December 13, 1917] 



NATURE 



28:; 



established by some form of agreement. But 

 whatever the method there was no doubt about the 

 ascendancy acquired by the Germans. The case 

 of lead may be cited as an example. Before the 

 war the Germans were, by means of the so-called 

 Lead Convention, which they organised, placed in 

 complete control of the lead trade of the world. 

 Attempts were also being made to secure the con- 

 trol of all the free lead of the world. As regards 

 zinc the position has already been described in 

 the columns of Nature (October 19, 1916). 

 At the outbreak of war this control was a source 

 of great embarrassment to the Government, and 

 for quite two years afterwards the cause of this 

 country and its Allies was severely handicapped 

 because we were without the necessary metal sup- 

 plies, and many trades were in jeopardy. Had 

 not the U.S.A. come to the rescue in supplying 

 these deficiencies, particularly as regards copper, 

 zinc, and lead, it is very doubtful whether the 

 Allies would have been able to avoid defeat. 



In order to obtain the best expert advice on the 

 problem of how to meet this difficulty in the future, 

 the late President of the Board of Trade appointed 

 a strong committee composed of representatives of 

 this country, and to this Sir Albert Stanley, the 

 present occupant of the position, added three 

 members representing respectively Canada, Aus- 

 tralia, and South Africa. According to the state- 

 ment made by him in moving the second reading of 

 the " Non-ferrous Metal Industry Bill " in the 

 House of Commons on December 3, the Committee 

 came to the conclusion that an essential preliminary 

 condition of the successful organisation of any 

 counter-measure was to secure, at all events for 

 a period after the war, that all trace of German 

 influence and association — direct or indirect- — 

 should be eliminated from any undertaking allowed 

 to do business in this country. The Bill aims at 

 achieving this object. 



Clause I provides that it is unlawful to deal in 

 certain metals and ores without a licence. The 

 licences to be granted are renewable annually. 

 Clause 2 gives the Board of Trade power to 

 require certain information and to inspect the 

 books and documents of persons or firms who 

 apply for, or obtain, licences. Clause 3 pro- 

 vides for certain penalties for contravention of 

 the Act. Clause 4 empowers the Board of Trade 

 to make rules for carrying out the Act, and 

 Clause 5 specifies the metals and ores to Avhich 

 the Act applies. The Act is intended to be in force 

 during the war and for five years after its ter- 

 mination. The President of the Board of Trade 

 stated that the measure is designed, not in the 

 interest of " the trade," but in that of the nation, 

 and that the control of metals which are so essen- 

 tial to the development of British industries must 

 not be allowed to fall again into German hands 

 after the war. He also claimed that the power of 

 control given by the Bill will' be a distinct step 

 towards Securing our economic freedom. 



The discussion took a somewhat curious course. 

 The rejection of the Bill was moved by Mr. J. M. 

 Henderson, but his amendment was not seconded, 

 NO. 251 1, VOL. 100] 



and„ therefore, was not put from the chair. Later 

 the rejection was moved by Sir F. Banbury, and 

 this was seconded. Finally, the debate stood 

 adjourned. The discussion was resumed on Tues- 

 day, December 11, when, in a division on the 

 amendment that the Bill be rejected, there voted 

 against the rejection 182, and for it 79, giving a 

 majority of 103 against rejection. The result was 

 that the Bill was read a second time; 



H. C. H. Carpenter. 



THE ROLE OF SELECTION IN 

 EVOLUTION.' 



ABOUT the beginning of the twentieth century 

 the current of doubt as to the evolu- 

 tionary importance of processes of selection 

 grew rapidly in streng'th, and swept not a few 

 naturalists off their feet. Bateson and De Vries 

 produced evidence of the frequent occurrence of 

 discontinuous variations or mutations; De Vries 

 began methodical testings of what selection could 

 do in the course of years with maize, buttercups, 

 striped flowers, and four-leaved clover — the 

 general outcome being that it did not do very 

 much ; and Johannsen, working carefully on " pure 

 lines " of beans, which are self-fertilising but show 

 fluctuating variation in the size of the seed, proved 

 that selection continued generation after genera- 

 tion in a particular direction may be without re- 

 sult, so far as any change in average seed size 

 is concerned. These and other considerations led 

 to a depreciation of the importance of selection 

 processes. As Prof. W. E. Castle says in a very 

 interesting pronouncement : — 



In the minds of many biologists at the present time 

 selection is an obsolete agency in evolution, and an 

 adequate explanation of evolution is to be found only 

 in mutation and pure lines. I believe this to be a 

 mistaken view, not because mutation and pure lines 

 are false, but because their applicability is very limited 

 compared with the broad field of organic evolution. 

 To universalise them is to hide the world by holding 

 a small object close to the eye. 



As De Vries has always insisted, mutations 

 come we know not how, but selection determines 

 which must go and which will stay. According 

 to Darwin, new types are for the most part estab- 

 lished gradually ; according to De Vries, they 

 arise abruptly. According to Darwin, new types 

 are for the most part plastic ; according to De 

 Vries, new types are fully stable. .A.ccording to 

 Darwin, one evolutionary change follows upon, 

 and is made possible by, another; according to 

 De Vries, one evolutionary change has no neces- 

 sary relation to another. According to Darwin, 

 natural selection determines what classes of varia- 

 tions shall survive, and, in consequence, what 

 shall be the variable material subjected to selection 

 in the next generation; according to De Vries, 

 natural selection determines only what classes of 

 variations shall survive, and exercises no influence 

 on the subsequent variability of the race. Accord- 

 ing to Darwin, the further evolution of our 



1 Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., vii. (1917), No. 12, pp. 369-87. 



