September 16, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



237 



as lie thinks best. Grants are made, on the 

 recommendation of an advisory council of ex- 

 perts, to research workers in educational in- 

 stitutions and elsewhere, in order to promote 

 research of high character on fundamental 

 problems of pure science or in suitable cases 

 on problems of applied science. Of the boards 

 and committees and similar organizations es- 

 tablished prior to or during the war, or subse- 

 quent to it, with one or two exceptions, all are 

 now directly under the department. They deal 

 with a wide range of subjects, such as the 

 Building Research Board, established early in 

 1920 to organize and supervise investigations on 

 building materials and construction, to study 

 structural failures, and to fix standards for 

 structural materials. The Food Investigation 

 Board deals with the preservation by cold of 

 food, and with the engineering problems of 

 cold storage, with the chemistry of putrefac- 

 tion, and the agents which induce it, with the 

 bionomics of moulds, and the chemistry of 

 edible oils and fats. The Fuel Research Board 

 is concerned with the immediate importance 

 of fuel economy and with investigations of 

 the questions of oil-fuel for the navy and mer- 

 cantile marine, the survey of the national coal 

 resources, domestic heating, air pollution, pul- 

 verized fuel, utilization of peat, the search for 

 possible substitutes for natural fuel oil, and 

 for practicable sources of power alcohol. 



The Geological Survey Board has taken over 

 the Geological Survey of Great Britain and the 

 control of the Museum of Practical Geology. 

 The maintenance of the National Physical 

 Laboratory, originally controlled by a general 

 board and an executive committee appointed 

 by the president and council of the Royal So- 

 ciety, is now transferred to the Department of 

 Scientific and Industrial Research. A Mines 

 Research Committee and a Mine Rescue Ap- 

 paratus Committee are attached to the depart- 

 ment. The former is concerned with such 

 questions as the determination of the geother- 

 mic gradient, the infiuence of temperature of 

 intake and return air on strata, the effect of 

 seasonal changes on strata temperature of in- 

 takes, the cooling effect due to the evolution 

 of fire-damp, heat production from the oxi- 



dation of timber, etc. The department is also 

 directing inquiries on the preservation and 

 restoration of antique objects deposited in the 

 British Museum. It is concerned with the 

 gauging of rivers and tidal currents, with spe- 

 cial reference to a hydrographical survey of 

 Great Britain in relation to the national re- 

 sources of water-power. In accordance with 

 the government policy, four coordinating 

 boards have been established to organize sci- 

 entific work in connection with the fighting 

 forces, so as to avoid unnecessary overlapping 

 and to provide a single direction and financial 

 control. The four boards deal, respectively, 

 with chemical and physical problems, problems 

 of radio-research, and engineering. These 

 boards have attached to them various commit- 

 tees dealing with special inquiries, some of 

 which will be carried out at the ITational Phys- 

 ical Laboratory. The government have also 

 authorized the establishment of a Forest 

 Products Research Board. 



The department is further empowered to 

 assist learned or scientific societies and in- 

 stitutions in carrying out investigations. 

 Some of these were initiated prior to the war, 

 and were likely to be abandoned owing to lack 

 of funds. Whenever the investigation has a 

 direct bearing upon a particular industry that 

 had not hitherto been able to establish a re- 

 search association, it has been a condition of a 

 grant that the institution directing the research 

 should obtain contributions towards the cost 

 on a £ for £ basis, either directly through its 

 corporate funds or by special subscriptions 

 from interested firms. On the formation of 

 the appropriate association the research is, 

 under suitable safeguards, transferred to it 

 for continuance. The formation of a number of 

 research associations has thus been stimulated, 

 dealing, for example, with scientific instru- 

 ments, non-ferrous metals, glass, silk, refrac- 

 tories, electrical and allied industries, pottery, 

 etc. 



Grants are made to research associations 

 formed voluntarily by manufacturers for the 

 purposes of research, from a fund of a million 

 sterling, placed at the disposal of the research 

 department for this purpose. Such associa- 



