L—EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE 215 
and fluctuating? Take the biological subjects as typical. Two years 
ago there was published the report of a strong committee appointed by 
the Government to advise on the education and supply of biologists. 
Their first two conclusions were : 
(1) There is a substantial and growing demand from Government 
Departments for biologists for service in this country and in the colonies, 
and there is a small but probably growing demand for biologists from con- 
cerns engaged in agricultural production overseas and in industry in this 
country. 
(2) It is not possible to state this demand in precise arithmetical terms, 
but the supply of candidates for biological posts is not equal to the present 
demand, and even in those branches where the supply is sufficient in 
quantity it is deficient in quality. 
Whatever evidence in support of these conclusions existed when the 
Committee started its inquiry in 1930, I think it safe to say that even 
before the report was published these conclusions were falsified by events. 
The fact is that some ten to fifteen years ago there was a sudden demand 
for biologists to meet the needs of new and of rapidly expanding research 
organisations at home and in other parts of the Empire. Highly trained 
biologists of all kinds were sought for, and naturally could not be found 
in sufficient numbers, for universities cannot suddenly increase the rate 
of production of first-class specialists. Some of the new organisations 
made the mistake, therefore, of accepting less able and less highly trained 
men, which is bad for the individuals concerned and for the organisations ; 
for, if a first-class man is really needed, it is better to wait until one is 
available than to make shift with a second-class man, who runs the serious 
risk of having his livelihood taken away from him later on. 
Then came the world depression, and far from there being an increased 
demand for ‘ industrial ’ biologists in recent years, there has been a con- 
traction. ‘This is a serious state of affairs for universities. It would be a 
fatal policy to encourage young men of good ability to spend long years in 
specialised study, only to find at the end that there was no demand for 
their services, or that what little demand there was offered inadequate 
prospects for the future. It is a far better policy deliberately to keep the 
supply somewhat short of the demand ; the world will not appreciably 
suffer if any particular application of science to industry and agriculture 
develops rather more slowly than the enthusiast could wish, and there are 
few spectacles more distressing than that of the highly educated specialist 
who is unemployed through no fault of his own, and whose training and 
interests do not fit him for other work. At the Imperial College we have 
ample room and equipment for more students of plant biology, plant 
biochemistry, industrial entomology and similar subjects ; but we do not 
intend to fill the room until we can be more certain of the future. The 
lessons of the last few years teach us that public statements about the 
shortage of specialists in any branch of science and technology are apt to 
have an unfortunate effect in schools and in universities ; for they may 
be out of date before a normal period of advanced training is finished. 
It is of interest to examine a little further the Committee’s belief that 
the supply of biologists at universities is lacking in quality as well as in 
