(ii) The encouragement of research and the application of scientific knowledge in industry, and

(iii) The encouragement of fundamental research at universities and elsewhere, and the maintenance of an adequate supply of trained research workers for laboratories of all kinds.

6

The first activity, that of scientific research in the national interest, and to meet the needs of Government departments, is performed through the national research laboratories in each of the 14 research organizations which with 1 exception are under the direct control of DSIR and are financed from its own vote. With the exception of the National Physical Laboratory, each of the research organizations established by DSIR is under the immediate control of a director of research who is advised by a board appointed by the Lord President, and composed of independent scientists and industrialists, with assessors representing Government departments and in some cases, Commonwealth Governments. The scientific work of the National Physical Laboratory is supervised by an executive committee appointed by the Royal Society and accepted by the Lord President as a committee of the Department. A listing of these establishments with their component units is contained in appendix IV of the Report for the Year 1955-56 of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, June 1957, at pages 234-235. A brief description of the fields of research of each of these organizations is given in appendix A.

The principal means by which the Department promotes industrial research is through the research associations which have been established on a cooperative basis in many branches of industry. These research associations which at present number 46 are financed by the industries but receive assistance through grants from the DSIR. A listing of research associations and other organizations aided by grants from the DSIR is included as appendix V of the Department's Report for the Year 1955-56 at pages 236-242.7

The third major activity of the DSIR-encouragement of fundamental research at universities and elsewhere, and the maintenance of an adequate supply of trained research workers for laboratories of all kinds-is one in which responsibility is shared with the University Grants Committee. However, while the University Grants Committee is generally responsible for the administration of Government funds for research at the universities, the DSIR makes grants to individual research workers in support of specific investigations, provides grants to postgraduate students training as research workers in the universities, and makes awards to advanced scholars who distinguish themselves in fields of research.

An additional significant activity of the DSIR is its increasing role in the collection and dissemination of scientific and technical information, both that resulting from its own research activities, and information from other sources, domestic and foreign.

So far as making the results of its own research available, the DSIR publishes abstracts of scientific information relating to building, food, fuel, radio, roads, and water pollution, and maintains a collection of unpublished documents containing scientific and technical informa

The Fire Research Organization is maintained jointly by the Department and the Fire Office Committee. 7 On file with the committee.

tion including those of the Technical Information and Documents Unit. In addition most of the DSIR stations and the research associations maintain information services and provide technical information to firms who request it.

In its 1953-54 annual report, and again a year later, the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy recommended the establishment of a National Lending Library for Science and Technology and it was proposed that the DSIR be given responsibility for such a library. This was agreed to by the DSIR providing additional funds for the project were made available, and it was understood that a nucleus of the Library would be provided by the transfer, at an appropriate time, of lending activities and a small part of the collection of the Science Library at South Kensington. As of early 1957, the Department was proceeding with the necessary planning for this extensive operation.

According to the ninth annual report (1955-56) of the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy, of the more than 14,000 scientific and technical books published in Russian in 1954, the DSIR received about 300. The report recommended that the DSIR should start a collection of Russian scientific and technical literature as the first section of the National Lending Library for Science and Technology.

The DSIR makes translations of individual articles from Russian periodicals for a moderate fee whenever two or more requests for a translation are received. A publication entitled "Translated Contents Lists of Russian Periodicals" which contains also a listing of recent accessions of Russian scientific and technical books and parts of serial publications available in the British Museum is issued monthly by the Technical Information Service of DSIR.

A breakdown of expenditures for the major activities of the DSIR for the year ended March 31, 1956, is given below:

Summary of expenditures of the Department, year ended Mar. 31, 1956

! Includes the cost of work for boards and committees at other stations of the Department. Represents charges for salaries under "Headquarters, administration, etc."

3 Credit.

The total number of staff of all grades, industrial as well as nonindustrial, employed in DSIR on October 1, 1956, was 4,655 (including 200 part-time employees). This was an increase of 276 compared with the previous year. Comparative figures during the period 192550 show a steady growth in the Department: In 1925, the DSIR had 473 employees; 1930, 682; 1939, 918; and 1950, 1,805 (Great Britain. Advisory Council on Scientific Policy. Government Scientific Organisation in the Civilian Field, 1951, p. 7.)

RECENT CHANGES IN THE ORGANIZATION OF THE DSIR

The continuing increase in the activities and staff of the DSIR caused organizational stresses within the Department, and in April 1955 a Committee of Enquiry was appointed by the Lord President of the Council to investigate the organization and functioning of the Department. In October 1955 the Committee of Enquiry submitted an interim report in which it recommended the creation of an executive council on the model of the Medical Research Council and the Agricultural Research Council to replace the Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in directing the research activities of the DSIR. Although the committee put itself on record as opposed to the organization of the DSIR as a "normal department," and said it preferred the arrangements of the Medical Research Council for a research agency under the Government, it made no recommendation for change in that regard. The committee's report was accepted by the Government and the recommendation was incorporated into the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Act, 1956, which was passed on August 2, 1956, and was brought into force on November 7, 1956. In addition to providing for a chairman and 12-member Executive Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the bill provided specifically for the expenditure of the Department to be met out of funds provided by Parliament. The Research Council was charged with the organization, development, and encouragement of scientific and industrial research and with the dissemination of the results of such research, and in particular, to:

(a) Encourage and support scientific research in universities, technical colleges and other institutions;

(b) Establish or develop institutions or departments of institutions for investigation and research relating to the advancement of trade and industry; and

(c) Take steps to further the practical application of the results of scientific and industrial research.

