246 



NATURE 



[May 29, 1919 



During the succeeding- eighteen months the 

 National Research Council was thoroughly 

 organised, and throughout this period rendered 

 the greatest service to the nation in directing and 

 conducting investigations connected with the 

 prosecution of the war and with national welfare. 

 Its activities were not confined to research alone, 

 but a very important division occupied itself with 

 general relations. Information was collected 

 from foreign sources and distributed to those 

 workers who had need of it. Large questions of 

 reconstruction, education, and foreign relations 

 were handled from the scientific and industrial 

 aspects. 



The technical divisions of the Council were as 

 follows: Military; engineering; physics, mathe- 

 matics, astronomy, and geophysics ; chemistry and 

 chemical technology; geology and geography; 

 medicine and related sciences ; agriculture, botany, 

 forestry, zoology, and fisheries. Under these 

 heads a large number of members were co-opted 

 to deal with special subjects. 



As will be seen, this very complete system 

 enabled the National Research Council to bring 

 under its direction practically everyone available 

 whose capacity for research work was a national 

 asset. 



So successfully did the Council carry out the 

 programme assigned to it that on May 1 1 of last 

 year the President requested the National 

 Academy to perpetuate the National Research 

 Council in order that it might be available not 

 only for war-time problems, but also for the large 

 issues of peace. 



The six paragraphs in which the President sums 

 up the duties of the National Research Council are 

 the clearest exposition possible of the relations of 

 research and research workers to national effici- 

 ency, but they also point out what are the obliga- 

 tions of the nation towards stimulating investiga- 

 tion in the United States. Stress is laid on co- 

 operative work, but it is pointed out that co- 

 operation must be of such a type as to ensure in- 

 dividual initiative. 



It is especially noteworthy in the President's 

 order that collaboration of the scientific and tech- 

 nical branches of the Government, both military 

 and civil, with the National Research Council 

 is required. The nominations, however, to 

 the Council from the Government bureaux are 

 made by the president of the National Academy of 

 Sciences. They are then designated by the Presi- 

 dent of the United States to take their place on 

 the National Research Council. In this way the 

 Government representatives are men whose scien- 

 tific qualifications are vouched for by the president 

 of the National Academy of Sciences. 



Thus it is that the national direction of research 

 work in the United States has become vested in 

 a body of men whose conduct of research work 

 during the war period of that country has shown 

 that they are competent to handle the great 

 problems which go with peace and reconstruction. 

 The scheme is a wise one, because it calls for 

 the closest co-operation between the Government 

 NO. 2587, VOL. 103] 



and the research worker, but leaves the decision 

 as to the methods of attack in the problems in- 

 volved in the hands of experts. 



The financing of investigations under the 

 National Research Council was carried on with 

 funds which aggregated 54,096^. for the fiscal 

 year 1919. These were derived from the Rocke- 

 feller Foundation, the Carnegie Institution, and 

 the President's Fund. 



Two important developments have taken place 

 since the foundation of the Council. The first is 

 the result of the Rockefeller Foundation entrust- 

 ing to the Council the sum of 100,000/. for ex- 

 penditure within a period of five years for research 

 in physics and chemistry in educational institu- 

 tions in the United States. The primary feature 

 of the project is the initiation of research fellow- 

 ships. This will open a scientific career to a 

 larger number of able investigators, and will meet 

 an urgent need of the universities and industries. 

 It is expected that fifteen to twenty fellowships 

 will be available during the coming year. 



The second development brings the Council into 

 the closest touch with the scientific and technical 

 societies of the United States. By a recent 

 decision of the Council the majority of the members 

 of a division must be representatives elected by 

 the leading scientific societies. In the division of 

 chemistry and chemical technology, for example, 

 nine members are elected by the Chemical Society, 

 one each by the Electrochemical and Ceramic 

 Societies, and one by the Institute of Chemical 

 Engineers. Only six members are chosen by the 

 Council itself. 



There can be no doubt that this programme, in 

 which the direction of national research work is 

 placed in the hands of capable men of science, 

 in which ample opportunity is afforded younger 

 men of originality to develop their genius, and 

 in which the head of the State and his advisers 

 have actively attested the vital necessity of original 

 investigation in any scheme of national efficiency, 

 initiates an era of scientific productiveness for 

 the United States far greater even than the im- 

 portant output to which we were accustomed 

 before the war. C. G. L. Wolf. 



W ATER-POWER DEVELOPMENTS. 



THE prominence which has recently been given 

 to the latent possibilities of power in 

 streams, at present, from an industrial point of 

 view, running to waste, has had the effect of 

 stimulating public and professional interest to 

 such a degree that reports and articles on the 

 subject are now being published in close sequence, 

 and we are appreciably increasing our knowledge 

 of the conditions prevailing in appropriate regions, 

 and of the measures which are desirable for ex- 

 ploiting such sources of power. The Royal 

 Swedish Waterfalls Board is losing no time in 

 developing the mountainous supplies of Lapland. 

 The Carjadian water-power departments are 

 equally active as regards the hydrometric survey 

 of Canada. Our own Government has taken the 



