PRESIDENTTAI, ADDRESS. WHITE. 6 



May 1878, and on 1st June of that year was appointed head 

 teacher of the State School at Roma. In 1879 he was appointed 

 District Inspector of Scliools and in 1909 Senior Inspector. 

 When the Teachers' Training College was established in 1914 

 he was selected for the position of principal. He held this post 

 till the end of 1919, when he was retired under the provisions 

 of the Public Service Act. The following ypar, however, he was 

 appointed conchologist to the Queensland Museum, a post he 

 had in previous years filled in an honorary capacity. This 

 position he held for one year and nine months, when the ]iruning 

 knife of retrenchment did away with the ]wsition. It was 

 characteristic of liim that when over sixty years of age he 

 employed the long leave due to him for continuous Government 

 service m studying, and preparing a thesis for the degree of 

 Doctor of Science at the Sydney University. He was a versatile 

 writer on scientific subjects, being one of the older school of 

 naturalists whose ntudies covered a number of branches of 

 natural science. His most important published work was the 

 " Lichen Flora of Queensland" (mostly first published as a 

 series of papers in the Proceedings of this Society). 



The Hon. Ernest James Stevens, M.L.C, who died at 

 Brisbane on the 3rd March, 1922, was bom at Melbourne on 

 the 10th July, 1845. He came to Queensland in 1808 and for 

 some years engaged in pastoral pursuits. He was elected 

 M.L.A. for Warrego in 1878 and for the Logan m 1883. He 

 retired in 1899 and was called to the Legislative Council. He 

 Avas one of the more prominent business men of Queensland, 

 for some years among other posts being chairman of directors 

 of the Brisbane Newspaper Company Limited. 



In April the Council was aked to nominate candidates 

 for election to the newl}^ formed Australian National Research 

 Council. It is hoped the formation of the Council will materially 

 aid scientific advancement in the Commonwealth. 



The early part of 1921 was marked b}* the holding of the 

 Hobart-Melbourne meeting of the Australasian Association 

 for the Advancement of Science. The meeting was the first 

 held since 1913, and such a long time elapsing between meetings 

 gave many of us the opportunity of again meeting old friends 

 from otlier States, and kindred spirits whom previously wo only 

 knew by reputation or through correspondence. It is much to 

 be regretted that funds did not permit the many papers read 

 being printed as a record. Many, however, have smce appeared 

 in various scientific periodicals. 



