PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. XLV 



•of these comrades has brought liome to us the lives and thoughts 

 of our aborigines just in time to save them from oblivion. They 

 have, indeed, protected the aborigines from the wicked practices 

 of so-called civilized man, and set this ancient and honorable 

 people in their right place. Science and humanity owes them both 

 a deep debt of gratitude. Long may his comrade be spared to 

 carry on the noble work to which he has devoted himself with 

 such signal success and singleness of purpose never more in evi- 

 dence than in his recent protectorate of the aborigines in Northern 

 Territory. 



We welcome him warmly to-night, returned after so much 

 hardship and moving accidents by flood and field, and congratulate 

 him on the recent publication of yet another charming book on 

 Central Australia and its inhabitants. 



The action of the Federal Government in organizing the recent 

 scientific expedition to Northern Territory, in which Professors 

 Gilruth and Spencer, Professor Woolnough, and Dr. Breinl, took 

 part, will doubtless highly commend itself to the general public, 

 no less than to workers in science. The reports already fur- 

 nished all show that Northern Territory has far greater possi- 

 bilities than, probably, most of us ever imagined in regard to 

 both its pastoral and mining future. There can be no question 

 that a thorough and systematic botanical survey should be under- 

 taken before the native Flora becomes intermixed with alien 

 plants. Many botanists might co-operate in this work. I would 

 suggest at once the name of one who is acknowledged as a world- 

 wide authority on the taxonomy of our eucalypts, and on the 

 acacias, Mr. J. H. Maiden, and that of that eminent plant physio- 

 logist. Professor Ewart. It may also be suggested that the scien- 

 tific reports on Northern Territory would be more complete if a 

 meteorological report on it were obtained by some competent 

 oflficer from the Federal Meteorological Bureau. 



Those who have the privilege of knowing Professor Gilruth in- 

 timately will have every confidence that he will prove himself — 

 indeed, he has already proved himself — an able and successful 

 administrator, and this Association is surely grateful to the Federal 

 Government for having placed our colleague in so high and re- 

 sponsible a position. 



May we not express a hope that the Federal Government will 

 shortly see its way to pursue the same enlightened policy it has 

 adopted for the scientific exploration of Northern Territory, also 

 to British Papua. Mr. J. E. Carne, F.G.S., Assistant Govern- 

 ment Geologist of New South Wales, has, after a very arduous 

 and most successful mission to Papua under the Federal Govern- 

 ment, located there an extensive belt of oil-bearing sandstones, 

 without doubt a continuation of the Great Burmese oil belt, which 

 runs through Sumatra, Borneo, and Java, to Timor, and thence 



