therefore for us to argue the necessity for their establishment, and in this part of our Report we confine ourselves to making recommendations regarding the functions, staffing, &c., of such stations as may be created in the Colonial Empire. Functions. 27. The recommendations of the Imperial Agricultural Research Conference regarding the functions of a Central Research Station are set out in the following paragraphs from their Report*: 66 They (i.e., the Conference) consider : (i) that the establishment of central tropical and subtropical research stations should be governed primarily by the ascertained needs of Empire research in particular fields of agriculture, rather than by considerations of geographical distribution; (ii) that stations for dealing with problems suitable for such treatment should be located in territories affording specially advantageous conditions for the study of each such problem: (iii) that the stations should, in the main, confine themselves to long range' and ' wide range 'research, i.e., that they should concentrate on (a) problems requiring more prolonged research work than can normally be expected from the technical staff of any single administrative department; (b) problems arising in more than one territory of the Empire towards the solution of which the comparative method may be expected to make an effective contribution. The The Conference desire to emphasise the importance of preventing the establishment of a central research station from being allowed to impair or replace the scientific work properly undertaken by the Agricultural Department of any Government in its proximity. They conceive the work of such stations as a reinforcement of that of the Agricultural Departments, and in no sense as a substitute for their work. work undertaken by a central research station will from time to time enable it to afford valuable advice to Agricultural Departments in its neighbourhood, but they do not consider that it should be regarded as a function of a central station as such to provide such advice, except as the direct result of its research activities. This conclusion, however, should not be taken as debarring a central station, in special conditions such as those of the West Indies, from being treated as a convenient base of operations for a travelling advisory staff. "They do not consider that a research station, as such, should be expected to undertake any teaching work, except * Non-Parliamentary Publication, March, 1928; Section II, 2. in so far as the advanced instruction of a limited number of post-graduate students can be undertaken with advantage to the research work in progress. In making this recommendation they do not overlook the need, in certain parts of the Empire, and notably in West Africa, for the provision of additional teaching facilities, designed primarily to enable native students to become qualified assistants in research work, whether at a central research station or in an Agricultural Department, but they consider such provision to fall within the sphere of other Government services." With these recommendations we find ourselves in general agreement. 28. We consider it important that Central Research Stations should not be unduly affected by local administrative considerations, but, at the same time, it is natural that they should take in hand subjects particularly affecting their own group. While any attempt rigidly to organise research is obviously to be deprecated, it is, we think, clear that local requirements should influence the general direction in which investigations at a group institution can most usefully be prosecuted. 29. In this connection we should like to stress the importance of the closest touch being maintained between the Central Research Station and the ordinary agricultural activities of the Colony or group of Colonies in which it is situated. As was recognised by the Research Conference, the work of such stations should be regarded as a reinforcement of that of the local Agricultural Departments, and in no sense as a substitute for it; for instance, whereas the aim of an Agricultural Department in carrying out breeding and selection work in the case of such crops as rice, coconuts, tea, coffee, sugar, cotton, &c., should be to secure higher yield, better adaptation, or superior quality, the aim of a Central Research Station for similar crops should be to discover the basis on which these characters are founded and the methods of their inheritance. 30. We have given special consideration to the question of combining teaching with fundamental research work at these stations, and we have come to the conclusion that, as a general rule, their main function should be research and not education. The actual amount of educational work which they will perform will naturally vary with local circumstances, but we recommend that the general principle suggested above should definitely be adopted. We do not, however, contemplate that there should be any modification in the system whereby candidates for the higher appointments in Colonial Agricultural Departments normally receive post-graduate training at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad. While we take the view that it is both undesirable and impracticable to throw upon Central Research Stations responsibilities in connection with education, we do not wish it to be thought that we underrate the vital importance of increasing the educational institutions and agencies available in Colonies or groups of Colonies for the training of the local inhabitants in the practice of agriculture and the sciences relating thereto. Method of Creating New Stations. 