COUNCIL — SEPTEMBER 1912 — 36 — 



expected were considered. Whilst these were possibilities which might be realised 

 in the future he thought the immediate point for the consideration of the Council 

 was that of whether the greatly reduced programme which under the circumstances 

 already explained they had found themselves forced to adopt was in point of fact 

 being carried out on a scale which was likely to yield reliable results. 



The consideration of this question, brought him he said to the third point 

 which he desired to bring under their consideration — a point of some delicacy 

 — viz: - the relationship between the Council and the Governments concerned. 

 He found that in some quarters there seemed what appeared to him to be an 

 undue sensitiveness as to the exercise by the Council of the powers necessary to 

 carry on their work. He was fully in agreement with those who considered that 

 everything in reason should be done to respect the wishes of the participating 

 Governments. He thought that it would be a grave misfortune if anything were 

 unnecessarily done by the Council which would cause any country to withdraw 

 from their co-operation. He thought, however, that a graver misfortune would be 

 for the Council to proceed with their work, without remonstrance, after they had 

 become convinced that in point of fact they were not receiving the data necessary 

 for the solution of those problems which they had undertaken to investigate, or 

 to accept from any of the Governments undue pressure on matters for which the 

 Council were alone responsible. He could conceive of no graver calamity befalling 

 any scientific body of honourable men than that of having to choose between 

 giving way to political pressure, or having to admit that they had worked for 

 years on a basis which could not give reliable results because they feared taking 

 any action which might lead to the break up of their work altogether. It seemed 

 to him that in such matters as these courage was the truest caution, and that 

 their organisation would be respected according to the extent to which they refused 

 to give way to pressure from any particular interest and showed that they were 

 resolutely determined only to do sound work and to reject conclusions which the 

 data did not warrant. He desired to remind them that a Minister's position was 

 frequently one of great difficulty. Pressure might be brought to bear upon him 

 which not being an expert in such matters he might find it difficult to resist. He 

 might even be forced by political considerations, in referring some matters to the 

 Council, to voice views in some particular direction. But he would do so in the 

 belief that the Council would judge all questions in the light of the facts they had 

 accumulated, and that they would not recommend anything to be done, whether 

 promoted by his own or any other country, which they were not convinced was 



