Report

Authors

Advisory Council of Science and Industry

Title

Resolutions passed by the Advisory Council, July 1917, together with, Report and recommendations on the organization and work of the proposed permanent Institute of Science and Industry

Editor

Masson, David Orme; Lightfoot, Gerald; Russell, Edward John

Imprint

Government of Australia, Melbourne, 11 July 1917, 10 pp

Description

Not online yet - 2024-03-07. See Appendix 3, p 161, Currie and Graham "The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government 1901 - 1926"

Abstract

From Currie and Graham page 161

APPENDIX 3

Resolutions of Advisory Council submitted to Hughes, 11 July 1917

The resolutions presented to the Prime Minister were: The Council approved and adopted the Report of the Executive Committee on the Organization and Work of the Permanent Institute.

In addition the following resolutions were passed:
1. That the Advisory Council is of the opinion that the immediate
establishment of the permanent Institute is a matter of urgency, as the financial and e;x:ecutive powers of the temporary organization are wholly inadequate to the purposes in view.
2. That in the work of the future Institute provision be made for cooperation between the Commonwealth and State Governments. It is suggested that this might be effected by arranging for the estimates of expenditure of the Institute to be discussed at the Premiers' annual conference.
3. That the following representations be made to the Prime Minister:
(a) That the various State Governments are at present anxious to undertake a number of investigations with a view to developing industries of importance to their respective States and in some instances are already taking steps in that direction.
(b) That the initiation of such researches will overlap the work of the proposed Commonwealth Institute.
(c) That in many cases the State Governments are holding their hands pending the organization of the Commonwealth enterprise. Thus the proposals for a Commonwealth Institute are retarding rather than stimulating scientific research in Australia.
(d) That this position is felt to be very unsatisfactory by the State
Governments who in some instances intend to proceed on their own account unless the Commonwealth proposals are quickly materialised. Such action will limit the usefulness of the Institute and prevent a favourable opportunity being availed of to obtain the co-operative assistance of the State Governments.
(e) That on these grounds the permanent Institute should be established at once.
4. That the Council strongly supports the recommendations made by the Executive Committee to the Commonwealth Government that conferences of (a) wheat experts and (b) authorities on technical education be held at an early date and urges the Government to give effect to these recommendations.
5. That in the unanimous opinion of the Council the new Institute cannot be satisfactorily worked as an adjunct to any existing Federal Government Laboratories.

Related entries

Corporate Bodies

• Advisory Council of Science and Industry, Commonwealth of Australia (1916 - 1920)

People

• Lightfoot, Gerald (1877 - 1966)
• Masson, David Orme (1858 - 1937)

Related Published resources

isRelated

• Advisory Council of Science and Industry, Report of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Advisory Council of Science and Industry: for the year ended 30th June 1918 (Melbourne: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1918), 64 pp. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2004795988. Details
• Currie, George; Graham, John, The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government, 1901-1926 (Melbourne: CSIRO, 1966), 203 pp, https://ebooks.publish.csiro.au/content/origins-csiro. Details