October 2 1, 1922] 



NA TURE 



553 



Current Topics and Events. 



An announcement was made in the Press on October 

 10 by the British Broadcasting Company concerning 

 the conditions which, in order to obtain Post Office 

 approval, must be fulfilled by receiving apparatus 

 intended for use in connexion with the broadcasting 

 services. The conditions have been trained with the 

 view of preventing the use, in such sets, of circuits 

 which may " regenerate " oscillations and thus cause 

 disturbances at receiving stations within their re- 

 radiation range. Experience has indicated the need, 

 in the case of receiving apparatus handled by an 

 unskilful user, for some form of control in the type 

 and design of the apparatus of the nature which is 

 aimed at in the specification in question ; the 

 specification accordingly should serve a useful purpose. 

 Exception has been taken in some quarters to the 

 provisions contained in clause 10 of the conditions 

 above referred to, on the ground that these particular 

 conditions conflict with the promise made by the 

 Postmaster-General in the House of Commons on 

 July 27 last, to the effect that the owners of " home- 

 made " receiving apparatus and the existing licencees 

 of imported receiving sets would be allowed to use 

 their apparatus for listening-in to broadcasted news, 

 music, etc. This clause provides, inter alia, that 

 " All sets sold under the broadcast licence shall bear 

 the registered trade mark of the broadcasting com- 

 pany and the Post Office registered number." It 

 has consequently been assumed that the issue of 

 licences for receiving broadcasted matter will be 

 confined to those who procure listening sets from the 

 broadcasting company. It appears to have been 

 overlooked, however, that the announcement to 

 which attention is directed above has been issued by 

 the British Broadcasting Company and relates alone 

 to the conditions to be fulfilled by the receiving sets 

 which are to be offered for sale to the public by 

 members of that corporation. No declaration has 

 so far been made by the Post Office which in any 

 way indicates that the Postmaster-General con- 

 templates the adoption of a policy at variance with 

 that which he informed Parliament it was his intention 

 to pursue in this matter ; nevertheless, it is distinctly 

 unfortunate that, in all the circumstances of the 

 case, an official statement has not been issued by 

 the Post Office setting out fully and frankly what 

 course it is intended to pursue in relation to the 

 grant of licences generally. 



The assignment to science of the proceeds of the 

 first performance of a great play by a leading 

 dramatist is an act which we record with much 

 satisfaction. The play was the remarkable tragedy 

 " Judith," by M. Henri Bernstein, produced at the 

 Gymnase Theatre, Paris, on October 12, before a 

 brilliant and distinguished assembly, which comprised 

 ministers of State and the chief social and intellectual 

 leaders of the city. The Paris correspondent of the 

 Daily Mini states that the receipts were for the 

 benefit of the French Confederation of Scientific 

 Societies, and the Times correspondent announces 



NO. 276 4, VOL. I IO] 



that more than 1000/. was raised by the performam e, 

 M. Bernstein gave his royalty as author, and Mme. 

 Simone, who took the title part and obtained the 

 greatest triumph of her career, devoted her fee to the 

 same beneficent purpose. We cannot recall any 

 like association of drama with science in Great Britain, 

 and it is difficult to conceive of the proceeds from a 

 first night being devoted to a scientific institution 

 in this country. If, however, Sir James Barrie, 

 Mr. Bernard Shaw, Mr. Oscar Asche, or any other of 

 our leading dramatists or theatre managers should 

 be inclined to follow the example which Paris has 

 given us, we commend to their attention as eminently 

 worthy of support such confederations as the British 

 Association, British Science Guild, and the Conjoint 

 Board of Scientific Societies. 



The August number of the Journal of Indian 

 Industries and Labour contains two articles on State 

 control in the field of industrial enterprise. Mr. 

 C. Y. Chintamani, Minister of Education and In- 

 dustries in the United Provinces, deals with the 

 subject in an article entitled " The Limits of State 

 Aid to Industry," with special reference to the work 

 of the department of which he is in charge, while 

 Mr. A. Y. G. Campbell contributes the first part of an 

 article on the functions of provincial departments 

 of industries in which the whole question of State 

 assistance is reviewed. Mr. Campbell speaks from 

 experience, as he himself held for some years the 

 post of Director of Industries in Madras. Another 

 feature is an extract from the presidential address 

 delivered to the Mining and Geological Institute of 

 India in January 1922 by Dr. Leigh Fermor, officiat- 

 ing director of the Geological Survey of India, in 

 which is described the practical utility of a State 

 geological department. Dr. Fermor declares that 

 in royalties alone the receipts accruing annually to 

 the Provincial Governments and other owners of 

 mineral rights in India in respect of the eight most 

 important minerals, excluding salt and saltpetre, 

 amount to at least 560,000/. The Journal also 

 contains the usual summarised accounts of the 

 activities of the Provincial Departments of Industries 

 during the preceding quarter. 



The council of the Institution of Mining and Metal- 

 lurgy has awarded the Gold Medal of the Institu- 

 tion to Sir Alfred Keogh, " on the occasion of 

 his retirement from the Rectorship of the Imperial 

 College of Science and Technology, in recognition of 

 his great services in the advancement of techno- 

 logical education and as a mark of admiration and 

 respect." The council of the Institution of Mining 

 Engineers has awarded the Medal of the Institution 

 to Sir George Beilby, " in recognition of his valuable 

 contributions to science, with special reference to his 

 researches on fuel." The medals will be presented 

 at the combined dinner of the two institutions to be 

 held at Guildhall, London, on November 16, at which 

 the Prince of Wales and several ministers of State 

 will be present. 



