322 
NATURE 
[May 20, 1915 


private benefactions increase the endowments 
for such purposes at the rate of about 
5,000,000. annually, in the United Kingdom 
neither the State nor the generosity of individuals 
makes provision for research on a scale at al 
comparable with what is done in the two countries 
which are our chief competitors in the industria) 
world. 
The war has brought to the forefront the 
national necessities to which Sir Norman Lockyer 
directed attention in his presidential address to 
the British Association at Southport in 1903, and 
throughout its existence the British Science Guild 
has persistently endeavoured to stimulate action 
which would encourage the expansion, and pro- 
mote the use, of the scientific forces of the 
Empire. At last both men of science. and 
members of Parliament have awakened to a sense 
of the importance of these matters; and, as we 
reported last week, representatives of the Royal 
Society and the Chemical Society have urged upon 
the Government the need for intimate interest by 
the State in scientific research and its relation to 
manufactures. We congratulate these and other 
societies upon the support thus given to the efforts 
of the British Science Guild to organise scientific 
work in the interests of national welfare. 
Political leaders have expressed, from time to 
time, their sympathetic interest in scientific in- 
vestigation and their belief in its influence upon 
industrial development, but until now little attempt 
has been made to give practical value to their 
profession. The unanimity with which the scheme 
put forward by Mr. Pease was supported in the 
House of Commons shows that all parties are 
prepared to make adequate provision for scientific 
work and its organisation in the interests of 
industry when a definite policy is proposed. We 
reprint below, from the official report of the debate 
on May 13 (Parliamentary Debates, vol. Ixxi., 
No. 52) the main parts of speeches referring to 
the Advisory Council. 
Mr. Pease: The war has brought home to us and 
to our notice that we have been far too dependent for 
very many processes and many materials upon the 
foreigner, and we have realised that it is essential, 
if we are going to maintain our position in the world, 
to make better use of our scientifically trained workers, 
that we must increase the number of those workers, 
and that we must endeavour to secure that industry 
is closely associated with our scientific workers, and 
promote a proper system of encouragement of research 
workers, especially in our universities. The fault in 
the past, no doubt, has been partly due to the remiss- 
ness on the part of the Government in failing to create 
careers for scientific men. It has also, I think, been 
due partly to the universities, who have not realised 
how important it is that pure science ought to be 
utilised with applied science and brought into close 
contact with manufacturing interests. I think it was 
also partly due to the fact that the manufacturers 
themselves under-valued the importance of science in 
connection with their particular industries. It was 
partly due, too, to the fact that the ratepayers have 
been too niggardly in making provision in connection 
with their technical institutions and colleges. 

House in order to show that by expenditure inthe first 
instance of a comparatively small sum of. money, 
which ought to develop into very substantial sums of 
money in the future, much can be done by research 
workers, and by properly scientifically trained indi- 
viduals in regard to many of those processes for which 
hitherto we have been dependent upon other countries. 
We relied upon Germany for hard porcelain tubes used 
in pyrometers which are required for measuring high 
temperature. On a supply of these pyrometers depends 
the manufacture of needles required for the sewing 
of boots and providing the footgear of our troops. 
I am glad to say that, owing to the research work 
that. has taken place recently, we are now able to 
produce as good porcelain as that previously produced 
for this purpose in Germany, and we are able, there- 
fore, to produce the necessary needles for this purpose. 
It may astonish the House when | tell them that, 
whereas four firms in Germany employ tooo chemists 
in connection with their dye works, in the whole of 
our industries there are onh¥its00 chemists employed. 
There are in Germany moré than 3000 students, even 
at the present time, so far as I can learn, studying 
research work in connection with their university life, 
whilst in this country I do not think we have more 
than 350 students engaged in such research work. 
Let me give another illustration of the success which 
may be secured by research work. Our successes over 
our enemy in aviation are very largely due to the 
investigations made into automatic stability by a young 
man who went through an elementary school, fought 
his way up to the Imperial College, and went through 
a course at the National Physical Laboratory, and in- 
vented and introduced the B.E. biplane—at any rate, 
from his investigations the B.E. biplane was developed. 
We have hitherto done very little to encourage these 
brilliant young men taking up a scientific career. 
The -average salary given to a junior teacher of 
science is, I am told, only about 150]. a year. With 
a meagre salary of that kind it is not to be expected 
that individuals are going to endeavour to enter a 
career which is so badly rewarded. Let me give the 
Committee just one other illustration of what research 
may do. Lyddite was made at the commencement of 
the war out of phenol. The price went up at once 
from 6d. to 5s., and owing to laboratory experiments 
conducted by Prof. Green at Leeds he was able to 
reduce the cost to 1s%, as lyddite can now be made 
from benzol. That was entirely attributable to the 
research work of one man. If those things can 
successfully be done in times of war, I know how 
many things can be done in times of peace. I have 
been associated myself with the production of a large 
number of by-products from coal, and it was even 
necessary to go to Germany for the bricks and plant 
in order to erect a certain oven in this country. I 
satisfied myself that it is possible that these materials 
can be produced, and ought to be produced, at home, 
if only we had a_ sufficient number of research 
workers and trained men of science turning to prac- 
tical value their scientific training. 
I could go on and develop this subject. I see oppo- 
site a representative from Ireland who asked me a_ 
question in regard to technical optics, and there is a 
great deal of work to be done in this country with 
reference to that subject. A professor told me the 
other day that it had only just been found out why 
they were making so many failures. A greenish 
hue came into the glass they were producing, and 
in consequence they were unable to produce the neces- 
sary lenses. By research work it was found that this 
was due to barium oxide being contaminated with 
iron, and they had to go to another source in order 
to obtain the glass free from this impurity. And so 
I ought, perhaps, to give a few illustrations to the | I might go on and give case after case where by 
NO. 2377, VOL. 95] 

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