240 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLII. No. 1077 



follows: Two by the army, two by the navy, 

 one each by the Smithsonian Institution, the 

 Post Office Department, the Weather Bureau, 

 the Bureau of Standards, the Massachusetts 

 Institute of Technology and the University of 

 Michigan. The society has received a large 

 number of applications for membership, but it 

 is the intention of the executive board to apply 

 the severe requirements of such technical so- 

 cieties as the American Institute of Electrical 

 Engineers and the American Society of Me- 

 chanical Engineers in passing upon candidates 

 for membership. 



THE ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC SE- 

 SEAECB IN GBEAT BRITAIN 

 Particulars of a " Scheme for the organiza- 

 tion and development of scientific and indus- 

 trial research " were issued on July 26 by the 

 ]British Board of Education in a document 

 ■signed by Mr. Arthur Henderson. The scheme 

 3s designed to establish a permanent organiza- 

 tion, and it is pointed out that the research done 

 stould be for the kingdom as a whole, and 

 that there should be complete liberty to utilize 

 the most effective institutions and investiga- 

 tors available, irrespective of their location in 

 England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland. There 

 must, therefore, be a single fund for the as- 

 sistance of research under a single responsible 

 body. 



The scheme provides for the establishment 

 of: 



a. A committee of the privy council responsible for 

 the expenditure of any new moneys provided 

 by parliament for scientific and industrial re- 

 search ; 

 Z). A small advisory council responsible to the com- 

 mittee of council and composed mainly of 

 eminent scientific men and men actually en- 

 gaged in industries dependent upon scientific 

 research. 



The committee of council will consist of the 

 lord president, the chancellor of the ex- 

 chequer, the secretary for Scotland, the Presi- 

 dent of the Board of Trade, the president of 

 the Board of Education (who wiU be vice- 

 president of the committee), the chief secre- 

 tary for Ireland, together with such other min- 



isters and individual members of the council 

 as it may be thought desirable to add. 



The first non-official members of the com- 

 mittee will be : The Right Hon. Viscount Hal- 

 dane of Clean, O.M., K.T., F.E.S., The Eight 

 Hon. Arthur H. D. Acland, and The Eight 

 Hon. Joseph A. Pease, M.P. 



The president of the board of education will 

 answer in the House of Commons for the 

 sub-head on the vote, which will be accounted 

 for by the Treasury under Class IV., Vote 1, 

 " Scientific Investigations, etc." 



The first members of the Council will be: 

 The Eight Hon. Lord Eayleigh, O.M., F.E.S., 

 LL.D., Mr. G. T. Beilby, F.E.S., LL.D., Mr. 

 W. DuddeU, F.E.S., Prof. B. Hopkinson, F.E. 

 S., Prof. J. A. M'Clelland, F.E.S., Prof. R. 

 Meldola, E.E.S., Mr. E. Threlfall, F.E.S., 

 with Sir William S. M'Cormiok, LL.D., as 

 administrative chairman. 



The scheme is designed to establish a per- 

 manent organization for the promotion of in- 

 dustrial and scientific research. It is in no 

 way intended that it should replace or inter- 

 fere with the arrangements which have been 

 or may be made by the war ofBce of the ad- 

 miralty or ministry of munitions to obtain 

 scientific advice and investigation in connec- 

 tion with the provision of munitions of war. 



The primary functions of the advisory coun- 

 cil will be to advise the committee of council 

 on: (i) proposals for instituting specific re- 

 searches; (ii) proposals for establishing or 

 developing special institutions or departments 

 of existing institutions for the scientific 

 study of problems affecting particular indus- 

 tries and trades; (iii) the establishment and 

 award of research studentships and fellow- 

 ships. 



The advisory council will also be available, 

 if requested, to advise the several education 

 departments as to the steps which should be 

 taken for increasing the supply of workers 

 competent to undertake scientific research. 



Arrangements will be made by which the 

 council will keep in close touch with all gov- 

 ernment departments concerned with or inter- 

 ested in scientific research and by which the 

 council will have regard to the research work 



