526 



NATURE 



[January 6, 191 6 



The President of the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries has appointed a Departmental Committee to 

 make arrangements with a view to the maintenance, 

 so far as possible, of adequate supplies of fertilisers 

 for the use of farmers in the United Kingdom. The 

 Committee is constituted as follows : — Mr. F. D. 

 Acland, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agri- 

 culture and Fisheries (chairman); Mr. R. H. Rew, 

 Board of Agriculture and Fisheries; Mr. T. H. Middle- 

 ton, Board of Agriculture and Fisheries; Mr. G. J. 

 Stanley, Board of Trade; Mr. J. Dundas White, Scot- 

 tish office; Mr. H. Ross Skinner, Ministry of Muni- 

 tions; Mr. E. J. Foley, Admiralty; and Mr. R. J. 

 Thompson, Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. 



The Secretary of State for the Colonies has ap- 

 pointed a committee to consider and report upon the 

 present condition and the prospects of the West African 

 trade in palm kernels and other edible and oil- 

 producing nuts and seeds and to make recommenda- 

 tions for the promotion, in the United Kingdom, of the 

 industries dependent thereon. The committee as at 

 present constituted is composed of Mr. Steel Maitland 

 (chairman). Sir G. Fiddes, Sir F. Lugard, Sir Hugh 

 Clifford, Sir Owen Philipps, Mr. G. A. Moore, Mr. 

 T. Walkden,SirW. G. Watson, Bart., Mr. L. Couper, 

 Prof. W. R. Dunstan, Mr. T. Middleton, Mr. T. 

 Worthington, and Mr. T. Wiles. 



British Dyes (Ltd.). 



In February last the committee of users of dyes 

 appointed to confer with the Board of Trade as to a 

 national dye scheme adopted a scheme to form a com- 

 pany with an initial share capital of 2,ooo,oooi., of 

 which i,ooo,oooZ. was issued in the first instance. The 

 Government agreed to make to the company a loan for 

 twenty-five years corresponding to the amount of share 

 capital subscribed up to a total of i,ooo,oooZ., and a 

 smaller proportion beyond that total. The Govern- 

 ment advance is to bear interest at 4 per cent, per 

 annum, payable only out of net profits, the interest 

 to be cumulative only after the first five years. In 

 addition, and with the desire of promoting research, 

 the Government undertook for a period of ten years to 

 make a grant to the company for the purposes of 

 experimental and laboratory work up to an amount not 

 exceeding in the aggregate ioo,oooZ. Chemical re- 

 search was thus officially recognised and endowed as 

 an essential factor in solving a national industrial 

 problem. 



Announcement was made in July that the board of 

 directors of British Dyes (Limited) had established a 

 Research Department, and had appointed Dr. G. T. 

 Morgan, Royal College of Science for Ireland, Dublin, 

 to become the head of the department. The board, which 

 also appointed a Technical Committee, consists of Dr. 

 M. O. Forster (chairman). Dr. J. C. Cain, Dr. G. T. 

 Morgan, and Mi. J. Turner. An Advisory Council, 

 which was appointed under the chairmanship of the 

 late Prof. Raphael Meldola, is constituted as follows : — 

 Prof. J. N. Collie, University College, London ; Prof. 

 A. W. Crossley, King's College, London ; Prof. Percy F. 

 Frankland, the University, Birmingham ; Prof. Q^ G. 

 Henderson, Royal Technical College, Glasgow; Prof. 

 J. T. Hewitt, East London College, London; Prof. 

 F..S. Kipping, University College, Nottingham; Prof. 

 A. Lapworth, the University, Manchester; Prof. A. G. 

 Perkin, the University, Leeds; Prof. W. H. Perkin, 

 the University, Oxford; Prof. W. J. Pope, the Univer- 

 sity, Cambridge; Prof. J. F. Thorpe, Royal College 

 of Science, South Kensington ; and Prof. W. P. 

 Wynne, the University, Sheffield. The members of 

 the Technical Committee are ex officio members of the 

 Advisory Council. Payment is to be made to these 

 chemists, but the secretary of the company informs us 

 that he is not at liberty to disclose the scale. 



NO. 2410, VOL. 96] 



Royal Society. 



On November 5, 1914, the council resolved "That 

 the following be appointed a committee to organise 

 assistance to the Government in conducting or sug- 

 gesting scientific investigations in relation to the war, 

 the committee to have power to add to their number, 

 and to appoint sub-committees not necessarilv re- 

 stricted to fellows of the society : — Sir William 

 Crookes, Prof. Schuster, Mr. W. Duddell, Sir Alfred 

 Ewing, Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, Admiral Sir Henry 

 Jackson, Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir William Ramsay, Lord 

 Rayleigh, Sir Edward Thorpe." On January 21, 1915, 

 an additional committee (the War Industries Com- 

 mittee) was appointed by the council to take over ques- 

 tions arising out of the war and affecting the industries 

 of the country referred to the society by Government 

 departments. 



After a short experience the council came to the 

 conclusion that it should be directly responsible itself 

 for the co-ordination and control of the war work, 

 and, accordingly, in June last the original committee 

 was discharged, and council was constituted a General 

 War Committee, the original sub-committees being 

 re-nominated as four sectional committees. The func- 

 tions of the War Industries Committee were trans- 

 ferred to the sectional Committee for Chemistry. 

 These sectional committees have met regularly 

 throughout the year, and have discussed and investi- 

 gated many important questions, either submitted by 

 Government departments or initiated by themselves. 

 They have been placed in direct communication with 

 the departments of Government concerned, and in each 

 case representatives of the principal war departments 

 have been appointed to serve on the committee. 



In June last the council decided to form a register 

 of those who are willing and able to aid in meeting 

 the demands of the Government for scientific help. A 

 circular letter inviting particulars of service proffered 

 was sent to all the fellows, and met with a large 

 response from them and- from others to whom the 

 project was made known. The register thus formed 

 has been placed at the disposition of Government 

 departments for reference. 



A committee has been appointed to consider the 

 advisability of entering into communication with tech- 

 nical and other scientific societies, with the view of 

 establishing a permanent board for the discussion of 

 questions in which joint action seems desirable. This 

 committee will submit the draft of a scheme to the 

 council, so as to put the council in a better position to 

 arrive at a definite conclusion on the subject. 



Those men of science who are working under the 

 Royal Society's committees are not receiving any pay- 

 ment from the society for doing so. 



Chemical Society. 



With the object of assisting the Government to 

 employ the chemical talent in the nation, the council 

 of the Chemical Society in June last constituted itself 

 a consultative body w'hich should meet at frequent 

 intervals to consider, organise, and utilise for the 

 benefit of the country all suggestions, inventions, and 

 offers of assistance it might receive. 



On July I the president addressed a letter to every 

 fellow of the society, inviting him to forward to the 

 council any such suggestions and inventions, and 

 asking him also to indicate on the form provided what 

 services he could best render to the nation. A very 

 gratifying response has been received to this appeal; 

 many suggestions and inventions have been submitted 

 to the council by fellows and by others, and numerous 

 offers of voluntary assistance of whole or partial time, 

 and even of relinquishing present positions, altogether 

 in order to devote their energy to the nation's service. 



