Council — mars inao — 16 — 



working in the sections should always have in mind — in recommending any particular 

 programme of work that they are going themselves to undertake to play a part 

 in it, and that they should not undertake anything that they are not quite certain 

 they can carry out. Nothing is so unsatisfactory as to have a very fine programme, 

 ideally perfect perhaps, and to know before you start that you will fall far short 

 of it. We had better make up our minds what we can do, and we must all feel that 

 at the present moment our resources are so limited — we are only slowly recovering 

 from the conflict on which we have been engaged for the last five years — that 

 we cannot expect to have at our disposal at the present moment all the funds 

 for research work that we should like to have, whether in the form of ships and 

 material, or in the form of men, because, as everybody knows, during the last 5 

 years there has been no considerable output of young scientists coming on to help 

 us in research work, and many have lost their lives in the war. Therefore we must 

 start with a heavy handicap and I should like to impress on the Council and on 

 the Sections the importance of making up their minds on what can be done, and 

 not advocating programmes which cannot be carried out. 



Coupled with that I make the suggestion — though I do not suggest that 

 the person should be named now — that the Council should appoint, in respect of 

 each of the principal questions, or possibly in respect of all questions together — 

 somebody who should frame an administrative report for every year, indicating 

 how far the programmes which we have laid down have been actually carried out, 

 and that it should be the business of that individual to keep in touch with the 

 different countries and, not waiting till the end of the year or to the next meeting, 

 but, say, once in every three months, to ask for a report as to how the work is 

 going on which they have undertaken. That is a practical measure which I think 

 it desirable to adopt from a knowledge of human nature. Everybody knows and 

 will admit that if somebody comes at intervals and asks whether you have done 

 so and so or not, you are more likely to do it. That is the kind of stimulus that, 

 I think, might usefully be given. 



Perhaps you will allow me to add a few words in French for the benefit 

 of our French friends. Je propose au Conseil qu'on ne propose aucun programme 

 qui ne puisse être complètement achevé; dans les Sections qui vont établir ces 

 programmes il .est désirable que chacun se limite à ce que son pays peut faire et 

 ne propose pas des recherches alors qu'il n'est pas certain que le pays qu'il repré- 

 sente pourra les exécuter. Il faudrait que quelqu'un prenne régulièrement con- 

 naissance par les rapports des différents pays de ce qu'ils ont accomph de leur 

 tâche, tous les trois mois par exemple. 



Dr. Jones heartily concurred with the remarks made by Mr. Maurice, 

 emphasising the need for concentration. Instead of dividing energies over many 

 subjects he thought it would be better to concentrate on two or three. 



