July 20, 191 ij 



NATURE 



93 



as a safeguard against its becoming a purely Welsh institu- 

 tion. In these circumstances we confidently hope that 

 scientific literature of all nations will be adequately repre- 

 sent' d. At the same time, it is important for English 

 workers to realise the scientific importance of much that 

 comes under the more Welsh side of the library. At pre- 

 sent numbers of manuscripts and documents, full of historic 

 interest, are scattered about in remote districts, and the 

 foundation of a central collection cannot fail to bring to 

 light important new contributions to our knowledge of 

 history and anthropology. A further step in the same 

 direction is the National .Museum at Cardiff, of which the 

 foundation stone will be laid next year, and which will, it 

 is hoped, serve to preserve records of the druidical and other 

 remains which are gradually disappearing under the de- 

 vastating influence of utilitarianism. The astronomical 

 interest connected with these remains will be well known to 

 readers of Nature. A photographic survey of the antiquities 

 of Wales might, one would think, be inaugurated with 



f :fttili!llli 1 



• 2- — Interior of the quadrangle, showing the open cloisters by - 

 the lecture rooms are approached. On the left-hand side is the 

 containing the Assistant Lecturers' private rooms ; on the right a c 



advantage in connection with either the library or the 

 museum, perhaps both. 



The proceedings in Aberystwyth were attended by dele- 

 gates from most of the universities of the United Kingdom, 

 as well as the Royal Society and similar bodies, and these 

 received hospitality at the Alexandra Hall (the residence of 

 the women students), which thus became the scene of 

 pleasant meetings between the brotherhood of university- 

 workers so well described by Mr. Balfour. The memories 

 which we shall carry away of this gathering will be ranked 

 in the same group with our pleasantest reminiscences of 

 British Association meetings. We could have wished that 

 royal honours had been conferred on some representative 

 of science, as it is probable that such a distinction would 

 have given an impetus to an aspect of the university 

 movement which must always be kept prominently in the 

 foreground. 



G. II. Bryan. 



NO. 2177, VOL. 87] 



TECHNICAL TRAINING AND UNIVERSITY 



GRANTS. 

 TN the House of Commons on July 13, in Committee of 

 Supply, the President of the Board of Education made 

 his annual statement reviewing the work of the Board 

 during the previous year. 



Dealing with the museum work of the Board of Educa- 

 tion, Mr. Runciman referred to the controversy over the 

 question of a site for the Science Museum. He said : — 

 " Since the first announcement was made about the site 

 of the Science Museum I have entered into negotiations 

 with the Trustees of the British Museum, and we have now 

 arrived at an agreement which will give us the land we 

 require for the Science Museum and will not interfere with 

 the development of the Natural History Museum, so that 

 we shall have in South Kensington a group of museums 

 which will be the envy of foreign nations." 



In the course of his further remarks, Mr. Runciman 

 referred to technical training and university grants. Sub- 

 joined are a few extracts from The Times report of his 

 speech. 



Higher Technical Training. 



" I regret to say that from all I learn of the work done 

 in the provinces and of the work done on the Continent, I 

 have to confess that it is in the field of higher technological 

 forces that we have most leeway to make up. 



" It is true that in many directions large sums of money 

 are being devoted to the endowment of technological chairs 

 in almost every modern university. Great bequests have 

 been made during the past year. The University of Liver- 

 pool has recently founded a professorship of naval archi- 

 tecture, largely owing to the generosity of Mr. Elder. 

 They have also created a department for the study of the 

 problems of town planning — a new and rather interesting 

 department. There are at the present time at least two 

 departments in modern universities for the study of 

 aeronautics. A professorship has been founded at Leeds 

 for the study of the gas, coal, and fuel industries. In the 

 same university instruction is being provided in wool- 

 combing and spinning, for which the Clothworkers' Com- 

 pany has given a sum of no less than 50.000/., making, 1 

 believe, the school at Leeds one of the most valuable 

 technical schools in Europe. In the north of England a 

 sum of 35,000/. has been applied for the teaching of 

 mechanical engineering, and in three universities sums of 

 30,000/., 50,000/., and 70,000/. respectively have been pro- 

 vided for the promotion of chemical science. 



" In London 60,000/. has been set apart by the Uni- 

 versity Association for the training of women in the study 

 of the science of the household. Great progress has been 

 made, I am glad to think, in the departments of metallurgy 

 and chemistry in the north. In the sciences at the Imperial 

 College great improvements have been made in the last 

 twelve months, and I believe now that the leaders of the 

 great industries are well alive to the fact that in the develop- 

 ment of higher technological work lies much of the hope 

 for their future success. I need not mention agriculture 

 except in passing. Two agricultural colleges have been 

 linked up with modern universities. 



" When one records all, there is still left the feeling 

 that in England there is not full appreciation of higher 

 technological work, and when we make comparison of the 

 number of students at German and English universities it 

 is all to the advantage of Germanv and not to our credit. 

 In the eleven modern universities of England at the present 

 time full time students number qfioo, and if you add 7000 

 at Oxford and Cambridge of under- and post-graduates, >ou 

 have a total for England and Wales of 16,600 students. It 

 sounds like a large number, hut when vou remember that 

 Germany has 63,000 students in similar institutions we may 

 well say we have a long journey before us." 



University Grants. 

 " The most important departure made in the administra- 

 tive work of modern universities is to be found in the 

 change in distribution of the Treasury grant. Over a long 

 period the Treasury grants given in large stuns Were spent 

 at the discretion of the modern universities; titirler the 

 advice of a committee set up by the Tveasury. There is 



