Page:EB1922 - Volume 31.djvu/579

Rh

present knowledge, the great academies of the world have lost some of their former authority, which has passed into the hands of specialized societies. While still supreme in questions of general policy, they cannot supply by themselves alone such detailed knowledge as is required in international work.

This then was the position when the World War broke out, and scientific cooperation in peaceful pursuits was inevitably in abeyance. In due course the work of reconstructing it on new lines had to be taken in hand. Informal correspondence between the secretaries of the Royal Society and the Paris Academy of Sciences was interrupted by the death of M. Dar- boux, a man of great experience and sound judgment combined with a wide and generous outlook. Its resumption after a short interval led to a conference of representatives of the scientific academies in the Allied countries which was held in London on Oct. ii 1918. There were two guiding principles underlying the resolutions arrived at. The first was that no results could be hoped for from any international organization necessitating friendly cooperation and personal intercourse between former belligerents until sufficient time had elapsed for the strong resentment engendered by the initiation and conduct of the war to subside; the second motive was not to lose the favourable opportunity of reconstructing the whole of 'the international work, by substituting a logical system for the haphazard jumble of conventions and agreements to which its spasmodic historical growth had led. It was the second as much as the first consider- ation which necessitated a lengthened period for the exclusion of enemy interests which were mainly responsible for the older organizations, some of these having been largely under Govern- ment control. For reasons already given, the academies had to recognize that, though they could properly be the organizing authorities, the controlling body in each country would have to be of a more representative character. The main principles were embodied in the following resolutions, which, it will be seen, make special provision for the administrative relations between public services in which cooperation of enemy coun- tries would naturally be resumed after the declaration of peace:

1. That it is desirable that the nations at war with the Central Powers withdraw from the existing conventions 'relating to Inter- national Scientific Associations in accordance with the statutes or regulations of such conventions respectively, as soon as circum- stances permit ; and that new associations deemed to be useful to the progress of science and its applications be established without delay by the nations at war with the Central Powers with the even- tual cooperation of neutral nations.

2. That certain associations, such as the Metric Convention, depending on diplomatic agreements, be taken into consideration during the peace negotiations.

3. It is not intended that these measures be applied to agree- ments relating to indispensable administrative relations between public services, such as those regulating navigation, meteorological telegrams, railways, telegraphs, etc.

4. A committee of inquiry be constituted by the conference, the academies of the countries at war with the Central Powers having power to add further members. This committee shall pre- pare a general scheme of international organizations to meet the requirements of the various branches of scientific and industrial research, including those relating to national defence.

5. Each of the academies represented at the conference shall be invited to initiate the formation of a National Council for the pro- motion of the researches specified in resolution 4.

6. An International Council, having as nucleus the committee specified in resolution 4, shall be formed by the federation of the National Councils.

7. The conference, being of opinion that all industrial, agricultural and medical progress depends on pure science, draws the attention of the various Governments to the importance of theoretical and dis- interested researches, which after the restoration of peace should be supported_ by large endowments. The conference urges similarly the creation of large laboratories for experimental science, both private and national.

At a further meeting, held at Paris at the end of Nov. 1918, representatives of the following countries were pres- ent: Belgium, Brazil, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland, Rumania, Serbia and the United States of America. The delegates of Greece and Portugal were prevented from attending. The meeting confirmed the London resolutions and discussed the methods of giving effect to them. A committee

of five delegates, representing Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy and the United States respectively, was appointed to make more definite proposals for the proposed organizations, and the International Research Council was finally constituted at a meet- ing held at Brussels in July 1919. In the meantime the Treaty of Peace with Germany had been drafted. Article 282 of this treaty, as ultimately ratified, runs as follows: " From the com- ing into force of the present Treaty, and subject to the provisions thereof, the Multilateral Treaties, Conventions and Agreements of an economic and technical character enumerated below and in the subsequent articles shall alone be applied as between Germany and those of the Allied and Associated Powers party thereto." The list of 26 conventions and agreements which form the exceptions contains only two of the scientific organizations with which we are here concerned, viz. (20), convention of May 20 1875, regarding the unification and improvement of the metric system, and (23) convention of June 7 1905, regarding the creation of an International Agricultural Institute at Rome. It would appear from this that Germany must be considered to have withdrawn from all other scientific organizations, at any rate from those which had received Government support. This view is further confirmed by Article 24 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, according to which:

There shall be placed under the direction of the League all inter- national bureaux already established by general treaties if the par- ties to such treaties consent. All such international bureaux and all commissions for the regulation of matters of international interest hereafter constituted shall be placed under the direction of the League.

In all matters of international interest which are regulated by general conventions but which are not placed under the control of international bureaux or commissions, the Secretariat of the League shall, subject to the consent of the council and if desired by the parties, collect and distribute all relevant information and shall render any other assistance which may be necessary or desirable.

The council may include as part of the expenses of the secretariat the expenses of any bureau or commission which is placed under the direction of the League.

It is a reasonable interpretation of this article that so long as Germany remained excluded from the League of Nations it was not intended to give financial support to international organ- izations of which Germany formed a part. The way seemed therefore open to reconstruct international scientific work un- hampered by the agreements that existed before the war.

A full report of the Proceedings of the Brussels Conference having been published (Harrison & Sons, London), it is only necessary here to outline the general organization that was agreed upon. The objects of the International Research Coun- cil, which was now constituted, are defined as follows:

(1) To coordinate international efforts in the different branches of science and its applications.

(2) To initiate the formation of international associations or unions deemed to be useful to the progress of science in accordance with Article I. of the resolutions adopted at the Conference of Lon- don, Oct. 1918 (see page 17 of this report).

(3) To direct international scientific activity in subjects which do not fall within the purview of any existing international associa- tions.

(4) To enter through the proper channels into relation with the Governments of the countries adhering to the International Research Council in order to promote investigations falling within the compe- tence of the Council.

It should be noticed that, once an international association has been formed, it becomes autonomous and is independent of the parent body, subject only to the approval of its statutes and the conditions laid down for admission. The statutes ex- clude the Central Powers, and lay down a majority of three- quarters for the admission of all but the specified belligerent countries; but so far as countries neutral during the war are con- cerned, the provision is dealt with by the unanimous invitation extended to them. The following countries had joined the International Research Council by May 1921: Australia, Bel- gium, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The statutes remain in force until Dec. 1931, but can be