Abstract
THE address given by the Secretary of State for the Dominions and Colonies at the fourth session of the Imperial Conference is a further revelation of the growing popularity of scientific research as a theme for statesmen's utterances and an indication of their lost faith in ephemeral economic theories. The greater part of Mr. Amery's discourse was devoted to a survey of the problems of Empire development which await investigation and the steps which must be taken towards their solution. He announced that a very small committee has been appointed to consider what existing research organisations can do for the improvement of the production, transportation, and storage of Empire food-stuffs and raw materials required for manufacturers, what further support is necessary to make their work more effective, and what additional institutions are required. He reminded the Empire premiers that the standard of work of the agricultural departments of the Colonies and of the agricultural staffs of various private companies is no credit to the Empire, and that there is need for greater support for such institutions as the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture at Trinidad and the Amani Institute in Tanganyika, to act as training centres for agricultural staffs and as an inspiration to all agricultural departments in the tropics. Out of the fund at the disposal of the Empire Marketing Board, further support has been given to assist the work of the Low Temperature Research Station at Cambridge, probably a grant will be made to the Fruit Research Station at East Mailing, and the Imperial Bureau of Entomology has been allocated a contribution to enable it to set up a special laboratory for the breeding of beneficial parasites and their distribution as required to all parts of the Empire. Mr. Amery expressed his belief that incalculable results will follow the expenditure of money derived from a fund which can be freely allocated to the vital needs of research on Empire problems.
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[News and Views]. Nature 118, 637–641 (1926). https://doi.org/10.1038/118637a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/118637a0