The concluding report of the Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research summarized the operation of the DSIR from its establishment to November 1956 when the new act became effective:

From that date we as an advisory council ceased to exist and an experiment in organization of Government-sponsored scientific research begun 41 years ago was completed. We trust we may fairly say, on behalf of our distinguished predecessors rather than for ourselves, that the experiment has

Text of act is contained in appendix I of the Department's report for the year 1955-56, at pp. 215-217. On file with the committee.

been a conspicuous success; and we were glad to note that
the prevailing tone of the parliamentary debate was em-
phatically in this sense, notwithstanding some doubts as to
the significance of some passages in the report of the com-
mittee of inquiry reflecting on the efficiency of some of the
Department's work. We ourselves believe that the stock-
taking, after 41 years, has been well worth while and that our
replacement by a body constituted not dissimilarly from
ourselves but with powers to act, and not only to advise, is a
natural outcome of experience and a reflection also of the
necessities for an organization which has grown to a size
probably exceeding the expectation of most, if not all, of its
most enthusiastic founders. *

* *

APPENDIX A

RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS

The National Physical Laboratory is the largest of the Department's establishments. Its main divisions are concerned with aerodynamics, electricity, engineering, light, mathematics, metallurgy, metrology, physics, radio and electronics. The Laboratory also determines the value of fundamental physical constants to the accuracy required by science and industry, and investigates the properties of materials.

The Building Research Station carries out research on the strength and stability of buildings, their thermal and sound insulation, architectural acoustics, lighting, fire resistance, etc., and on new and traditional building materials and methods. The station's activities also extend into the field of civil engineering and include work on the stability of earth dams, riverbanks, retaining walls, excavations, and on the strength of bridges.

The Chemical Research Laboratory undertakes investigations for Government departments and carries out chemical research of general basic importance to industry where this is not adequately covered elsewhere.

The Fire Research Organization studies the scientific problems of fire fighting, fire prevention, and the safety of life in fires, and investigates the factors contributing most to outbreaks of fire.

The Food Investigation Organization undertakes fundamental studies relating to the properties of foods and the examination of the possibilities of new and improved practical methods in the storage, processing, and distribution of foods. Close contact is maintained with the Ministry of Food.

The Forest Products Research Laboratory carries out research on the structure and strength of wood, its seasoning and preservation, on the manufacture and properties of plywood, wood bending, etc., and on the utilization of timber of lesser known colonial species.

The Fuel Research Station undertakes basic research on the constitution of coal and the chemistry of fuel processes, and is concerned with the more efficient use of coal for steam raising and domestic heating, and its conversion into gaseous and liquid fuels, oils, and chemicals. In collaboration with local authorities and other bodies, the station studies atmospheric pollution.

The Geological Survey studies the geology of Great Britain, recording and publishing its results in the form of maps and explanatory memoirs. The Survey collaborates with the National Coal Board in the study of coalfield geology, with the Ministry of Health on underground water resources, and with the Ministry of Supply concerning the discovery and evaluation of raw materials for atomic energy plants.

The Hydraulics Research Organization is concerned with civil engineering research relating to marine work, such as docks and harbors, rivers, canals, and other waterways.

The Mechanical Engineering Research Organization undertakes basic and general research on problems of importance to engineering development.

The Pest Infestation Laboratory carries out research on the infestation of stored foodstuffs, especially grain, by insects, mites, and fungi. Close contract is maintained with the Infestation Control Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, which is responsible for the inspection of imported foodstuffs and the application of measures for insect control.

The Radio Research Organization undertakes research on the problems of radio communication, particularly on the propagation of radio waves and the investigation of radio disturbances caused by thunderstorms.

The Road Research Laboratory carries out research on the materials and methods of road construction, the problems of road safety and traffic, and the use of machinery in road construction. The Laboratory cooperates in road trials with the Ministry of Transport, the Motor Industry Research Association, the police, and local authorities.

The Water Pollution Research Laboratory carries out research into methods for the treatment of water, sewage, and industrial wastes, and investigates the effects of the discharge of polluting substances into rivers, estuaries, etc.

Source: The Organization of Applied Research in Europe, the United States, and Canada. Vol. II: Applied Research in Europe. Published by the Organization for European Economic Cooperation. 1954. At pp. 172-173.