SOLAR PHYSICS COMMITTEE 43 



made as to the personnel and equipment of existing State 

 Observatories for carrying out the work. These, however, replied 

 that they were not equipped for the purpose, and could only 

 undertake the work if the necessary funds should be forthcoming 

 from the Commonwealth Government. 



The British Association offered its influential support, and 

 formed a Committee to co-operate with Australian Astronomers 

 to further the movement, with Sir David Gill, F.R.S. (retiring 

 President of the British Association), as Chairman. 



The Royal Society expressed its approval of the project and 

 suggested that the proposed Observatory should be affiliated with 

 the Adelaide University. But the Council of the University, 

 though willing to undertake the work, could only do so if the 

 funds were forthcoming from an external source. 



A broader basis for this Observatory, however, lay in its 

 being affiliated not with one University, but with all the Universities 

 within the Commonwealth, the matter being one which affects the 

 prestige of Australian Science, not the Science of any one particular 

 State. 



Upon these lines, therefore, the Australian Solar Physics 

 Committee was formed at the meeting of the Australasian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science in Brisbane, 

 January, 1909, consisting of the Professors of Physics of all the 

 Universities within the Commonwealth, and the Government 

 Astronomer of each State (where appointed), the personnel 

 being : — 



President : G. H. Knibbs, Commonwealth Statistician ; Prof. 

 Bragg, M.A., F.R.S. , President of the Australasian Association, and 

 Professor of Physics, University of Adelaide ; Prof. Lyle\ M.A., 

 D.Sc, Professor of Physics, University of Melbourne ; Prof. 

 Pollock^, D.Sc, Professor of Physics, University of Sydney ; Prof. 

 McAulay^ M.A., Professor of Physics, University of Tasmania ; 

 Prof. Chapman^ M.A., Professor of Engineering, University of 

 Adelaide ; Mr. P, Barracchi, Government Astronomer of Victoria ; 

 Mr. Dodwell, Government Astronomer of South Australia ; Mr. 

 W. E. Cooke, M.A., Government Astronomer of Western Australia ; 

 Senator Keating ; James Oddie, Esq. ; Hon. Sec. W. G. Duffield, 

 D.Sc, Dundrennan, Glenelg, South Australia. 



This Committee formed a deputation which waited upon the 

 Minister for Home Affairs of the Commonwealth Government 

 (Fisher Ministry) and presented the resolution which had been 

 passed by the Council of the Australasian Association for the 

 Advancement of Science. The Minister replied that " he realised 

 the importance of the plea for an Australian Observatory, and 

 that the financial aid required was probably disproportionate to 

 the value of the scientific records sought to be secured. He 



1. Signifies that the Member is the Official Representative of the University upon the Committee. 



