of the importance of the work it could do. 

 He took an active part in its organization, sparing neither time nor 

 trouble; he intended that it should he a great institution, and he had 

 the will and the power to help. The country is the poorer by his 

 sudden death. 



Let me now quote some of Sir Douglas Gabon's evidence: 



Formerly our progress in machinery was due to accuracy of measure- 

 ment, and that was a class of work which could be done, as Whitworth 

 showed, by an educated eye and educated touch. But as we advance 

 in the applications of science to industry we require accuracy to be 

 carried into matters which can not be so measured. In the more 

 delicate researches which the physical, chemical, and electrical student 

 undertakes he requires a ready means of access to standards to enable 

 him to compare his own work with that of others. 



Or again: 



My view is that if Great Britain is to claim its industrial supremacy, 

 we must have accurate standards available to our research students 

 and to our manufacturers. 1 am certain that if you had them our 

 manufacturers would gradually become very much more qualified for 

 advancing our manufacturing industry than they are now. But it is 

 also certain that you can not separate some research from a standard- 

 izing department. 



Then after a description of the Reichsanstalt he continues: 



What I would advocate would be an extension of Kew in the 

 direction of the second division of the Reichsanstalt, with such auxil- 

 iary research in the establishment of itself as may be found necessary. 



The second division is the one which takes charge of technical and 

 industrial questions. 



Professor Lodge again gave a very valuable summary of work which 

 ought to be done. Put briefly it was this: 



1. Pioneer work. 



2. Verification work. 



