40 



NATURE 



[March 9, 1916 



(i) "That an Advisory Council consisting of nine 

 members representing science and the principal 

 primary and secondary industries be appointed who 

 shall advise and co-operate with the directors in fram- 

 ing the policy and in the administration of the insti- 

 tute." 



(ii) "That the members be appointed by the Gover- 

 nor-General in Council." 



(iii) "That for the purposes of controlling and ad- 

 ministering the institute and of collecting information 

 and determining on the researches to be undertaken 

 and directing their elucidation, three highly qualified 

 salaried directors, of whom one should be chairman 

 of the directors, shall be appointed by the Governor- 

 GeneraL in Council. The directors shall seek the ad- 

 vice and co-operation of the Council and shall be 

 ex-officio members thereof." 



(iv) "That of the three directors one should be an 

 expert business and financial man with ability in 

 organisation ; the other two should be chosen mainly 

 on account of scientific attainments and wide experi- 

 ence." 



(v) " The tenure of the directors shall be fixed by the 

 Act," 



(vi) "That the scientific staff should be appointed by 

 the Governor-General in Council on the recommenda- 

 tion of the directors." 



(5) The committee further resolved as follows : — 

 (i) "That all discoveries, inventions, improvements, 



processes, and machines made by workers directly em- 

 ployed by the institute should be vested in trustees 

 appointed by it as its sole property, and should be 

 made available, under proper conditions and on pay- 

 ment of gratuities or otherwise, for public advantage." 



(ii) "That the council of the Institute should be 

 empowered to recommend to the Government the pay- 

 ment of bonuses to successful discoverers or inventors 

 working under the auspices of the institute." 



(ill) "That the Institute should be empowered to 

 charge fees for special Investigations subject to regula- 

 tions approved by the Governor-General in Council." 



(6) Though these matters are not directly connected 

 with the proposed institute the committee passed two 

 further resolutions : — 



(I) " That steps should be taken with a view to 

 coordinating the work of our technical colleges and 

 trade schools throughout Australia, so that a supply 

 of scientifically taught craftsmen will be available to 

 support the expansion of industry that it is hoped 

 will result from the operations of the Institute of Science 

 and Industry." 



(II) " That with a view to promoting our export 

 trade In Australian products it Is desirable that serious 

 attention be given to the study of modern languages, 

 Including Oriental languages, for commercial pur- 

 poses." 



Immediate Arrangements. 



(7) The committee realises that the establishment 

 of the institute will necessarily involve some delay, but 

 being impressed with the urgent need for work of the 

 character proposed the committee resolved as fol- 

 lows : — 



(I) "That until the institute is established an Advi- 

 sory Council be appointed by the Governor-General in 

 Council particularly to carry out the objects expressed 

 in resolutions 2 (I) and (Ii), viz. : * To consider and 

 initiate scientific researches in connection with, or 

 for, the promotion of primary or secondary industries 

 in the Commonwealth,' and (II) 'The collection of 

 Industrial scientific information and the formation of 

 a bureau for its dissemination amongst those engaged 

 In industry.' " 



(Ii) "That the Federal and State Munitions Com- 

 mittees, heads of the Commonwealth and State scien- | 



NO. 2419, VOL. 97] 



tific departments, and bodies representative of 

 Commonwealth manufacture, commerce, agriculture, 

 mining, and engineering, the universities and technical 

 colleges, and private enterprises, be invited to suggest 

 branches of industrial scientific research in which in- 

 vestigation would be of immediate practical use to 

 producers and manufacturers." 



(iii) "That the Advisory Council be appointed forth- 

 with, and that when appointed It immediately take 

 steps to initiate research work into the most pressing 

 matters needing investigation and seek the co-opera- 

 tion of existing institutions and utilise the resources 

 of staff and equipment at our disposal at the present 

 time." 



(iv) "The committee suggests for the consideration 

 of the Advisory Council that the following problems, 

 among others, are pressing : — The sheep fly pest ; im- 

 proved methods of extracting zinc from Australian 

 ores, including the commercial manufacture of electro- 

 lytic zinc ; the utilisation of brown coal with recovery 

 of by-products ; the introduction of a mechanical cotton 

 picker ; the eradication of the prickly pear ; the produc- 

 tion of aluminium and ferro alloys ; the recovery of 

 potash, manufacture of alkali, and condensation of 

 sulphurous acid gas at present being wasted ; the cul- 

 tivation of useful indigenous grasses and salt-bushes ; 

 the manufacture of fine chemicals, drugs, and explo- 

 sives. 



It is, of course, impossible to predict, in matters of 

 research, what the outcome of investigations may be. 

 And the committee realises that not all the above 

 subjects can be examined to the point of final results 

 during the interval before the institute gets to work. 

 The committee, however, suggests that in many, If not 

 all, of the above matters most valuable work could 

 be done In collecting data, and, in effect, making a 

 preliminary census both as to present discoveries, and 

 the staff and apparatus available in Australia. Such 

 work Is an indispensable first step in all research. 



In addition to this, there Is ample scope for prac- 

 tical work during the interval in vigorously prosecut- 

 ing the dissemination of known information as to 

 processes, etc., amongst our producers and manufac- 

 turers. 



(v) "That funds be placed at the disposal of the 

 Advisory Council for the above purposes." 



(8) The committee desires to thank the Prime Minis- 

 ter for having placed at Its disposal the services of 

 Mr. Gerald Lightfoot, barrlster-at-law, whose work 

 as secretary has been greatly valued by the committee. 

 (Signed) Orme Masson (chairman), A. B. 

 PIddington, G. D. Delprat, W. Russell Grimwade, 

 J. M. Higglns, Wm. S. Robinson, George Swin- 

 burne, Alex. J. Gibson, Douglas Mawson, W. W. 

 Forwood. 



(Signed) Gerald Lightfoot, secretary to committee. 



NOTES. 



We are glad that the Times has published In Its 

 Educational Supplement for March 7 a selection of 

 letters upon the place of science In education received 

 since the publication of the recent memorial on the 

 neglect of science, to which we have referred on more 

 than one occasion. The memorial was drawn up by 

 a small committee of public-school science masters, 

 and the thIrty-sIx distinguished men of science who 

 signed it subscribed to the views expressed In it with- 

 out themselves being actively concerned with the con- 

 struction of the document. If they and the professors 

 at the Imperial College who supported them In a later 

 short memorial to Lord Crewe, the chairman of the 



