Scientific and Industrial Research 37 



the manufacturers appoint representatives, the Advisory Council 

 add others if they think it advisable. In this way a Delegacy is 

 formed which receives the Government grant and the sums con- 

 tributed by the manufacturers, and it accounts to the Advisory 

 Council for the expenditure of these moneys. The Delegacy also 

 superintends the research worlc. The grant and the contribu- 

 tions of the manufacturers are not, therefore, mixed up with the 

 general funds of the University. The Council hope that similar 

 schemes may gradually come into operation in connection with 

 many of our Universities and Technical Colleges. The advan- 

 tages both to the manufacturers and to the Universities should 

 be great. Such schemes should give the manufacturer help in 

 the simplest possible way, and should at the same time have a 

 stimulating effect on the University. 



As a final example of work of national importance I might 

 mention an investigation of the Deterioration of Structures of 

 Timber, Metal and Concrete in Sea Water. The life of a wooden 

 pier is very short in some of the harl)ours of the empire, and it 

 is evident that for the solutions of problems of this type, which 

 require observation and experiment at many widely different 

 stations, and continued over a considerable period of time, a co- 

 ordinating authority is necessary. The Institution of Civil 

 Engineers will be responsible for the supervision of the work, and 

 they have been given a grant to enable them to take it up. 



The examples I have given you of work already done, prove, 

 I think, that there are great possibilities in the scheme. Un- 

 doubtedly there are difficulties in the way of bringing State aided 

 research to bear on our Industries, and it might be profitable to 

 refer briefly to some of these difficulties. 



Can grants for purposes of research be given to individual 

 firms I Clearly great difficulties would arise if this were tried 

 unless the work of the firm was of some very special type. If, 

 then, the firms in the same trade are to share the results of State 

 aided research in common, may it not be objected that the ten- 

 dency would be to destroy individuality and to bring all to the 



