302 



NATURE 



[April 27, 191 1 



FiNAt RbMARKS and RiCOMMBNDATIONt. 



I have no hesitation in statinf; that a case has been made 

 out for the establishment of the institute on broad and 

 comprehensive lines, an institute which shnll not only serve 

 the needs of Ix>ndon, but also bo of us*» to ovcryone con- 

 nected with optical matt'rs in tho l!niicd Kingdom. The 

 state of thf industry, stiirntific opinion, <md the other con- 

 siderations involved, point to the need of the establishment 

 of an institute without further delay. At the present 

 moment an opportunity is afforded for utilising to the full 

 the experience gained in foreign countries, the optical in- 

 struments of which have, to a large extent, supplanted our 

 own. The Optical Institute, if founded, might become, 

 under proper management, the first of its kind in the 

 world. The material for doing this is at hand ; it should 

 be remembered that even in its present incomplete condition 

 the optical department of the Northampton Institute has 

 been visited by foreign technical experts, and many of its 

 leading features copied. 



The investigation has shown that the widest cooperation 

 may reasonably be expected from eminent men of science, 

 from the leading manufacturers, and from the University 

 of London, other universities, and the Imperial College. The 

 institute is thus assured of the best scientific advice possible 

 and of actual pmctical help from interested manufacturers, 

 and it will benefit by being linked up with institutions of 

 university rank for the purposes of the finest research 

 directly applicable to practical and industrial purposes. 



The principal decision to be arrived at by the sub- 

 committee at the present stage is whether capital expendi- 

 ture, amounting to "^^.oooZ., and an annual maintenance 

 grant rising oventuajly to 5000Z., for the benefit of the 

 optical industry is justifiable, bearing in mind the great 

 national and industrial issues involved. Most of the 

 further details must be considered later and must form the 

 subjects of special reports. Such details will include the 

 proportion of instruction to be devoted to optical instru- 

 ments in particular and to other fine instruments of pre- 

 cision, the final arrangement of the rooms, details of 

 staffing, the nature of the equipment, the prosecution of 

 research in optical instruments and in optical glass, and so 

 forth. A sum of <i,oon\. in respect of the contemplated 

 expenditure has been included in the capital estimates for 

 1911-12, and I recommend: — 



(i) That a grant of ;?i;,ooo/., including 5000Z. for equip- 

 ment, be allowed to the governors of the Northampton 

 Polytechnic Institute (Finsbury, C), in respect of an insti- 

 tute for technical optics as set forth in the foregoing report. 



(2) That the institute be built upon the site already pur- 

 chased by the governors of the l^orthampton Polytechnic 

 Institute. 



(3) That the institute be governed by the governing bodv 

 of the Northampton Polytechnic Institute. 



(4) That a consultative committee be formed for advisory 

 purposes, on which the optical trade shall be adequately 

 represented. 



(s) That, for research and other purposes, steps be taken 

 to affiliate the institute to the Imperial College of Science 

 and^ Technology, and to associate it closely with the 

 National Physical Laboratory at Teddington and institu- 

 tions of university rank. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 

 .'Vnnounxement of generous bequests to Aberdeen Uni- 

 versity is made in The Times. From this source we learn 

 that the late Miss Anne Hamilton Cruickshank, daughter 

 of the late Prof. John Cruickshank, who held the chair of 

 mathematics in Aberdeen University, has provided by her 

 will for a professorship or lectureship in astronomy, in- 

 cluding navigation and mcteorologv, in the University, 

 and for a science library at Marischal College. Miss 

 Cruickshank bequeaths 10,000/., from which the trustees 

 are^ to apply such amounts as, with the funds already in 

 their hands for the same purpose, will make up a total 

 of io,oooZ. for the institution and endowment of a lecture- 

 ship or chair of astronomy, including navigation and 

 meteorolog>'. Any balance of the io,oooI., after deduction 



NO. 2165, VOL. 86] 



of the sum required for th« institution of a chair of astro- 

 nomy and the cost of the windows, is to be set as! ' 

 applied in such manner as the special tniatees m:i 

 proper for the library at Marisrhal Cn\u-f'^ vfi" . 

