Research in Electrical Industries

Abstract

LORD STAMP, the new president of the British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association, when addressing members at a luncheon which followed the annual meeting in London on February 10, laid stress on the value of research in industry. He pointed out that the electrical industry takes a leading place in research because it has no real industrial or commercial history apart from the history of research and invention. Most industries grow out of, and often cling to, primitive operations on raw materials to supply age-old needs. Scientific research, if added to them, complicates them; and many think that these additions are a doubtful advantage if they cannot be confined to benefit those who promote them. They think that it makes competition more keen in various branches of the industry and often, as well, creates unnecessarily rapid obsolescence in plants still working. The whole genesis of the electrical industry has been different; it was born out of research and is meeting the created needs of an advanced civilization. Continuous research is its natural sustenance. The work of this Association is an excellent example of co-operation between manufacturers and users; it pools their ideas, thus ensuring that both sides get full benefit from them.