SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
the pioneer scientific work of Faraday, Andrews, and Dewar on the 
liquefaction of gases, and of Cavendish and Deville on the combination 
of nitrogen with oxygen and hydrogen, laid the foundation of the great 
industries for the utilization of atmospheric nitrogen. Pure scientific 
investigation is carried out for the purpose of increasing our knowledge 
and eularging our conception of the universe; its technical applications 
are all that we have to depend upon in the now necessary task of 
increasing production whilst simultaneously diminishing the burden of 
manual toil. The stimulation of purely scientific studies must thus be 
the prime care of any one interested in the Imperial aspects of chemical 
science; the encouragement of scientific research in our Universities and 
Colleges calls for much greater expenditure of thought, effort, and money 
in the future than in the past on the part of all who have at heart the 
welfare of our Empire. 
It is stated in Nature that botanists in Great Britain have been con- 
sidering the practicability of holding an Imperial Botanical Congress 
in London, at which botanists from the overseas Dominions might meet 
their colleagues at Home for the discussion of matters of common 
interest. Many subjects are ripe for discussion, such as the methods 
of training botanists for service abroad, the relations between the pure 
science and its. applications, and between the botanists and the com- 
mercial men interested in industries in which botanical knowledge 
‘should play an important part, more helpful co-operation between the 
Home and the overseas botanist, botanical surveys of overseas 
Dominions, and others. For the present, it has been decided that it 
would be inadvisable to hold the congress during the present year. 
The British Department of Scientific and Industrial Research 
announces the formation of the Scottish Shale Oil Scientific and Indus- 
trial Research Association, which has been approved by the Department 
as complying with the conditions laid down.in the Government scheme 
for the encouragement of industrial research. The Association may 
be approached through Mr. W. Fraser, O.B.E., Scottish Oils Limited. 
_135 Buchanan-street, Glasgow. 
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