508 Proceedings. 



volcanic district a vulcanological observatory. Dr. Jaggar, of the Hawaiian 

 Volcano Observatory, had presented him with a very able report on the 

 subject, and had convinced him that such an observatory in New Zealand, 

 by issuing warnings of eruptions, might be the means of saving life. No 

 sum of money was too great to expend in saving valuable lives, and as the 

 sum needed for an observatory was modest he intended to ask Cabinet 

 for it. The Minister said he had intended to do something last session in 

 the matter of encouraging scientific and industrial research, and his colleague 

 the Hon. Mr. Parr and himself were made a committee by Cabinet to deal 

 with the matter. He referred to the complexity of the scheme prepared by 

 the New Zealand Institute and National Efficiency Board, and to the large 

 amount, £20,000 for a period of five years, which that scheme demanded. 

 He had not yet made up his mind just what form the Government assistance 

 would take, but emphasized the need for all the scientific bodies co-operating 

 fully with one another and preventing all overlapping of effort and 

 expenditure. 



The President of the New Zealand Institute, Professor T. H. Easterfield, 

 referred to the loss by death of two members whom all had looked forward 

 to seeing at this Congress — Mr. K. Wilson and Sir David Hutching At 

 his invitation the meeting stood in silence in their memory. He then 

 delivered his presidential address (see page xxv of the present volume). 



Public Lectures. 



Public lectures were given on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in the 

 Town Hall, and were well attended by the citizens and visitors. On 

 Wednesday Dr. Tillyard gave an illustrated address on " Modern Methods 

 of Scientific Control of Insect Pests." American practice, he said, was 

 far above British in these matters, and he must " take off his hat " to the 

 Americans. Time permitted of a selection only of cases illustrating the 

 general principles involved. The first was quarantine and fumigation at the 

 ports of entry. In Honolulu the sugar-planters had thought it worth while 

 to supplement the salary of the Government officers in order to secure 

 fully qualified men, and the museum of the pests that had deen detected 

 and kept out was a most educative one. Various mechanical devices for 

 catching or trapping insects were described, and spraying was also illus- 

 trated by a picture which looked like a fire brigade at work, throwing 

 spray over a high forest-tree. It was found that the important thing in 

 spraying was the pressure, and large quantities of weak solutions of the 

 sprays were used. Injections of chemicals into the sap of trees was at 

 one time believed to be of little use, but recently the Italian Government 

 had had great success by this method, though it was being kept a close 

 secret at present. The most successful methods of control were biological. 

 These were of two kinds — the selection of strains immune from disease, 

 often the only possible and sometimes a very successful method of meeting 

 the ravages, and control of insects by their own insect enemies. Predatory 

 insects often served to keep pests under control, and many such could 

 be advantageously introduced into New Zealand. " Big fleas have little 

 fleas upon their backs," and very many insects could be controlled by their 

 own parasites. In introducing useful insects to a country it was all- 

 important to see that their own parasites were not introduced at the same 

 time. The lecturer concluded with an account of his own work in bringing 

 to New Zealand an enemy of the woolly aphis. 



