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261 





THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1917. 



; THE CO-ORDINATION OF RESEARCH. 



IT is often said in political circles that the way 

 to shelve a subject is to appoint a Royal 

 Commission upon it. The Commissioners collect a 

 large amount of evidence and present a report, but 

 usually the matter ends with the publication of 

 the Blue Book, and nothing- is done to carry the 

 recommendations into effect. The Royal Commis- 

 sion on Scientific Instruction appointed in 1870 is 

 an example of this kind. The whole of the 

 scientific instruction given in the United Kingdom 

 from the elementary schools to the universities, 

 ul including the museums and scientific work 

 ognised by Government, is surveyed in the 

 H-port of this Commission, issued in ten parts 

 from 1871 to 1895; and the nation has suffered 

 incalculable loss by not giving heed to its recom- 

 mendations. 



We wonder whether the deliberations and reports 

 of the numerous Committees appointed since the 

 opening of the war to deal with scientific subjects 

 will meet with a like fate ; and we anxiously await 

 a sign that the Ministry of Reconstruction intends 

 to produce from the information with which it will 

 be provided a coherent and ordered scheme of 

 national development. Lack of the spirit of 

 organisation and system in both industrial and 

 educational matters has prevented us from taking 

 the lead even when we possessed the necessary 

 knowledge and men to do so. Little has yet been 

 done to show that the Government realises its 

 responsibility for united effort in scientific and 

 industrial advance, and for correlating the work 

 of its various advisory Committees. 



We are reminded of this deficiency by a question 

 put by Sir Philip Magnus to the Secretary of State 

 for the Colonies. Sir Philip Magnus asked 



*' whether any efficient system of co-ordinating the 

 research work now being conducted in the labora- 

 tories of our universities, in the National Physical 

 Laboratory, and in the Imperial Institute is being 

 or has been arranged, more especially with the 

 view of bringing the results of such researches 

 into close relation with fresh problems connected 

 with our Colonial trade and with our productive 

 industries in this country and in our Dominions 

 overseas ; and whether opportunities are afforded 

 for placing at the service of our manufacturers 

 scientific experts to advise them or to conduct in 

 their factories special investigations; and, if so, 

 under what conditions." 



The reply given in the House of Commons on 

 November 29 was as follows : — 



" The important questions raised by the hon. 

 member are too large for effective treatment by 

 NO. 2510, VOL. 100] 



way of question and answer, but, as he is no doubt 

 aware, the Committee of the Privy Council for 

 Scientific and Industrial Research are in the course 

 of their administration collecting information as to 

 research being conducted in various places and 

 different types of institution which cannot but 

 facilitate the co-ordination of research work which 

 the hon. member desires. Moreover, as he will 

 have gathered from the annual reports of that 

 department, similar organisations have come, or 

 are coming, into existence in other parts of the 

 Empire, which are in close relation with the 

 Research Department in this country. As an^ 

 example of what is being done in the Oversea* 

 Dominions, I would refer the hon. member to the 

 report of the Commonwealth Advisory Council of 

 Science and Industry and the recently published 

 South African Journal of Industries, which may be 

 seen in the Colonial Office library. This Imperial 

 machinerv will enable those who are ensra^ed in 

 our Colonial trade and in our productive industries 

 to become acquainted with the problems arising 

 In different parts of the Empire, and with^ the 

 results of any researches now in progress either 

 here or in the Dominions. The hon. member will 

 be aware of the work of the Imperial Institute, 

 which is alwavs willinsr to put its expert advice 

 at the disposal of manufacturers. As regards the 

 final part of the question, the establishment of 

 research associations, which is one of the mam 

 objects of the Research Department, is intended 

 to place at the service of our manufacturers 

 scientific experts who may advise them or conduct 

 in their factories soecial investigations." 



It cannot be said that the information provided 

 in answer to Sir Philip Magnus's question throws 

 much light upon the main subject of co-ordination 

 of research work; it is merely a statement that 

 various bodies are now concerned with research, 

 but as to how far they are organised with common 

 objects, or are co-operative, little is said. What 

 we should like to know is whether the various 

 Committees which have been appointed to deal with 

 national and Imperial matters of scientific import- 

 i ance are working independently and whether their 

 j reports published or in preparation are being 

 brought together to produce an organic scheme 

 ' assigning definite work to different departments. 

 We have not much faith in the influence of the 

 recommendations of these Committees unless a 

 ; directorate exists to survey them as a whole and 

 to show how they can be carried into effect with- 

 out overlapping. Either the Ministry of Recon- 

 struction or the Department of Scientific and In- 

 dustrial Research might fulfil this function, but, 

 so far as we know, neither is doing it. There 

 should be a single bureau of- scientific intelligence, 

 where any riianufacturer or industrial research 

 worker may obtain information as to the position 

 of published knowledge upon the particular subject 

 in which he is interested and the laboratories 



