October 13, 1921] 



NATURE 



^27 



The Australian National Research Council. 



A CERTAIN measure of co-ordination and co- 

 ■^*- operation in science was achieved during the 

 war by Great Britain, France, America, and Japan, 

 w^ith results which were far-reaching in importance. 

 Men of science in Australia felt that something of 

 the sort would also be productive of good results in 

 that continent, which until recently was represented 

 in the world of science solely by independent State 

 Royal Societies. The climax was reached in 19 19, 

 when the International Research Association meeting 

 in Paris invited the co-operation of Australian men 

 of science. No representative scientific body, with 

 the exception of the Australian Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, which had not met since 

 1913, was in existence at that time, so the matter 

 was referred to the Melbourne meeting of the asso- 

 ciation, held on January 5-1 1 last (Nature, May 26, 

 1>. 408). There it was decided that an Australian 

 National Research Council should be formed and 

 organised on lines similar to those adopted by 

 countries already working under the International 

 Research Council. A scheme of organisation was 

 drawn up and approved by the Australasian Associa- 

 tion, which provided for a council of a hundred 

 members representative of pure and applied science. 



Australia has now, therefore, three organisations 

 of a general scientific nature apart from Government 

 Departments, State societies, and museums. First 

 there is the Australasian Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, which meets normally every second 

 year. Even if more frequent meetingsWere possible, 

 lack of funds would probably hinder the effective 

 direction of investigations by this body. Then there 

 is the newly constituted Na'tional Research Council, 

 in regard to which Sir Baldwin^Spencer suggested 

 in his presidential address to th/^.\ustralasian Asso- 

 ciation at Melbourne that it might, with the vierffTof 

 economising time, energy, and money, be constituted- 

 as the standing committer 'of tVie Australasian Asso- 

 ciation, with independent powers of. initiating re- 

 search and dealing with such funds as were placed 

 at its disposal. The third scientific organisation in 

 existence is the Commonwealth Institute of Science 

 and Industry, founded by Act of Parliament in 1920. 

 The constitution of this body is not considered satis- 

 factorv by men of science, but it demonstrates official 

 recognition of the importance of scientific investiga- 

 tion, and at present it is the only one of the three 

 organisations which can command the funds neces- 

 sary for carrying out investigations. Sir Baldwin 

 Spencer is of opinion that the constitution of the 

 National Research Council of the United States might 

 have been copied with advantage when this bodv 

 came into being. 



However, now that the Australian National Re- 

 search Council is an accomplished fact, it is hoped 

 that it will serve as a representative Australian unit 

 in international scientific organisation, and, in addi- 

 tion, have an important influence in encouraging 

 Scientific research in Australia. 



The following is a list of members of the council 

 as it is at present constituted : — 



Agriculture: Mr. F. B. Guthrie, Prof. A. T- 

 Perkins, Mr. A. E. V. Richardson, and Prof. R, D. 

 Watt. 



Anthropology: Prof. R. J. A. Berrv, Mr. C. Hedlev, 

 Rev. John Matthew, Mr. S. A. Smith, Sir Baldwin 

 Spencer, and Prof. F. Wood-Jones. 



Astronomy: Dr. J. M. Baldwin, Prof. W. E. Cooke, 

 Mr. E. F. Dodwell, and the Rev. E. F. Pigot. 

 ^Botany: Mr. R. T. Baker, Mr. R. H. Cambage, 

 Prof. A. J. Ewart, Prof. A. A. Lawson, Mr. A. H. S. 

 NO. 271 1, VOL. 108] 



Lucas, Mr. J. H. Maiden, and Prof. T. (}. B. 

 Osborn. 



Chemistry : Prof. C. E. Fawsitt,, Mr. J. B. Hender- 

 son, Mr. A. E. Leighton, Prof, (jrme Masson, Prof. 

 J. Read, Prof. E. H. Rennie, Assoc.-Prof. A. C. D. 

 Rivett, Mr. H. G. Smith, Prof. B. D. Steele, and 

 Prof. N. T. M. Wilsmore. 