31. It appears to us that there are two alternative methods of creating new Central Research Stations. The first method might be by selecting the local research headquarters in the Colony and raising it to the status of a Central Research Station; the other would be to create an entirely new station. On the information before us, we are of the opinion that it would be usual for the group of Colonies concerned to select the second method. This will have the advantage of allowing a clear field for the laying out and designing of buildings and for the provision of laboratories, equipment, &c., in accordance with the latest scientific knowledge. But it will, we recognise, at the same time entail considerable capital expenditure, and we would suggest that the necessary cost might be financed from loan funds. 32. We find ourselves unable at the present time to make any definite recommendation regarding the situation of the next research station to be established, which is a matter upon which the Council should be asked to advise. We would, however, call attention to the importance of linking up with research in the Colonial Empire generally the valuable research work which is already being done as regards tea and rubber at institutions established by private enterprise in Ceylon and Malaya: Although the present shortage of qualified research workers may delay the establishment of new stations for the moment, we consider that the Empire chain should be extended as soon as possible to Ceylon and, at a later date, to Malaya. Staffing of Central Research Stations. 33. We have taken advantage of the presence in this country of the Director of the Amani Institute to discuss with him the staff which would be required for a fully-equipped Central Research Station, and Mr. Nowell has informed us of the recommendations which, after his visit to East Africa, he is making as regards the staffing of the Amani Institute. We have carefully considered the question and we have come to the definite conclusion that the following establishment should be regarded as a minimum for a Central Research Station: Director. Five Senior Officers. Secretary-Librarian. Assistant Secretary-Librarian. Assistant Agricultural Superintendent. Further subordinate staff will also be required, e.g. :— A technician to take charge of the lighting and other plant: A Herbarium Assistant, &c. 34. We are aware that this staff represents a very considerable advance on what has hitherto been contemplated, and we appreciate that in present circumstances it will not, in fact be possible to provide immediately so many officers, having regard on the one side to the lack of the necessary funds, and on the other to the shortage of qualified research officers, but we are convinced that, if full use is to be made of these stations, a staff at least as large as that which we have set out above is required, and we are unanimous in recommending its adoption as a guide for the future. Nor, indeed, is the establishment we recommend in any way extravagant if a comparison is made with the numbers of higher research officers employed at such institutions as Rothamsted in this country, Pusa in India, or Buitenzorg in the Dutch East Indies. 35. Further, in suggesting this establishment we have had in mind the supreme importance of ensuring continuity of work. Too often it happens that valuable research work is wasted because, when the officer in charge is absent, through leave or sickness, there is no one else available to replace him. It is essential that provision should be made for adequate reliefs, and it is for this reason that we recommend a slightly larger establishment of junior than of senior officers. 36. We contemplate that the Director and other officers should do as much travelling as possible in order to keep the Central Research Station in close touch with ordinary agricultural activities in the group of Colonies and with local research work. It will, of course, also be desirable definitely to assign officers from time to time to deal with specific problems arising in the territories within the group. 37. We are of the opinion that the five senior officers should normally be — A Plant Geneticist. A Plant or Animal Physiologist. An Entomologist. A Mycologist. A Soil Chemist. The junior officers should be selected chiefly with a view to their understudying the senior officers, the exact qualifications needed in their case varying, of course, in accordance with local · requirements. 38. We have not included in our recommendations the appointment of an Agricultural Officer as a member of the higher staff, but in cases where the Director is not a man with agricultural training and experience we consider that it will be necessary to include in the staff an officer with these qualifications. 39. We propose that the Secretary-Librarian should be responsible for the routine correspondence, &c., and for the maintenance and care of the Library. Although he need not be a scientific officer, he should if possible have had a certain minimum of scientific training. 40. We regard it as of importance that there should be an officer at the station, namely, the Agricultural Superintendent, with an Assistant, who should be definitely responsible, under the general control of the Director, for the care and allocation of the various plots. 41. It will be observed that we have made no provision for the appointment of a Deputy Director. If funds permitted, such an appointment would be desirable, but, in the meantime, we recommend that one of the senior officers should at the same time be Deputy Director. Salaries. 42. As will be seen from Part IV of our Report, we contemplate that the Director and the senior research officers of a Central Research Station should eventually be members of the Colonial Agricultural Service, and some, if not all, of the junior officers. In framing our recommendations for the salaries of these officers, we have therefore adopted the scales proposed for the unified Service, although the exact classes into which the officers will fall will naturally vary with individual appointments. For present purposes we have placed the Director in Class II, two senior officers in Class IV and three in Class V, and the eight junior officers in Class VI, and in each case we have adopted the mean of the scale. We recommend that the salaries should accordingly be as follows: |