NATURE 



z^^ 



THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1915. 



WORK AND WORTH. 



THERE has been much discussion recently as 

 to ways and means of national economy. 

 We referred to the matter a few weeks ago in 

 connection with a circular issued by the Treasury 

 in which it was suggested that all vacancies in 

 universities and like institutions of higher educa- 

 tion should be left unfilled, and that some institu- 

 tions and departments should be closed, so that 

 members of the staffs could be set free to seek 

 other employment and relieve the institutions of 

 the payment of their salaries. All of us are in 

 sympathy with the efforts being made to reduce 

 unproductive expenditure of public moneys, but 

 grants for purposes of higher education and re- 

 search can scarcely be placed in this category ; 

 and it is characteristically British that they should 

 come in for early attention at the present juncture. 

 The University of London is to drift along with- 

 out a Principal, and vacant scientific chairs are 

 to remain without occupants, though since the 

 war three new judges have been appointed with 

 salaries of 5000/. each, and a Lord Chancellor's 

 secretary at a salary of 2000Z. 



A correspondent of the Times points out, in 

 addition, that the salary of the Lord Chancellor 

 is io,oooi. per annum, and that there are three 

 ex-Lord Chancellors receiving pensions which 

 amount to 15,000^ per annum, and six Law Lords 

 with total salaries of 36,000/., as well as several 

 ( x-Judges. The position of the Attorney-General 

 is said to be worth some 20J000L per annum, and 

 that of Solicitor-General about i8,oooZ. No 

 attempt seems to have been made on the recent 

 appointments to curtail the remuneration of these 

 officials, who, with other Ministers, absorb about 

 120,000/. annually in salaries, but professorial 

 posts with salaries of 600Z. a year or so are to 

 remain unfilled, and many holders of these and 

 lisser positions in our educational institutions have 

 as^'^reed to let their salaries be reduced by 10 per 

 - nt. or more in order to effect economies. Can 

 lything be said in justification of the disparity of 

 treatment thus given to men who are discovering 

 the laws of nature in comparison with those who 

 are concerned with the laws of the land? 



The necessity to economise has been impressed 

 upon the governing bodies of all university and 

 technical institutions on account of loss of income 

 from fees and other sources in consequence of the 

 war. Notwithstanding the reduction of staffs and 

 salaries, these institutions are in most cases faced 

 NO. 2405, VOL. 96] 



with serious deficits, which are likely to increase, 

 and will in many cases prevent the continuance 

 of valuable work. Not only most of the students, 

 but also a high proportion of the members of the 

 staffs of military age, are on active service or in 

 training for his Majesty's Forces. Those who 

 remain are mostly not eligible for such service, 

 or are engaged upon work of direct value to the 

 country in its present emergency. The reduction 

 in the number of students has enabled members 

 of the scientific and engineering staffs of universi- 

 ties and colleges to undertake national work to an 

 extent which would have been impossible under 

 normal conditions of instruction. Every labora- 

 tory in the country has been at the disposal of the 

 Government, and the services of experts in science 

 and technology in university institutions have 

 been utilised for training munition workers and 

 undertaking tests and inquiries of military sig- 

 nificance. 



While commercial agents connected with the 

 supply of war materials are receiving tens of 

 thousands of pounds as commission for effecting 

 business between manufactories and war markets, 

 while substantial salaries are demanded for legal 

 talent, whatever the country's need may be, and 

 medical consultants accept retaining fees for their 

 expert advice, men of science of equal eminence 

 in their particular spheres of work give their 

 special knowledge freely to the State ; and they 

 are glad of the opportunity of thus showing their 

 patriotism. None of the scientific men working 

 on war problems in connection with committees of 

 the Royal Society and other scientific societies 

 receive any payment from the societies. The 

 Munitions Inventions Department of the Ministry 

 of Munitions has an advisory panel of twenty-six 

 scientific and other experts who are certainly 

 among the leading representatives of applied 

 science in this country ; yet the Comptroller in- 

 forms us that these gentlemen are not paid, and 

 that their services are in all cases voluntary. This 

 is true also of the central committee and the panel 

 of consultants of the Board of Invention and Re- 

 search connected with the Admiralty. No pay- 

 ment is asked for or given, though the financial 

 value of the expert knowledge which these com- 

 mittees and panels of consultants have brought to 

 bear upon national problems must be very great. 

 Let us hope that the voluntary services thus ren- 

 dered cheerfully, iu. order to make our armed 

 forces more effective, will not be forgotten when 

 provision for instruction and research in institu- 

 tions of science and technology is under considera- 

 tion by administrators of State funds. 



