248 TRANSACTIONS OF SOCIETIES. 



Thursday. Xovember 15th: Prof. W. Buchanan. B.Sc. A.R.C.S.. 

 M.I.E.E., Past President, in the chair.—" Ovenvinding and controlling 

 devices for zvinding engines": H. Newbery. In view of the fact that 

 no ei^cient device existed for tlie control of winding engines so as to 

 prevent the frequent accidents resulting from overwinds, the author 

 devised a scheme, when a new electric hoist was being installed on one of 

 the Rand mines, to prevent sucli accidents. The device had been installed 

 only in part, but this had lieeii in use for four months and had given 

 satisfactory results. 



South Afric.vn Society of Civil Engineers. — Wednesday, August 

 8th : Prof. A. E. Snape. M.Sc, A.M.I.C.E., Past President, in the chair.— 

 •' The Maraishurg Irrigation Scheme " : J. F. Weedon. A description of 

 irrigation operations on the banks of the Vlekpoort River, a tributary of 

 the Tarka River. The canals have a total length of 17.4 miles and the 

 total cost of the work amounted to i22,ooo. — "Setting out straight earthen 

 embankments u'ith the theodolite " : G. T. Ritchie. The idea to be 

 aimed at tlieoretically in using this method is to set up the theodolite with 

 the axis of the telescope in the line formed by the intersection of the 

 two slopes of the cmliankment produced. 



Wednesday, September uth: Prof. A. E. Snape. M.Sc. A.M.I.C.E.. 

 Past President, in the chair. — "Equivalent grades': J. D. Shannon. 

 Many engine sections on the older South African railways include short 

 lengths which are much more diflicult for the haulage of loads than the 

 rest of the section, and it is consequently necessary to reduce the loads on 

 those short lengths. It may become economical to improve these more 

 difficult portions in order that the same load may be liauled tli rough the 

 entire section. The author discussed the problem of determining what 

 the new gradient on the improved lengths, properly compensated for curva- 

 ture, should be. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Young, Prof. R. B. — •" I'lie Banket: a study of the auriferous conglom- 

 erates of the IVitwatersrand and the associated rocks." 8vo. pp. 

 XV, 125. lllus. London: Gurney and Jackson, 1917. 8s. 6d. net. 



Forbes, George. — "David Gill ■' Man and Astronomer. Memories of 

 Sir David Gill, K,C.B., H.M. Astronomer at the Cape of Good 

 Hope." 8vo. ; pp. xi, 418. London: John Murray, 1916; 12s. net. 



Jollie, Ethel C. — " The future of Rhodesia." 8vo ; pp. 24. Bulawayo, 3d. 



Whittall, W. •• JVith Botha and Smuts in Africa." 8,1 x '5! in. 



pp. 280, ]\Iaps and ports. London : Cassell and Co., 1917. 6s. 

 net. 



Stirke, D. E. C. and A. W. Thomas. " .•/ coni/^rehensive vocabulary 

 of Sikololo-Silui-.Simbunda." 7 >i 5 in. pp. 40. London: J. 

 Bale, Sons and Danielsson, iyi6. 



Walker. H. F. B. "A doctor's diary in Damaraland." 9 x s\ '"• 

 pp. 208. fllus. London: E. Arnold, 1917- 7s. 6d. net. 



Plaatje, Sol. T. " Xative life in South Africa, before and since the 

 European War and the Boer rebellion." 7^ x 5 in. pp. .35.^. 

 ports. London: P. S. King and Son, [1917] .^s. 6d. 



