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atom and
coal
New Power
Hopes
ADELAIDE, Friday .—The wide
spread adoption cf atomic power
could eliminate coal as a fuel,
and restrict its. field to coke pro
duction, for steel making and for
by-products. Professor -F.- R. E.
Mauldcn, of the University of
West Australia, told the Science
nnncress ta-day.'
Professor Mauldon's address
was. one of many interesting
papers given to the conference
to-day. He said savings railways
might gain from 'the use of atomic
power would probably offset their
losses of revenue from the trans
port of coal;
In the utilisation of the stu
pendous power of atomic energy,
the interest of the industrial
engineer was in "a more con
trollable release of energy." On
this point there was little pub
lished data indicating immediate
solution cf the power production
problem by atomic means. Many
practical1 and economic problems
had yet to be solved in applying
atomic power to industry.
Federal-State Finance
A new era in Federal financial
aid to the States had already
opened, and it seemed certain
that a new episode in Federal
State 'financial relations was now
beginning, Professor G. L. Wood,
a member of the Commonwealth
Grant Commission, said . in an
other paper. '
Australia's inability to control
or Influence the world trade cycle
would mean a continuance of
fluctuation in her prosperity, he
added. The present honeymoon
made possible by the marriage of
Federal revenue . and State de
mands for grants and reimburse
ments could hardly last inde-
illlibCJy.
' The strain thrown upon State
undertakings during the war
showed that they were inade
quate for a large-scale national'
emergency!
Learning by : Living
An appeal was made by Pro
fessor G. S. Browne, of the Uni
versity: of Melbourne, for a sys
tem of education' which would
give the .' children . of Australia a
chance to "learn by living." "
Professor Browne said Austra
lia must throw off its educational
shackles, Including the tyranny
of the examination system.
"Progressive education means
schools which are happy, demo-
, cratic communities, full of in-
terijst and reality and activity,
whore the ..educational programme
is fitted to. the . pupil, and not the
pupil to the programme," Profes
sor Browne said. "It means less
oral teaching and more pupil ac
tivity, Investigation group acti
vities and co-operational work.
A new charter for teachers was
needed, followed by a recruiting
campaign for more teachers and
for a better consideration of
them by the community. There
should be all Australian summer
schools for teachers from all
States, dealing with progressive
methods In all fields of educa
tion.
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