January 22, 1920] 



NATURE 



551 



the necessity of making both logarithms and numerical 

 trigonometry compulsory for the university matricula- 

 tion, because the worlv of the intermediate classes in 

 the universities was being seriously hampered by the 

 lack of such knowledge on the part of a large number 

 of the students. Prof. Whittaker gave a most in- 

 teresting paper on " Some Mathematical Problems 

 awaiting Solution," which suggested themselves 

 chiefly in computative work, such as the question of 

 the convergence of certain approximative processes in 

 the case of a large number of siniultaneous equations. 

 Mr. R. C. Fawdry opened a discussion on the teach- 

 ing of mechanics to beginners, and said that, after 

 many years' experience, he still could not decide 

 whether to teach statics or dynamics first. A vigorous 

 protest was entered by Dr. S. Brodetsky, Prof. W. P. 

 Milne, and Mr. A. W. Siddons against the practice 

 that had just arisen of teaching "pure mathematics" 

 in the new advanced courses in secondary schools, 

 thereby promoting undue specialisation at a voung 

 age and losing entirely the outlook which a combined 

 course of pure and applied mathematics can supply. 



The meetings were extremely well attended and 

 verv enthusiastic. William P. Milne. 



T' 



INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATIONS. 



'HE Department of Scientific and Industrial 

 Research has just issued the following list of 

 research associations which have been approved by the 

 Department as complying with the conditions laid 

 down in the Government scheme for the encourage- 

 ment of industrial research, and have received licences 

 from the Board of Trade under section 20 of the 

 Companies (Consolidation) -Act of 1908 : — 



British Boot, Shoe, and .'\llied Trades Research 

 Association, Technical School, .'Vbington Square, 

 Northampton. Secretary : Mr. John Blakeman. 



British Cotton Industry Research Association, 

 loS Deansgate, Manchester. Secretary: Miss B. 

 Thomas. 



British Empire Sugar Research .Association, Evelyn 

 House, 62 Oxford Street, London, W.i. Secretary: 

 Mr. W. H. GifTard. 



British Iron Manufacturers Research Association, 

 -Atlantic Chambers, Brazennose Street, Manchester. 

 Secretary: Mr. H. S. Knowles. 



British Motor and Allied Manufacturers Research 

 Association, :?9 St. James's Street, London, S.W.i. 

 Secretary : Mr. Horace Wyatt. 



British Photographic Research Association, Sicilian 

 House, Southampton Row, London, W.C.i. Secre- 

 tar\ : Mr. .Arthur C. Brookes. 



British Portland Cement Research Association, 

 6 Llovd's Avenue, London, E.C.3. Secretary: Mr. 

 S. G.'S. Panisset. 



British Research .Association for the Woollen and 

 Worsted Industries, Bond Place Chambers, Leeds. 

 Secretary: Mr. .Arnold Frobisher. 



British Scientific Instrument Research .Association, 

 26 Russell Square, W.C.i. Secretary: Mr. J. W. 

 Williamson. 



British Rubber and Tvre Manufacturers Research 

 .Association, c/o Messrs. W. B. Peat and Co., 11 Iron- 

 monger Lane, E.C.2. 



The Linen Industry Research Association, t. Bed- 

 ford Street, Belfast. Secretary: Miss M. K. E. 

 Allen. 



Glass Research Association, 7 Seamore Place, W.i. 

 Serretarv : Mr. E. Quine. 



British Cocoa, Chocolate, Sugar Confectionery, and 

 Tam Trades Research Association, q Queen Street 

 Place, E'.C.4. Secretary: Mr. R. M. Leonard. 



NO. 2621, VOL. 104] 



Schemes for the establishment of research associa- 

 tions in the following industries have reached an 

 advanced state of development : — 



Research Associations Approved by the Department 

 but not yet Licensed by the Board of Trade. — British 

 Music Industries Research Association, British Refrac- 

 tory Materials Research Association, British Non- 

 Ferrous Metals Research Association, and Scottish 

 Shale Oil Research Association. 



Proposed Research Associations the Memorandum 

 and Articles of Association of which are under Con- 

 sideration. — British Launderers Research Association, 

 British Electrical and .Allied Industries Research 

 Association, and British Aircraft Research Association. 



Industrial Organisations Engaged in Preparing 

 Memorandum and Articles of Association. — Silk 

 Manufacturers, Leather Trades, and Master Bakers 

 and Confectioners. 



In addition to the industries included above, certain 

 others are engaged in the preliminary consideration of 

 schemes for forming research associations. 



THE ORGANISATION OF IMPERIAL 

 STATISTICS.^ 



POINTING out that it was almost emphasising the 

 obvious to say that any great nation should be 

 thoroughly informed as to its numerical, its social, 

 and its economic drift, the author directed attention 

 to the fact that this had been recently recognised irt 

 a petition to his Majesty's Government so late as 

 November i last. It was also emphasised by the 

 calling together of a Conference of the Statisticians 

 of the Empire, under the aegis of the British Govern- 

 ment. In view of the position of the British Empire 

 in world affairs, it was but little short of amazing that 

 an Imperial Bureau of Census and Statistics was not 

 long ago established. -A bureau, to be really Imperial, 

 must recognise the community of interest of all parts 

 of the Empire. It was not something to be created 

 mainlv for the purposes of the United Kingdom, but 

 something which would meet equally well the pur- 

 poses of each part of the Empire. For this reason 

 the needs of the autonomous Dominions must be quite 

 as carefully considered as those of the United King- 

 dom itself, and it was implied in the paper that any 

 part of the Empire which could not at present meet 

 the common requirements of the whole must be pre- 

 pared to do so. The interest would be general only 

 in so far as it was Imperial. 



In order to overcome departmental frictions and to- 

 .secure the sympathy and co-operation of all public 

 departments, it was suggested that, a Central Statis- 

 tical Commission should be created, the president of 

 which would, of course, be the Director of the Bureau 

 of Statistics. Such a Commission would be a body- 

 of expert advisers, and could make its departments 

 helofiil. The scope of an Imperial Statistical Bureau, 

 both as to administrative procedure and as to subject- 

 matter to be dealt with, was outlined, as was also^ 

 the question of compilation and publication. 



To attempt to organise an Imperial Bureau of 

 Statistics with a small and humbly qualified st.Tff 

 would foredoom it to failure, said the author. In its 

 higher professional section it must necessarily have 

 experts in statistical theory, in the technique_ of the 

 collection and compilation of statistical data, in pure 

 and applied mathematics, in the languages which are 

 important in the statistical field, in statistical editor- 



1 Abstract of a Paper presented to the Royal Statistical Society on 

 Tuesday, January ao, by G. H. Knibbs, Statistician of the Common- 

 wealth of Australia. 



