H—34a

PREFACE 22nd October, 1948. To the Hon. T. H. McCombs, M.P., Minister in Charge of Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Sir, — We have the honour to present to you our report on the Dominion's scientific man-power resources, following the instructions of the late Hon. D. G. Sullivan, the Minister then in charge of the Department. This Committee met for the first time on Wednesday, 26th March, 1947, and has met in all on fourteen days. As Chairman of the Committee in the early stages, you will remember that the terms of reference required uts — to consider the policy which should govern the use and development of our scientific man-power resources during the next ten years, and to submit a programme on broad lines so as to facilitate forward planning in those fields which are dependent on the use of scientific man-power. The Committee realized, with you, that research could reasonably be expected to give an accurate summary of the scientific man-power position as it exists at the present time, but that a forecast of the position at any great distance in advance would be subject to unknowable and uncontrollable events outside the scope of the investigation. The Committee felt, however, that a forecast might be made with reasonable accuracy for a period of five years in advance, and has made its report and many of its recommendations on this basis. Your Committee could not, of course, be representative of all organizations employing scientific workers. A Committee so constituted would be too unwieldy to function effectively. Its constitution was such, however, as to give representation to the University of New Zealand, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Department of Agriculture, the Education Department (the four organizations employing most scientific workers), the Department of Labour and Employment, the Treasury, the Public Service Association, the New Zealand Association of Scientific Workers, the Dairy Board, and to private scientific industry, while its Secretariat was composed of representatives of four of the five Government Departments represented on the Committee. The Committee, during its deliberations, made contact by means of questionnaires with many prominent people and organizations concerned with the employment of scientific workers or likely to be able to assist in the solution of the problem, and its findings are based to a large degree upon the answers to these questionnaires. To these we should like to express our thanks. Without their assistance and co-operation our investigation would have been almost impossible. Your Committee wishes to express its appreciation also of the valuable assistance rendered by the Department of Labour and Employment in connection with the statistical investigation of the employment of scientists in New Zealand and of the University training of scientists, and to thank its Secretariat for their sustained enthusiasm in and continued attention to the whole problem. We have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient Servants, E. Caradus, Chairman. J. C. Andrews. F. R. Callaghan. J. K. Dixon. J. F. Filmer. H. Henderson. A. McGregor. L. R. Richardson. A. H. Ward. L. J. Wild. N. S. Woods.

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