5IO 



NATURE 



[June 24, 1920 



the fruit of Germany's technical high schools and 

 universities, is, like some other imported products, 

 essentially a " key " industry, and therefore a 

 dominant factor in the manufacture of finished 

 textiles, which to a very large extent are exported 

 by us to foreign markets, there to meet in com- 

 petition the goods of other countries. Having 

 regard to the prime necessity of increasing the 

 supply of competent graduates for scientific indus- 

 trial research, the British Science Guild carefully 

 investigated the subject, and last year issued a 

 report (which has been widely distributed to mem- 

 bers of the Government, to the Universities, and 

 to many leaders of industry and commerce) on 

 industrial research and the supply of trained scien- 

 tific workers. It was shown that in 1914 the 

 number of full-time students of University stand- 

 ard and of students of science and technology in 

 the United Kingdom was relatively small as com- 

 pared with the number of similar students in the 

 United States and in Germany ; and further, that 

 the financial resources of Universities in the 

 British Isles are very much below those of the 

 other countries. Two of the provincial Universi- 

 ties — namely, Manchester and Liverpool — are now 

 engaged in the endeavour to raise the sum of 

 650,000/, and i,ooo,oooL respectively to enable 

 them to extend their operations so as to meet in 

 some measure the demands made upon them, espe- 

 cially in the departments of science and techno- 

 logy. Leeds and other centres of higher educa- 

 tion are also appealing for monetary aid. 



There should be, as in 1881-84, a systematic 

 national survey of the conditions now existing 

 and of the requirements necessary to ensure the 

 satisfactory progress of industry and commerce 

 in the United Kingdom. The circumstances aris- 

 ing out of the war have brought about an entire 

 and welcome change of outlook on the part of 

 British manufacturers engaged in the chief indus- 

 tries of the country, evidence of which is to be 

 found in the list issued in April last of nineteen 

 research associations representing various indus- 

 tries which have been approved by the Depart- 

 ment of Scientific and Industrial Research, whilst 

 several other industries have submitted, or are 

 engaged in preparing, memoranda and articles 

 of association for approval. 



The growing appreciation on the part of the 

 community generally of the advantages of second- 

 ary education, together with the requirements of 

 the Education Act of 1918, will of necessity in- 

 crease the demand for highly qualified teachers, 

 NO. 2643, VOL. 105] 



for whose training the Universities and the chief 

 technical institutions will be responsible,* neces- 

 sarily entailing upon them a large additional ex- 

 penditure. It is, moreover, increasingly recog- 

 nised that the nation does not take adequate 

 advantage of the best brains in the poorer classes 

 of the community, A broad highway must be 

 established along which they may travel from the 

 elementary school to the University, but this can 

 be accomplished only by the institution of a large 

 number of national maintenance scholarships oper- 

 ating uniformly all over the country, as local 

 scholarships do not, and so providing the means 

 whereby the capable youth may advance from 

 stage to stage from his twelfth year. This would 

 entail a large expenditure, but the nation would 

 be well repaid in the rich harvest it would reap 

 of highly capable men and women. 



These considerations lead to the necessity of 

 largely increased State grants in support of Uni- 

 versity and higher technical education, which 

 should be closely related to the appointment of 

 a consultative committee mainly composed of 

 representatives of industry and commerce and 

 of universities and technical institutions to 

 advise the Board of Education on matters 

 relating to science and technology and their 

 bearing upon the requirements of industry, 

 and also to the division of the country into 

 provinces roughly corresponding to the areas 

 served by the respective Universities, governed by 

 a council composed of existing local authorities, 

 with the addition of members representative of 

 the Universities and of industry and commerce. 



If this were done it would be possible to corre- 

 late effectively all forms of education, to prevent 

 overlapping, and to equalise the burden of 

 administration and cost, whilst giving equality 

 of opportunity, without distinction of class,, 

 to all residing within the province so created. 

 For these reasons the British Science Guild 

 strongly urges the Board of Education tO" 

 set up a Departmental Committee to make an 

 exhaustive inquiry into the present provision of 

 University and higher technical education through- 

 out the kingdom, with power to suggest how it 

 could best be arranged and developed according 

 to the needs of each area, whether industrial,, 

 commercial, or agricultural in character. Such an 

 inquiry could not fail to be fruitful in its 

 results, and would greatly stimulate the interest 

 of all concerned in the conditions making for 

 national well-being in all its aspects. 



