SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
been so thoroughly tested, improved,’ and generally accepted in so short 
a space of time.” It is stated that the trade in agricultural tractors 
is increasing daily, and that there is scarcely a farmer occupying 200 
acres or more of arable land who has not already begun to consider 
whether it would not be to. his advantage to become the owner of a 
tractor. It is admitted on all hands, however, that tractors possess 
some defects, and that perfection is far from having been attained. 
One authority estimated that within three years 50,000 tractors would 
have to be supplied in the United Kingdom alone. An interesting 
point is made that owing to the greater amount of work done by tractors 
it was possible to employ a better class of man on farm work, with the 
collateral result that occupation on the land became more attractive. 
LARGE GRANT FOR INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH JN UNITED 
STATES OF AMERICA. 
The Bureau of Standards at Washington has received for the current 
financial year a special grant of £85,000 for standardization work and 
technical investigations in connexion with secondary industries in the 
United States of America. The sum is to be expended as follows:— 
Industrial research, with a view to assisting in the permanent establish- 
ment of American industries developed during the war, £50,000; testing 
Government materials to determine suitability for the specific uses 
involved, £20,000; industrial safety standards, £5,000; standardization 
of instruments, machinery, and equipment, to enable the Bureau to 
co-operate with engineers, manufacturers, and the Government Depart- 
ments, £10,000. 
The Director of the Bureau states that the need of co-operation with 
industries has gone far beyond his expectations. There never was a . 
time in the history of the country when the industries were in such great 
need of this work. They are introducing scientific methods. They are 
called upon to produce all sorts of equipment and all sorts of material, 
in many of which the fundamental and underlying investigations 
required are the same. The demands:by the industries on the Bureau 
have increased tenfold since America came into the war. During war- 
time the industries were compelled to do things in a different way than 
they did before. They had to get substitutes for many materials, and 
there has been a tremendous awakening as to the value of scientific 
work. ‘The industries are willing to co-operate, and for every dollar the 
Government puts into the work the industries will put in 1,000. 
GOVERNMENT PAPER PLANT FOR NEW SOUTH WALES. 
The New South Wales Government intends to undertake almost 
immediately experiments in the manufacture of paper from local 
timbers.. A Committee, consisting of Mr. W. A. Gullick (Government 
Printer), Messrs. R. T. Baker and H. G. Smith (of the Sydney Technical 
College), and two other Government officers, is now arranging for the 
introduction of a plant into New South Wales. This action has been 
taken in consequence of the satisfactory reports received from Canada 
of laboratory tests of the suitability of selected Australian timbers. 
458 
