TRANSACTIONS OF SOCIETIES, 2~J 



at a high altitude, and with Transvaal coal, and it had undoubtedly fulfilled 

 the requirements, 



Friday, March Jih : J. A. Yule, President, in the chair. — "Centralised 

 organisation at the Crown Mines, Ltd.": R. C. Warriner. The cen- 

 tralised organisation was the outcome of the amalgamation of seven 

 separate mines. The mam teatures of the equipment of each of these seven 

 units were enumerated. The entire property now comprises 2,216 claims, 

 covering an area of nearly three and a half by three miles. The general 

 plan of centralisation was described, and details were given of some oi the 

 more important features. The effect of centralisation on costs was briefly 

 discussed, and the theoretical saving, on a milling basis of 200,000 tons 

 per month, was estimated at £294,000 per annum. 



South African Society of Civil Enginf.ers.i- Wednesday, 12th 

 March: F. E. Kanthack, M.I.C.E., President, in the chair. — " Presidential 

 address " : F. E. Kanthack. The address dealt with the prospects of the 

 Civil Engineer, and more particularly of the private practitioner, in the 

 Union of South Africa. It was difficult to determine the spheres of 

 activity belonging respectively to the State and to the private engineer. State 

 engineering in South Africa — which was the result of popular demand— would 

 not diminish, but widen the activities of professional engineering. Speaking 

 broadly, engineers in countries like South Africa would be either servants 

 of the State or municipal engineers. There was much municipal work 

 offering throughout the Union, which Government was driven to undertake 

 when private engineers were not available. Irrigation boards were being- 

 formed throughout the Cape Province, controlling projects of considerable 

 size : for these it was almost impossible to obtain competent engineers, and 

 the demand for temporary surveyors and engineers in the Irrigation 

 Department was increasing. For the non-specialist consulting engineer, 

 however, there was but a small and unprofitable field, and it was a matter 

 of highest importance that the qualifications of engineers in private 

 practice should be raised. 



Wednesday, 9th April : F. E. Kanthack, M.I.C.E., President, in the 

 chair. — -" The geology of underground water supply : " Dr. A. L. Du Toit. 

 The author discussed in detail several factors governing the movements 

 and characters of underground waters, more especially with reference to 

 South Africa. In South Africa rocks of high or even moderate porosity 

 were practically unrepresented : effective porosity was therefore dependent 

 to a high degree upon cracks, joints and other planes of limited cohesion. 

 Geographical environment caused great differences in the behaviour of 

 any geological formation with respect to water supply, and several 

 instances hereof were given. Springs originated mainly at the junction of 

 two sets of dissimilar rocks. Thus a number of important springs derive 

 their waters from the junction of the Table Mountain sandstone with the 

 overlying slates of the Bokkeveld series. The effect of the doleritic intru- 

 sions which cut the Karroo into a number of more or less distinct com- 

 partments, and that of the dolomite of the Transvaal and the dolomitic 

 limestones of Griqualand West on water supply was next discussed. The 

 author proceeded to refer to the influence of geological formation on the 

 chemical composition of sub-soil waters, in proof of which he directed 

 attention to Dr. Juritz's discussion of the analytical results obtained from 

 about 400 waters from various formations in the Cape Province. Circum- 

 stances affecting lateral and vertical variation in the salinity of waters 

 were dealt with, and, after referring to the relation between the average 

 yield of bore-holes in the Cape Province and their depth, and to the 

 subject of artesian waters, the author concluded with a consideration of 

 certain special areas in South Africa where, for geological reasons, or 

 owing to their environment, difficulty had been experienced in tapping 

 fair supplies of underground water. 



Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa. — 

 Saturday, 15th March : W. R. Dowling, M.I.M.M., President, in the chair.— 

 " Cyanide practice in India " : H. M. Leslie. In India cyaniding has up 