Economics and Statistics: Mr. G. H. Knibbs and 

 Mr. G. Lightfoot. 



Engineering: Mr. J. J. C. Bradfield, Prof. R. W. 

 Chapman, Mr. A. J. Gibson, and Mr. A. G. Michel!. 



Geography : Capt. John King Davis, Mr. Loftus 

 Hills, Prof. W. Howchin, and Sir Douglas Mawson. 



Geology : Mr. E. C. Andrews, Sir Edgeworth 

 David, Mr. B. Dunstan, Mr. A. Gibb Maitland, Prof. 

 H. C. Richards, Prof. E. W. Skeats, Dr. F. L. Stil- 

 well, and Mr. L. Keith Ward. 



Mathematics : Prof.' H. S. Carslaw, Mr. A. 

 McAulav, Mr. J. H. Michell, Prof. H. J. Priestlev, 

 and Mn E. M. W^ellish. 



Mental Science and Education : Prof. Francis Ander- 

 son and Prof. W'illiam Mitchell. 



Meteorology : Mr. H. A. Hunt and Prof. T. Griffith 

 Taylor. 



Mining and Metallurgy : Mr. G. D. Delprat, Mr. 

 G. C. Klug, Mr. R. Sticht, and Mr. W. E. Wain- 

 wright. 



Pathology: Sir Harrv B. Allen, Dr. A. W. Camp- 

 bell, Prof. "j. B. Clelaiid, Dr. S. W. Patterson. Dr. 

 W. J. Penfold, and Prof. D. A. Welsh. 



Physics: Prof. K. Grant, Prof. T. H. Labv, Dr. 

 E. F"'. J. Love, Prof. T. R. Lyle, Prof. T. Parnell, 

 Prof. J. A. Pollock, and Assoc.-Prof. Vonwiller. 



JPhysiology : Prof. H. G. Chapman, Dr. E. E. 

 Embiey, Prof. W. A. Osborne, and Prof. Brailsford 

 Robertson. . 



Veteriiiarv Science:. Dr. Svdnev Djjdd, Dr. ]. A. 

 Gilruthr .Prof.^ J^ D. --•Stew^tf' 'and Prof. R. A. 

 Woodrufff " - 



Zoology: Dr. W. E. Agar, Mr. T- J- Fletcher, Mr. 

 W. W. Froggatt, Prof. W. A. Haswell. Prof. T. 

 Harvey Johnston, Assoc.-Prof. Georgina Sweet, and 

 Mr. G. A. Waterhouse, 



The first meeting of the Australian National Re- 

 search Council was held in Melbourne on August 23- 

 25 last, at which the nature of the work it would 

 undertake was discussed. 



Sir Edgeworth David, at a reception before the 

 business sessions, said that he hoped the first full 

 meeting of the National Research Council would be 

 an epoch-making day in the annals of Australian 

 science. Never in the whole history of Australia was 

 there such a need for co-ordination in scientific effort. 

 It would help to defend the country against foreign 

 aggression. The public had no idea what we owed 

 to science for our final victory in the great war. 



Later, an executive committee, constituted as fol- 

 lows, was elected : President : Sir Edgeworth David. 

 Vice-Presidents : Sir Baldwin Spencer, Prof. Orme 

 Masson, Mr. G. H. Knibbs, and Mr. J. H. Maiden. 

 Members : Sir Douglas Mawson, Profs. H. J. 

 Priestlev, E. W. Skeats, B. D. Steele. N. T. M. 

 Wilsmore, R. W. Chapman, J. A. Pollock. K. Grant, 

 and T. R. Lyle, Messrs. L. Hills, and W. E. Wain- 

 wright. Secretary : Mr. Cambage. There was some 

 discussion as to the qualifications of associate mem- 

 bers, and it was decided to admit as associate members 

 onlv those who have carried out meritorious original 

 scientific work. 



One of the subjects of discussion of the second 

 day's meeting was a motion on the order paper in 