 Khank also leaves 10,000/. to ' 

 founding and sup(X)rting in M.i. 

 library, to be called the Cruickbhaiik Scii^oce Libj..; 



Lady Kelvin has made a gift of 500/. to the Lii.>... »in 

 of Glasgow for the purpose of founding therein a prize 

 for original research in physics, in memory of the lai<.- 

 Chancellor. The prize, which will be accompanied by 

 gold medal, will be awarded once in three years to 

 doctor of science who has graduated in the interval, and 

 whose dissertation contains evidence of original experi- 

 mental work deserving of this special distinction. .\ 

 similar prize was recently founded by the pupils and 

 friends of Prof. William Jack, to be award, d for the most 

 distinguished mathematical thesis offer"' degree 



of D.Sc. 



At a meeting of members and officials of local edur.i- 

 tion committees, held at Aberystwyth on April 18 in con- 

 nection with the Conference of the National Union of 

 Teachers, a discussion upon the necessity for further 

 financial aid for education from the central exchequer was 

 opened by a paper read by Mr, G. S. Baxter, secretary 

 of the Sheffield Education Committee. The following facts 

 from Mr. Baxter's paper are of interest. For the year 

 '904-5. the expenditure of local education authorities on 

 current account for all purposes pertaining to elementary 

 education only was 18* millions, towards which Govern- 

 ment grants of gt millions were received, whilst for tlw 

 year 1908-9 (the latest available official returns) the ex- 

 penditure of local authorities had increased to 23 millions 

 and the Government grant to 11 J millions. Therefore, 

 although local charges increased by 4J millions in four 

 years, the State contribution only advanced by about i) 

 millions. In addition to the added responsibilities in 

 respect of elementary education, the cost of supplying and 

 aiding secondary, technical, and higher education for the 

 year ended March 31, 1909, amounted to 4J millions, 

 towards which Government grants were received amount- 

 ing to less than 2 millions. Taking elementary, secondary, 

 technical, and higher education tt^ether, therefore, local 

 authorities in England and Wales expended in 1908-9 a 

 total sum of 27J millions, of which the Government con- 

 tributed just over 13 millions, or 48 per cent., leaving 

 about 14* millions, or 52 per cent., of the amount to be 

 provided locally. 



At the .Aberystwyth Conference of the National Union 

 of Teachers, the following resolution, proposed on behalf 

 of the executive, was adopted : — " This conference is of 

 opinion that (a) no exemption (either partial or whole 

 time) from school attendance should be granted until the 

 age of fourteen years is attained ; (6) all wage-earning 

 child labour out of school hours under the age of four- 

 teen should be forbidden by law ; (c) a system of com- 

 pulsory attendance at continuation schools from the age of 

 fourteen to eighteen, accompanied by provisions which 

 should safeguard the young people against undue physical 

 or mental overstrain, should be an integral part of a 

 national system of education ; (d) it should be the statutory 

 duty of the local education authority of each county and 

 county borough to make suitable provision for such further 

 education ; (e) it should be the statutory duty of every 

 employer of any young person under eighteen years of age 

 (i) to enable him or her to attend continuation classes for 

 such periods of time and at such hours as may be required 

 by the Act, and (2) to supply the names of all such young 

 persons to the local authority on demand ; (/) all employers 

 should be forbidden under penalty to employ or continue 

 to employ any young person under eighteen years of age 

 who failed periodically to produce a card attesting his or 

 her attendance and good conduct at continuation classes or 

 other educational institutions in conformity with the Act ; 

 (g) it shall be the duty of the State to make provision for 

 the maintenance of any young person who may be deprivf-d 

 of the means of living as a result of the operation of any 

 national system of education such as is outlined in the 

 foregoing resolutions." 



