30 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 



Or, again, the university may aim at becoming a court of appeal, 

 or in fomiing standards of reference in certain industries. For 

 example, some of our universities are considei-ing schemes for the for- 

 mation of electrical testing laboratories; so that the tests of the 

 electrical companies may be carried out cheaply and efficiently, the 

 students may gain experience, the companies and the students may 

 become acquainted with each other, and pure science may benefit by 

 the oonsideration of problems of special difficulty and interest. 



^Vliatever the means adopted, the end is clear. If I may sum it 

 up, the scientific research work of the country is growing inevitably; 

 and the country's welfare demands that we should grapple with it 

 boldly and with enthusiasm. It is true that much has already been 

 done by public and private enterprise, yet it is possible and desirable 

 to do very much more. I have tried to show that we can make our 

 research army a better fighting inachine, by throwing into its ranks 

 some of our own young men, trained in our own universities. 



I would assert the value of the help w^hich such assistants can 

 give to those already engaged in research, and the advantage which 

 the country derives from the encouragement of research amongst its 

 own people. Lastly, I would urge that the scientific expert work of 

 the country should be kept in close touch with the universities as the 

 centres of that pure research on which all technical work ultimately 

 depends. It is rather the recognition of a situation for which I 

 would plead than the expenditure of large sums of money. For I am 

 confident that if we once understand our position and iise the simple 

 means of advance which lie immediately to our hands, we shall find 

 ourselves entering on a course from which we can hardly stray. 



