152 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES 



It is certain that no trade combine can continue to operate unchecked 

 in England, unless informed with a spirit of reasonableness that is self- 

 commending. There is nothing that the Englishman hates more than 

 misused private power. He would not have it from King, Barons or 

 Church ; and if he once believes that he is being driven by a trade 

 organisation, he will insist either upon state interference or a democratic 

 constitution for the offending body. The only tyranny to which he will 

 submit is one that is self-imposed, because he thinks that it can be ended 

 when he pleases. It is certainly desirable that those who direct the 

 activities of trade associations should be well acquainted with ' 1066 and 

 all that.' 



It would be very unjust if any of these comments were regarded as 

 applicable to the Electrical Research Association. That body only 

 concerns itself with large scale investigations of electrical engineering 

 problems. It has nothing to do with sales or prices. It has carried out, 

 and honestly published, a vast amount of original work at a great cost to 

 the industry and a very small cost to the nation. The ' Buried Cables ' 

 Report alone has saved the nation literally thousands of pounds, and Eng- 

 land is exceedingly fortunate in having a voluntary body working so con- 

 sistently in the public interest. It is a strange psychological phenomenon 

 that some of those engineers who loyally aid this beneficent organisation 

 are also among the supporters of Trade Associations pursuing a different 

 policy. 



Conclusions. 



This brief investigation of the relations between the engineer and the 

 nation points to the necessity for certain reforms. Of these, the first is 

 the provision of some body with statutory powers to define the qualifica- 

 tions and status of those who may use the title Civil Engineer, Mechanical 

 Engineer, Electrical Engineer, etc., to prevent unqualified persons from 

 jeopardising life and to check unprofessional conduct. At present, the 

 three great Institutions try to fulfil that role, and the Institution of Consult- 

 ing Engineers has also done its best. But as none of these bodies has 

 statutory powers, the rules that they frame cannot be enforced. The late 

 Professor S. P. Thompson told me that when he was President of the 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, he found it his duty to call the attention 

 of a certain member to flagrant breaches of the professional code. The 

 member did not reply but continued his naughty conduct. Dr. Thompson 

 then tried to make his protest libellous by repeating the charges on a post- 

 card. To this he received the following answer : — ■ ' Dear Prof. Thomp- 

 son, I think it is now time that this correspondence ceased. Yours, 

 etc. . . .' In the face of such bravado, what can one do ? The answer 

 is that, by means of an organisation that has grown up in one generation, 

 the medical fraternity has progressively improved the standard of qualifica- 

 tion, and has earned the nation's gratitude by getting rid of humbugs, 

 charlatans and quacks. The engineer asks for a similar recognition and a 

 like opportunity. But the medical profession and the Bar have also 



