SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 55 



On December 8 Major General Sibert, director of the Chemical 

 Warfare Service, appeared before the Senate Finance Committee and 

 argued that the building up of a chemical dyestuffs industry is essen- 

 tial to a complete program of military preparedness. 



On November 7 Mr. Dupre; of Louisiana requested and received 

 leave to print in the Congressional Record an article by Dr. W. B. 

 Smith, professor of mathematics in Tulane University, entitled "Not 

 ten but twelve," and recently published in Science.^ The article in 

 question discusses the advantage of a duodecimal, as compared with 

 a decimal system of numbers, and the author argues that the English 

 system of weights, measures, coinage, time, etc., which is prevailingly 

 duodecimal in character, should be retained pending the adoption 

 throughout the world of a more perfect number system. The reason 

 for inserting this article in the Record was stated to be its bearing on 

 proposed reforms in the coinage system of this and other countries. 



The Senate resolution for an investigation of the causes of influenza 

 (S. J. Res. 76) was brought up on the calendar on October 22 and 

 December 8, but was passed over. On October 16 Mr. France intro- 

 duced a more comprehensive resolution (S. Con. Res. 13) providing 

 for a survey of all governmental agencies concerned with public health, 

 excepting the Army and Navy organizations. This was reintroduced 

 onOctober 23,asS. Con. Res. 14, with the A my and Navy exception eli- 

 minated. The resolution provides for a joint commission of three 

 members each from Senate and House, "to make a survey of and report 

 on those activities of the several departments, divisions, bureaus, offices, 

 and agencies of the Government of the United States which relate to the 

 protection and promotion of the public health, sanitation, care of the sick 

 and injured, and the collection and dissemination of information relating 

 thereto." The commission is directed to report in June, 1920, on the 

 powers, organization, and coordination of the federal agencies, and 

 their cooperation with non-federal organizations. The resolution was 

 agreed to by the Senate on December 16, and was then referred to 

 the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. 



The Senate and House adjourned on December 20, until January 5, 

 1920. 



NOTES 



A joint meeting of the local sections of the American Society of 

 Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Mining and Metallur- 

 gical Engineers was held at the Cosmos Club on Friday, December 19, 

 1 9 19. The problem of securing closer cooperation among the engi- 

 neering societies, both in the United States as a whole and in the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, was discussed. At the close of the meeting the 

 Civil Engineers met for the annual election of officers. The election 

 resulted as follows: President, David S. Carll; Vice-President, John 

 C. HoYT; Secretary-Treasurer, James H. Van Wagenen. 



2 Science 50: 239-242. 1919. 



