SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION
SIR,—Among the weaknesses in our national structure which have been exposed by the war, two are absolutely fundamental. They must be rectified without delay if Britain is to build up the intensely scientific industrial system whiCh must be the foundation of her national and economic strength in the future. First of all, there is the serious lack of understanding of elementary scientific knowledge among the tinny members of our Government and Civil Service whcse duties have brought them in contact with technical matters. I think it is no exaggeration to suggest that the peak of munitions production must have been retarded by at least a year by this " official ignorance." Many examples could be quoted if the interests of security did not ordain otherwise. The teach- ing of science is as important today as arithmetic or history,. and it is time that those who have seen how this weakness has handicapped our war effort should raise their voices and insist upon science being made compulsory in all secondary schools up to the age of seventeen.
The second point to which I wish to refer is the future of the scientific instrument and laboratory equipment industries which provide the tools with which our scientists work and the instruments which are essential for the direction of our bombers and tanks and for our armed forces in the field. In 1939 we were still dependent upon Germany tor many of these supplies. These are the " master key " industries upon which our whole national system depend's in peace as well as in war. As a Board of Trade Committee (Cmd. 5157) reported in 1936, no ordinary economic rules apply to these minor but important industries which are essential for the safety of the Empire. i consider it is essential that representatives of the industries should join bands with their customers the scientists, in order to prepare a plan for Government action. There must be complete protection and adequate encouragement such as was not provided by the old Safeguarding of Industries Act (Part I). A Council should be appointed to represent the producers, the users and the Government, and this body should have power to act without fear of interference from political sources. In the interests of future peace and world reconstruction, this plan must include control or even pro- hibition of certain German production of " master key " material, co- operation with other countries to avoid wasteful duplication of produc- tion where the demand is very limited, and exchange of information so that the results of research can be made available to every authorised factory without delay.
It is not generally realised how much the German predominance in scientific matters for so many years was due to the policy originated by Bismarck after the Franco-Prussian War. He saw that the German army was dependent upon England for supplies of optical instruments, and he founded the Jena scientific and optical glassworks. That was the beginning of the plan for world conquest on scientific lines.—Yours
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