XLVIII. 



was felt by the Committee that although our savings are not 

 specially earmarked as research grant funds, we cannot get away 

 from the fact that we exist for the advancement of Science in 

 Australia, and that if we have surplus funds that are not required 

 for the ordinary working expenses of the Association, we are prac- 

 tically bound to expend those funds on the advancement of 

 Australasian Science. (Hear, hear.) At all events we cannot 

 possibly do better. I think we may regard ourselves as in the 

 position of a trust body so far as this money is concerned, and 

 undoubtedly we are entrusted with it for the purpose of the 

 furtherance of the scientific work of Austraha. (Hear, hear.) 

 Each meeting of the Association is practically self-supporting. 

 The fact that we have accumulated £3,000 shows that to be the 

 case. Each meeting has on the average more than paid its way, 

 except that we have been in the habit of applying to the State 

 Governments for assistance in printing our volume. It was stated 

 at the meeting on Thursday tliat if this grant of £1,000 were made 

 it would weaken our hands in asking for £500 from the Govern- 

 ment towards printing our volume. The view that the Committee 

 took of this question was this — if the State Government asked us 

 our position we are surely in no worse a position if we have to tell 

 them that we hold about £2,000, having voted £1,000 towards 

 a very important scientific object, than we would be if we told 

 them we held about £3,000. (Hear, hear.) Another objection to 

 the proposal to vote £1,000 is that we have never done anything 

 like it before — it is unprecedented — that our votes are very much 

 smaller. The Committee thought that the occasion of the request 

 was also unprecedented — (hear, hear) — and that if £1,000 is a 

 great deal more than our usual votes for scientific objects, still 

 the object we are trying to support will require for its fulfilment 

 a great deal more than the total expense of any ordinary work 

 that we have given grants towards. This expedition will cost 

 £40,000 ; £1,000 is not a very large proportion towards the total 

 cost of the expedition, but it is a substantial sum, and in the opinion 

 of the Committee it should be. It has been stated that tliis will be 

 £1,000 taken out of the funds of the Association towards one 

 object emanating from the Geographical Section, but a very little 

 consideration shows that the expedition appeals to several 

 Sections and the interests of the Association generally. (Hear, 

 hear.) It appeals to some Sections more than others. It does not 

 appeal very much to the Agricultural Section, as there is not 

 likely to be much discovered in connection with that Section. 



Dr. Mawson : Guano. 



The President : I thought Dr. Mawson would have an answer. 

 The expedition appeals particularly to Geography, also to Phj'sics 

 and the Section dealing with Meteorology and the Geological 

 Section, and so on. It is the whole Association which is concerned, 

 not only the Geography Section. In the next place, we feel that the 

 proposal to support this expedition appeals to us in this way — not 



