282 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



Scientific and Industrial Research, it is stated that Weiss, in 191 1, took out a 

 patent for the use of zirconium, in place of titanium, as a deoxidising agent in 

 metals and alloys which also greatly increased the tenacity and strength of the 

 metal. There is no indication in the Report that the process has been used in 

 this country, and in pre-war days the output of zirconium minerals was spas- 

 modic— e.g. Brazil produced 25 tons in 191 1 and 126 tons in 1909, all for the 

 German market. 



The correspondent of the Morning Post reports that M. Roald Amundsen 

 started on his polar expedition on June 25 in his new ship, the Maud. The 

 expedition is expected to cost 1,000,000 kroner (.£56,250), and its chief object is 

 the scientific exploration of the ocean and atmosphere of the polar regions. The 

 attainment of the North Pole itself is regarded as being of minor importance. 

 M. Amundsen will undertake the magnetic observations for which the outfit has 

 been provided by the Carnegie Institution of America. The rest of the scientific 

 work is in charge of M. Sverdrup. Balloons and kites will be used to investigate 

 the higher strata of the atmosphere, and the Aurora Borealis will be photographed 

 by a special method devised by Prof. Stormer. The stores carried are calculated 

 to be more than sufficient for five years, and included in the scientific equipment 

 is a wireless outfit and a number (?) of aeroplanes. 



The annual report of the Rockefeller Foundation for 191 7 contains a re- 

 markable record of the humanitarian work which is being carried on by the 

 Institution in all parts of the world. A large proportion of the normal income has 

 been diverted to work in connection with the war, since "the well-being of 

 mankind throughout the world" so obviously depends on the success of the " forces 

 of freedom." By an appropriation of $5,000,000 from the Capital Fund and a 

 further donation of an equal amount from the Founder, it has been possible to carry 

 on, in addition, the usual work of the Foundation. This includes an educational 

 campaign against tuberculosis in France ; anti-malarial work in Arkansas and the 

 Mississippi Valley ; a campaign designed to exterminate yellow fever from the 

 whole world ; the establishment of medical colleges in China, and the provision of 

 a hospital steamer for work among the isolated islands in the Philippine group. 

 The Foundation has a principal of about $120,000,000 at its disposal, the income 

 derived therefrom being just over $7,000,000. 



The annual report of the Decimal Association shows that, during the past year, 

 there has been a considerable growth of opinion in favour of the decimal system. 

 A large number of public bodies of all kinds have passed resolutions favouring the 

 change in our system of units, and the Decimal Coinage Bill, which is based on 

 the results of conferences between the Association, the Institute of Bankers, and 

 the Association of Chambers of Commerce, has been introduced into the House 

 of Lords by Lord Southwark. The debate on the second reading of the Bill was 

 adjourned on the understanding that the Government would institute an inquiry 

 into the whole question of decimal coinage. Reports have been received from the 

 British Chambers of Commerce in Italy, Brazil, and the Argentine, emphasising 

 the benefit which would accrue to our foreign trade if the metric system of weights 

 and measures were made compulsory throughout the Empire. A similar con- 

 clusion has been reached by the American Journal of Electricity, which reports 

 that the non-use of the metric system in the U.S.A. among engineers and in the 

 electrical trade is beginning to be felt as a serious handicap in American efforts to 

 secure a commercial and engineering foothold in South America. The system 

 has been adopted in the American army for artillery work and map construction, 

 and it is stated that, since February 191 7, the shops in Pekin have also adopted 



