!,S2 TRANSACTIONS OF SOCIETIES. 



described in detail an electrically-operated dual control passenger lift and 

 a free barrel crane clutch, also referring, more briefly, to the automatically- 

 operated telephone exchange. 



Thursday, September 19th: J. H. Rider, V.P.I.E.E., President, in the 

 chair. — "Some practical aspects of electric winding": S. E. T. Ewing. 

 Electric winders from deep shafts were discussed in regard to their 

 working costs, and the two classes of safety devices used in connection 

 with them, namely, those providing against the failure of the power 

 supply, and those rendering harmless mistakes on the part of drivers — 

 " Practical operations of the three-phase hoists at the Bantjes Consolidated 

 Mines, Limited": J. Askew. All the winding on this property is being 

 performed by three-phase induction motor hoists; these were shortly 

 described and records given of the work actually being done by them. 



Thursday, November 21st: Mr. J. W. Kirkland in the chair.— " Notes 

 on some modern electrical machinery": F. H. Michell. The author's 

 notes dealt with several electrical factories and works recently visited by 

 him in England and Germany. — "Power as a bye-product": J. W. 

 Kirkland. Conditions existing in connection with an important mine 



in Rhodesia were described, in which considerable amounts of power were 

 obtainable without any fuel expenses. In one case the power is furnished 

 by the water supplied to the mine in its descent from a ridge 740 feet 

 higher than the storage tanks at the mine. Another case of bye-product 

 power is due to the location of the mine at a considerably higher level than 

 the reduction works, so that the ore has to be lowered down an incline. 



Rhodesia Scientific Association. — Friday, 22nd November: Mr. H. 

 W. Garbutt, Vice-President, in the chair. — " Natives of the Zambesi 

 Valley — North Side": C. F. Macnamara, The author stated that the 

 natives inhabiting the valley on the north side were divided into six 

 different tribes, namely, Batonga, Bawi, Barumbera, Banamainga, Babgoba, 

 and Makorikori. The Barumbera were of a miserable and weedy type, 

 the others of rather fine physique. Proceeding, he dealt with the language. 

 tribal peculiarities, laws and customs, native law and agriculture. 



Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa. — 

 Saturday, November 16th : W. R. Dowling, M.T.M.M.. President, in the 

 chair. — "The action of alkalies on phenolphthalein " : D. 1. James. 

 Experiments were detailed, from which the author concluded ( 1 ) that, 

 using an excess of alkali, the colour intensity is directly proportional to 

 the amount of alkaline phenolphthalein present, and (2) maintaining the 

 amount of phenolphthalein constant, but varying the proportions of alkali, 

 the maximum colour is obtained by using two molecules of alkali to one 

 of phenolphthalein, after which further additions of alkali do not increase 

 the colour. The results of investigations into the rate of destruction of 

 the colour by excess of alkali were also communicated. 



South African Institution of Engineers. — Saturday, December 14th : 

 Mr. J. A. Yule, President, in the chair. — " Notes on the commercial aspect 

 of municipal electricity supply undertakings " : H. J. Holder. Reference 

 was made to the need Of cheap production and disposal of electrical energv, 

 and of devising a tariff suited to the social requirements of the public 

 and capable of giving the best price to the best consumer. The best 

 methods of giving publicity to the advantages offered by such undertakings 

 were also discussed. 



