September 8, 192 1] 



NATURE 



49 



The Geological Survey Board has taken over 

 the Geological Survey of Great Britain and the 

 control of the Museum of Practical Geology. The 

 maintenance of the National Physical Laboratory, 

 originally controlled by a general board and an 

 executive committee appointed by the president 

 and council of the Royal Society, is now trans- 

 ferred to the Department of Scientific and Indus- 

 trial Research. A Mines Research Committee 

 and a Mine Rescue Apparatus Committee are 

 attached to the Department. The former is con- 

 cerned with such questions as the determination 

 of the geothermic gradient, the influence of tem- 

 perature of intake and return air on strata, the 

 efifect of seasonal changes on strata temperature 

 of intakes, the cooling effect due to the evolution 

 of fire-damp, heat production from the oxidation 

 of timber, etc. The Department is also directing 

 inquiries on the preser\-ation and restoration of 

 antique objects deposited in the British Museum. 

 It is concerned with the gauging of rivers and 

 tidal currents, with special reference to a hydro- 

 gfraphical survey of Great Britain in relation to 

 the national resources of water-power. In accord- 

 ance with the Government policy, four co-ordin- 

 ating boards have been established to organise 

 scientific work in connection with the fighting 

 forces, so as to avoid unnecessary overlapping and 

 to provide a single direction and financial control. 

 The four boards deal, respectively, with chemical 

 and physical problems, problems of radio-research, 

 and engineering. These boards have attached to 

 them various committees dealing with speqial in- 

 quiries, some of which will be carried out at the 

 National Physical Laboratory. The Government 

 have also authorised the establishment of a Forest 

 ^ Products Research Board. 



The Department is further empowered to assist 

 learned or scientific societies and institutions in 

 j carrying out investigations. Some of these were 

 initiated prior to the war, and were hkely to be 

 abandoned owing to lack of funds. Whenever 

 the investigation has a direct bearing upon a par- 

 ticular industry that had not hitherto been able 

 to establish a research association, it has been a 

 condition of a grant that the institution directing 

 the research should obtain contributions towards 

 the cost on a I. for Z. basis, either directly through 

 its corporate funds, or by special subscriptions 

 from interested firms. On the formation of the 

 appropriate association the research is, under suit- 

 able safeguards, transferred to it for continuance. 

 The formation of a number of research associa- 

 tions has thus been stimulated, deahng, for ex- 

 ample, with scientific instruments, non-ferrous 

 metals, glass, silk, refractories, electrical and 

 allied industries, pottery, etc. 

 \\ Grants are made to research associations 

 :formed voluntarily by manufacturers for the pur- 

 iposes of research, from a fund of a million ster- 

 :'ling, placed at the disposal of the Research De- 

 jpartment for this purpose. Such associations, to 

 jbe eligible for the grant, must submit articles of 

 jassociation for the approval of the Department 



I NO. 2706, VOL. 108] 



and the Board of Trade. 11 these are approved, 

 licences are issued by the Board of Trade recog- 

 nising the associations as limited liability com- 

 panies working without profits. Subscriptions paid 

 to an association by contributing firms are recog- 

 nised by the Board of Inland Revenue as business 

 costs of the firms, and are not subject to income 

 or excess piofits taxes. The income of the asso- 

 ciation is similarly free of income tax. Grants are 

 ordinarily made to these associations on the basis 

 of \l. for every i/, raised by the association be- 

 tween limits depending upon the particular in- 

 dustry concerned. In the case of two research 

 associations grants are made at a higher rate than 

 I. for /., as these industries are regarded as having 

 a special claim to State assistance on account of 

 their "pivotal" character. The results of research 

 are the sole property of the association making 

 them, subject to certain rights of. veto possessed 

 by the Department for the purposes of ensuring 

 that they are not communicated to foreign coun- 

 tries, except with the consent of the Department, 

 and that they may be made available to other in- 

 terested industries and to the Government itself 

 on suitable terms. 



These arrangements have been found to be 

 generally satisfactory', and at the present time 

 twenty-four of such research associations have 

 been formed to whom licences have been issued 

 by the Board of Trade. Others are in process of 

 formation, and may be expected to be at work at 

 an early date. These research associations are 

 concerned with nearly all our leading industries. 

 The oflficial addresses of most of them are in 

 London ; others have their headquarters in Man- 

 chester, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Northamp- 

 ton, Coventry, Glasgow, and Belfast. 



The Department has further established a 

 Records Bureau, which is responsible for receiv- 

 ing, abstracting, filing and collating communica- 

 tions from research workers, boards, institutions, 

 or associations related to, or supervised by, the 

 Department. This information is regarded as con- 

 fidential, and will not be communicated except in 

 writing, and after consultation with the research 

 worker or organisation from which it has been 

 received. Also such non-confidential information 

 as comes into the possession of the Department 

 which is of evident or probable value to those 

 working in touch with the Department is collected 

 and filed in the bureau and made generally avail- 

 able. 



It is also a function of the bureau to effect 

 economy in preventing repetition and overlapping 

 of investigations and in ensuring that the fullest 

 possible use is made of the results of research. 

 Thus the programmes of research associations 

 are compared in order to ensure that researches 

 are not unwittingly duplicated by different re- 

 search associations. Sometimes two or more re- 

 search associations may be interested in one 

 problem from different points of view, and when 

 this occurs it may be possible for the bureau to 

 arrange a concerted attack upon the common 



