50 The National Union of Scientific Workers . 
ganda on the importance of scientific research in the national life ; 
to set up a permanent committee to propose, support, or oppose 
new legislation in conjunction with other bodies.” The committee 
were unanimous on these objects after detailed discussion, but as 
they did not wish the Union to he permanently pledged to a definite 
programme by so unrepresentative a body they stated them with 
some reserve. Because they did this it is hardly fair to refer 
to their statement of aims as “ a suggested ‘ hinterland ’ of other 
objects, as yet undetermined.” 
With your statement that “ no one can avoid judging of the 
desirability or otherwise of a proposed organisation by the declared 
aims of its promoters ” I cordially agree, provided nil the aims are 
considered. I hope, therefore, that in order to correct the bad 
impression that may have been created in certain quarters by your 
omission of some of our most important statements you will consent 
to give to this note the same publicity as to your own. 
Yours sincerely, 
HAROLD JEFFREYS. 
[We are glad to print the letters of Dr. Kidd and Dr. Jeffreys because 
between them they give a clearer insight into the real aims of the Executive 
Committee of the National Union than was provided by the circular on which 
we commented. The object of that comment was to warn the promoters that 
they could not remove the impression created by the unequivocal statements 
on the first page by referring on the second to “the suggestions made of 
methods by which the Union might seek to attain its aims,” admirable and 
far-reaching as many of these suggestions are. You cannot destroy the plain 
meaning of such a resolution as “ That the aims of the Union be the promotion 
by corporate action of the economic interests of its members,” emphasised by 
the remark that “economic questions must always be the primary concern of 
the association,” by adding that ‘'other and easily definable interests must 
not, of course, be negtected,” or by proceeding to define these interests in the 
form of suggestions for methods by which the Union might seek to attain its 
aims. Nor is it of any use to explain later, as Dr. Jeffreys does in his letter, 
that the members of the Executive Committee do not “ favour the application 
of the word ‘ economic ’ ” in what is, after all, the sense in which most people 
understand it, and in which, too, it seems to be used in the last paragraph but 
one on the first page of the circular. 
It may be safely stated, we think, that no National Union will meet with 
anything like general acceptance and support among scientific men unless the 
interests of science itself are at least co ordinated with the interests of the 
workers in any formulation of aims. We should, indeed, have thought it 
sounder, both in logic and policy, to put the interests of science first, and then 
go on to explain that science can never take its proper place in national life 
unless the economic interests of the workers are secured. That proposition is 
perfectly susceptible of convincing demonstration, and is no doubt very readily 
ignored by those who have the good fortune to be financially comfortable, and 
who are mostly the same as the people of influence. If, without impertinence, 
we may offer a further word of advice, it is this. Do not trust to a General 
Meeting to define “ with precision ” “ the aims and policy ” of the Union. If 
you do you will be disappointed, either in the precision or in the aims and 
policy adopted, or in both. Get together a body of people who have 
certain ideas in common, which they believe to be sound and to be of urgent 
importance, state those ideas and how you think they should be carried into 
effect with the greatest care and precision of which you are capable, and then 
seek the support of all those whose interests, whatever they may be, lie within 
the sphere of the ideas. If you must have the support of the whole body of 
men and women of science see that the ideas are so stated that they will 
appeal to the whole body.— Editor]. 
