The Organisation of Scientific Work in India

Abstract

THE Indian Industrial Commission during its tour through India found that all was not well with the scientific worker, especially in connection with the application of his work to industrial development. While stating specifically in its report that “we do not propose to deal with the general problems of pure scientific research,” it adds: “We were impressed by the value of the work which had already been done in the organised laboratories, and by the absolutely unanimous opinion which was expressed by all scientific officers as to the inadequacy of the staffs in point of numbers. Everywhere we were brought face to face with unsolved problems, requiring scientific investigation on an extended scale. On the one side, we saw the results accomplished by enthusiastic scientists, which, regarded from the purely economic aspect of the question, have added enormously to the productive capacity of India; on the other side, we were told by forest officers, agriculturists and indigo planters, engineers, and manufacturers, of the limitations placed upon the development of their work and the frequency with which they were brought to a standstill by a lack of knowledge regarding matters which could only be ascertained by systematic research work.” It is clear from these and other passages that the Industrial Commission desired to direct attention to the necessity for the elaboration of some scheme by which an organised attack might be made on the large number of problems awaiting solution in connection with the development of industry, and the conclusion reached is that “the maintenance of a staff of suitable technologists and scientific experts is essential to industrial development.”