EDITORIAL. 
WOOLLEN RESEARCH ASSOCIATION. 
During its first year, the British Research Association for the 
Woollen and Worsted Industries has developed into one of the largest 
research associations in the United Kingdom. The number. of firms 
which at first banded themselves together for the promotion of scientific 
investigations has more than doubled within less than two years. The 
subscriptions to a central fund had similarly increased from £2,980 to 
a minimum annual contribution of £6,163. This amount entitles the 
Agsociation to a grant of nearly £6,000 a year from the Department 
of Scientific and Industrial Research, so that already about £12,000 
a year is available for research, apart altogether from special donations 
and interest. The textile industry comprises about 2,000 firms, and it 
is hoped, according to the annual report of the Association, to soon 
embrace the whole of these. The Department of Scientific and Indus- 
trial Research has already agreed that for each additional £1 over and 
above the sum of £5,000, and net exceeding £8,000, raised by the Asso- 
ciation in respect of any one year of a five-year period, a sum of 10s. 
will be payable. For each additional £1 over £8,000 raiscd by the Asso- 
ciation in respect of any one year of the period a further sum of 
5s. will be payable, provided that if, and when, the total income of the 
Association from the subscriptions of members and the grant from the 
Government in any one year reaches the sum of £50,000, the rate and 
amount of any further grant shall be the subject of special negotiation. 
The first step taken has been the renting of premises where “ chemical 
and physical laboratories, a simple mechanical workshop, a controlled 
temperature and humidity room, microscopic and photographie room, 
library and council room, offices, and store rooms will be fitted out.” 
The report adds that “We have now got our organization together, 
and the coming years will see the establishment and extension of a 
service of co-operative research, centred in the Association, which will’ 
devote its energies ‘primarily to scientific investigation in connexjm 
with the production of wool and its uses in industry; and, further, to 
the ecarryihg out of private inquiries, at the request of individual 
members, with the object of raising the general status and efliciency 
of the industry as a whole.” 
THE CONTROL OF OIL SUPPLIES. 
Addressing an audience of business men in Manchester recently, Sir 
Edward Mackay Edgar said that the position of England to-day regard- 
ing oil was curious, states The Owl and Colour Trades’ Journal. The 
United States, owing to having made so much money during the war, 
developed the oil position to such an extent that this year there would 
be 8,000,000 motor cars in the United States, and these would use 80 
per cent. of the world-oil spirit.” The United States oil supplies would 
only last them fifteen years, and then they would get their oil from 
us. A few years ago, England controlled 15 per cent. of the oil position 
of the world, now we had got 50 per cent. of the visible oil supplies. 
He was perfectly satisfied that inside of ten years the United States 
would be paying 1,000,000,000 dollars for oil alone. He could see no 
way out. We dominated the position in Central America and South 
America. 3 , 
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