154 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES 



Scientific Institutions, Universities and Technical Colleges, and still by 

 private individuals. 



The engineering world has not kept pace with the scientific world ; 

 and it has been fortunate that the two distinguished directors who ad- 

 ministered the activities of the National Physical Laboratory for the first 

 thirty years of its existence. Sir Richard Glazebrook and Sir Joseph 

 Petavel, should have been men of the widest views. Before 1914 the 

 work of the National Physical Laboratory was very valuable, but during 

 the War, it became indispensable both to Government and to industry. 

 In due course it was found that a wider organisation was wanted to link 

 in a more definite way the relation between science and engineering 

 research and industry. A Joint Board of Scientific Societies formed a 

 deputation under the leadership of Sir Joseph J. Thomson to stress the 

 importance and urgency of the question on the Government. 



The outcome was the establishment, in 191 5, of the Department of 

 Scientific and Industrial Research, under the control of a Committee of 

 the Privy Council, with an Advisory Council of scientific men of the 

 highest rank in the country ; and in 191 8 the National Physical Laboratory 

 became part of the newly created department, though the Royal Society 

 continued to control its scientific activities. 



A glance at the summary of the latest report of the Department of 

 Scientific and Industrial Research affords some idea of the immense 

 engineering field it now covers in its work. It includes fuel research, food 

 investigation, building research, steel structures, roads, road tar, forest 

 products research, researches on water pollution, metallurgy, and radio, 

 chemical research, illumination, lubrication, atmospheric pollution, furnace 

 design, industrial respirators, radium beam therapy. X-ray analysis, 

 and I may add, almost any problem you may like to put before them. 



But apart from the immense importance of the scientific work done, 

 the Department is the focus for linking together all the research going on 

 in the country. This it made from the outset one of its primary objects ; 

 and one of the chief ways in which it accomplishes this, is by the en- 

 couragement of the formation of Research Associations. These associa- 

 tions are self-governing bodies formed on a national basis in various 

 industries for research in the interest of the industries they serve. Each 

 association is, or aims at being, a co-operative unit representing all the 

 firms who belong to that particular industry. There is no fixed subscrib- 

 tion, it being based on the size of each firm, so that for a very small sum 

 a small firm may have the benefits of an organisation which is spending 

 thousands of pounds annually on fundamental research of interest to the 

 whole industry. The Associations work in close contact with the Depart- 

 ment of Scientific and Industrial Research, to which each one submits 

 a yearly report of the work it has done and the problems which it is study- 

 ing. The Department's help does not, however, stop at this point. In 

 addition to advice and technical help, it contributes to the funds of the 

 research associations by making a ,(^1 for ^^i addition for every sum 

 provided by the members. 



