EDITORIAL. 
SUPPORT FOR THE INSTITUTE. 
Keen disappointment will be felt that the Bill for the permanent 
establishment of the Institute of Science and Industry could not be 
dealt with by the recent Parliament, and must await final consideration 
until the next Parliament assembles. Scientific and industrial organi- 
zations throughout Australia were looking forward with eagerness to 
the passage of the Bill, so that industry might be given the fullest 
assistance by trained scientists, and many obstacles to our industrial 
development removed. In the meantime, the Commonwealth Govern- 
ment will still retain the services of the Advisory Council, and the 
investigations which have been commenced will be continued. There 
is an important programme of work for the coming twelve months, and 
it is expected that, in addition to the various problems now under 
- consideration, a commencement will shortly be made with the prickly 
pear problem: In Sydney recently a meeting, which was attended by 
representatives of the Graziers’ Association of New South Wales, the 
Sydney Chamber of Commerce, the New South Wales Chamber of 
Manufactures, Institute of Civil Engineers, Australian Industries 
Protection Board, Austral’an Chemical Institute, Australian Aero Club, 
The Electrical Association of Australia, Engineering Association of 
New South Wales, Chemical Society of Technical College, Chamber of 
Agriculture, Society of Chemical Industry, Royal Society of New South 
Wales, University Chemical Society, Linnean Society of New South 
Wales, Master Builders’ Association, Institute of Local Government 
Association, Master Process Engravers’ Association, and the Wireless 
Institute, unaniniously adopted the following resolution, “That this 
meeting of members of scientific and industrial societies urge upon the 
Federal Government the desirability of passing into law at an early date 
the Bill constituting the Commonwealth Institute of Science and 
Industry.” That meeting reflected the feeling of kindred organizations 
in other States regarding the necessity of the early permanent founda- 
tion of the Institute. : 
BOXES FROM PAPER PULP. at 
Owing to the growing scarcity and fast-increasing price of timbers 
suitable for the manufacture of butter-boxes, the question of the utiliza- 
tion of an appropriate substitute is being widely discussed amongst 
exporters. Old straw, cornstalks, and similar waste products have 
suggested themselves to many persons as possible materials for conver- 
sion into strawboard, and appurently the view is largely held that the 
only difficulty to be overcome is that of chemical treatment. At the 
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