Radium. 49 



chair at Montreal, and it was fortunate that he did so, for in 

 no laboratory in Ireland would he have found the equipment 

 necessary for the conduct of his experimental work. He might 

 be regarded as somewhat fanatical on this point, but he must say 

 that it appeared to him a national disgrace to any country not to 

 provide adequate opportunities for research into problems which 

 were of interest to every intelligent man, and which had a practical 

 bearing upon almost every department of work. They knew that 

 many of the discoveries of modern science were already largely 

 employed in medicine, and there was hope that some of them 

 might be of even greater utility to suffering man than they had 

 yet been. They ought, he thought, to all try and do their best to 

 remove what he considered a standing disgrace to the country — 

 the want of proper equipment for scientific research. If all their 

 public men in Belfast were as energetic and active in support of 

 scientific research as their present Lord Mayor, who took the 

 keenest interest in scientific work, especially in physical and 

 electrical research, the reproach would soon be wiped out. 



The vote was passed with acclamation. 



Mr. Finnegan, in acknowledging it, endorsed what Professor 

 Symington had said about their poor equipment in Belfast. In 

 going about the scientific appliance shops in London he had more 

 than once been shown a splendid scientific apparatus which was 

 going out to Mr. Rutherford at Montreal. It was a standing 

 disgrace that up to the present there was no physical laboratory at 

 the Queen's College, Belfast. However, they had been promised 

 such a laboratory by Mr. Pirrie, and when they obtained it he 

 hoped it would be more perfectly equipped with men as well 

 as good appliances. 



