November 4, 19 15] 



NATURE 



259 



smaller than that of Germany, but is still by no means 

 unimportant. The figures are as follows : — 



Tons 



Production between August i, 1913, 



and May 31, 1914 =819,000 



Production between August i, 1914, 



and May 31, 1915 =727,500 



Difference 9i>5oo 



Of this drop of 91,500 tons, no fewer than 49,700 

 tons occurred in the first month of the war, and the 

 following figures show that her present rare of pro- 

 duction is greater than in the corresponding months 

 of 19 14 : — 



January 

 February 



March 



April 



May 



(The diminution in May, 1915, was caused by the 

 jening of hostilities between Italy and Austria.) I 

 ave quoted the Austrian figures (which do not include 

 lungarian production) because in the article by Dr. 

 [estranek, of Vienna, from which they are taken, 

 re is a direct reference to manganese and steel 

 production. It is as follows : — " Die Stahlwerke 

 terreichs vermochten die voile Hohe ihrer 

 alen Erzeugung zu erreichen und zu erhalten, 

 tz der Knappheit mancher fiir die Stahlerzeugung 

 lOtwendige Stoffe. Man lernte rasch mit dem 

 Terfugbaren hauszuhalten, fiir das Ersetzbares Ersatz 

 U finden, und alle im Lande vorhandenen bisher 

 nbeachteten oder nicht voll ausgenutzten Hilfsquellen 

 U erschliessen. So wurde Beispielsweise die fiir die 

 [tahlerzeugung heute als unentbehrlich angesehene 

 iegierung des Ferromangans, zu deren Erzeugung 

 nan fast ausschiesslich auf die Verwendung der 

 aukasischen Manganerze angewiesen schien, 

 ichergestellt durch die okonomischen Verbrauch der 

 och vorhandenen grossen Vorrate an fremdlandischen 

 langanerzen und durch Heranziehung der im 

 nlande hefindlichen Ldgerstdtten von solchen Erzen." 

 It is clear from this that the Austrians had accumu- 

 ated pre-war stocks of manganese ore, and that they 

 lave succeeded in utilising their native manganiferous 

 res. 

 To sum up. Unless the evidence I have brought 

 ard is untrustworthy — and I see no reason to 

 :bt the figures of production, which bear ample 

 itness to the setback both to the German and the 

 "^Austrian iron and steel industries caused by the out- 

 break of war, which was followed by a remarkable 

 recovery in the case of Germany (only two months 

 later), and which has been well maintained, and 

 indeed improved upon, during the succeeding months 

 - then the conclusion appears to me to be fully 

 warranted that Germany has succeeded in rendering 

 horself independent of external supplies of manganese. 

 Arrording to Dr. Schrodter she is, in addition to 

 sui)plying her own needs, exporting steel to her neutral 

 neighbours. 



Austria has been aided by her stocks of imported 

 manganese ore, but has also been successful in 

 uiilisine her own deposits. 



So far from the figures of production showing a 

 fl<dine, which would certainly have set in by now if 

 Tlio shortage of manganiferous ore predicted bv Dr. 

 1-ormor were correct, they bear witness to a remark- 

 able degree of vitality and expansion in German steel 

 jiroduction. 



I wish to acknowledge my great indebtedness to 

 Mr. G. C. Lloyd, the secretn'rv of the Iron and Steel 

 NO. 2401, VOL. 96] 



Institute, for the help he has given me in obtaining 



the figures of German and Austrian steel production 



that I have quoted. H. C. H. Carpenter. 



Royal School of Miries, South Kensington, S.W., 



October 23. 



The government Scheme for the Organisation and 

 Development of Scientific and Industrial Research. 



The proposal to establish a i^ermanent State-aided 

 organisation for the promotion of scientific research, 

 with a view to its applications to trade and industry, 

 is a most hopeful sign of the times, and will be wel- 

 comed in principle by scientific workers generally. 

 But, inasmuch as any such scheme necessarily implies 

 a certain amount of State control and direction of 

 scientific research, and, ultimately also, of the large 

 body of scientific workers who will be brought within 

 its ambit, there are certain important matters to be 

 considered and settled in principle at the outset, if the 

 scheme is to be as fruitful and successful as it ought 

 to be. I venture, therefore, in the spirit of a friendly 

 critic and well-wisher to the scheme, to submit to 

 your readers the following paragraphs embodying 

 some of the points which seem to me to need very 

 careful consideration, in order that the freedom and 

 interests of individual scientific workers shall be 

 sufficiently safeguarded and conserved. 



(i) In my opinion what is most needful in this 

 country for the development of scientific research in 

 relation to industry is a central fund for the subsidis- 

 ing of a Ihnited number of important lines of inves- 

 tigation, initiated and carried out by scientific workers 

 and technologists of repute, who are, or have been, 

 sufficiently in touch with practical affairs as to have 

 acquired at first-hand a real knowledge of industrial 

 conditions and of the economic factors which will 

 necessarily come into play in connection with any 

 new development. Such proposals might be initiated 

 either by individuals so qualified, or by any group or 

 association of such individuals, and such persons 

 should have a strong (if not a majority) representa- 

 tion upon any Advisory Council or Committee ap- 

 pointed either to select or recommend suitable subjects 

 for investigation, or to advise in connection with the 

 prosecution of any investigation so selected. 



(2) The selection of a particular line of research 

 should be governed by three considerations mainly : — 



(a) Its importance and practicability as directly 

 bearing either upon the development or revival of 

 national industries, and particularly of those which, 

 although producing essential commodities (e.g. syn- 

 thetic dyes or optical glass), have through past neglect 

 become localised abroad, or which may conceivably 

 be threatened in the near future, or upon questions 

 pertaining to the future better utilisation of national 

 resources of raw materials {e.g. coal and its by- 

 products). 



(b) The probability of there being a successful issue 

 of the investigation within a reasonable time. 



(c) The fact that its inauguration and continuous 

 successful prosecution would involve expenditure 

 beyond the financial resources either of an individual 

 investigator (even though he may be aided by grants 

 from the existing research funds of scientific and 

 technical societies), or of the institution in, or in 

 connection with, which he may be working. 



(3) Broadly speaking, there are three distinct 

 classes of investigation which would come within the 

 above category, namely : — 



(a) Investigations with the object of establishing 

 new or more accurate scientific data, or methods, in- 

 volved in the design of industrial appliances or plant, 

 or in the daily scientific control and supervision of 

 important manufacturing processes. 



