May II, 1911] 



NATURE 



369 



What sciences are taught in the schools, and by whom? 

 What quahfications (academic or professional) has the 

 teacher ? 



Is the instruction assisted by lecture, experiment, and 

 laboratory work ? 



How far instruction in physics or chemistry encourages 

 scholars to take up a scientific or technical career? 



In what way can assistance be given, by the universities 

 to the science teachers in the schools? 



Whether the giving of one or two lectures by university 

 professors in the schools from time to time, on modern 

 ■development in science, would be of assistance to the 

 teachers ? 



Whether special summer courses in elementary science 

 given in the universities would be of help to the science 

 teachers? 



Whether there is a modern scientific publication taken 

 regularly by the school, or by the teacher? 



Dr. J. VV. Robertson, a vice-president of the committee, 

 has been appointed by the Government chairman of the 

 Commission on Technical Education. This commission is 

 entrusted with the duty of thoroughly investigating the 

 needs for technical training all over Canada. It will, in 

 addition, go to the United States and Europe, where the 

 educational systems will be thoroughly investigated. In 

 Dr. Robertson's own words, we state the work of the 

 commission. He said that " the Government had ex- 

 pressed a recognition in a nevir form of the heritage of 

 Canadians. This recognition is in the form of the con- 

 servation of the resources of the country. These cannot 

 be utilised until the people have been educated in this 

 regard, and in their proper development. The best way 

 is that whereby labour can be applied with the least waste, 

 cost, &c. Industrial efficiency is an all-important item in 

 the successful development of Canada. The commission, 

 by investigation and by personal observation, is to secure 

 all the information possible on the industrial life of 

 Canada." 



One of the vice-presidents of this committee, Mr. F. H. 

 Sexton, is director of technical education for Nova Scotia. 

 Prof. Sexton's work is proving of the greatest benefit to 

 the province. It is to be hoped that his efforts may be 

 directed to wider fields. Nova Scotia was the pioneer in 

 establishing technical education in America, being the first 

 province in the Dominion to do so, and being two years 

 ahead of Massachusetts, which was the first State of the 

 Union to take this up. Through Prof. Sexton's efforts, 

 there exists in all the colleges a uniform course of study 

 for the first two years' work. Scholars can then do 

 advanced work in the provincial' technical college in any 

 branch of engineering they desire. There are a number 

 of night schools, mostly for miners, which are of great 

 benefit. These schools are supported by the Government, 

 and are entirely free. They are not intended to increase 

 the number of men seeking employment, but to increase 

 the efficiency of those already at work. 



A commission has been appointed by the. Government 

 to study the natural resources of the country. In this 

 important matter the Guild committee is ably represented 

 by the Hon. Sydney Fisher, Minister of Agriculture, one 

 of our vice-presidents. 



The Forestry Association in Canada has been actively 

 engaged in educating the people to a better appreciation 

 of the value of conservation. There exists in Canada at 

 the present time vast areas of forest wealth. Each 

 province has its own forestry regulations, and much valu- 

 able material has been collected and distributed by the 

 association. It is safe to predict that the paper-making 

 industry will in the near future be controlled in Canada. 

 The destruction by fire is one of the most serious features 

 of our national loss. Through the efforts of the associa- 

 tion, however, greater intelligence is being displayed in 

 fire patrol. The people are beginning to realise the need 

 for stricter regulations in the forest regions. 



In the matter of parks and playgrounds in the rapidly 

 increasing City of Montreal, one of the members of the 

 committf'e. Dr. J. G. .Adnmi, F.R.S., has been among the 

 chief workers in securing a Parks Commission, which is 

 to have power to acquire land for parks in and around the 

 city, ns well as to investigate the housing of the poor. 

 Dr. Adnmi has been active, also, in the work for the pre- 



NO. 2167, VOL. 86] 



vention of tuberculosis, and much good has already resulted 

 from his labours. 



The secretary has been devoting much study to the ice 

 conditions of the St. Lawrence River as it affects naviga- 

 tion. A report now being printed by the Department of 

 Marine and Fisheries sets forth the result of the study 

 last year. The Minister of Marine, the Hon. L. P. 

 Brodeur, one of the vice-presidents of the committee, has 

 shown the greatest interest in this work, and has given 

 the secretary every facility for study. Investigations have 

 been carried to the lower St. Lawrence and Gulf in order 

 to determine a matter of vital imf>ortance to the St. 

 Lawrence route to be able to determine the influence of 

 icebergs on the temperature of the water. It is a matter 

 of vital importance to our St. Lawrence route to be able 

 to determine the effect of icebergs, and, if possible, devise 

 some means for ships to locate them when navigating in 

 foggy weather. Already an instrument has been devised 

 which is capable of detecting the temperature effect of an 

 iceberg for distances varying from two to seven miles. 

 This year the Minister has so far recognised the import- 

 ance of the work by detailing a special ship for the 

 temperature tests. 



It is hoped that the Canadian committee may be of 

 active help to the British Science Guild by advising it on 

 Canadian questions. Already the Canadian committee has 

 received assistance from the secretary in London on the 

 question of the work of the National Standards Labora- 

 tories, for which it desires to express its thanks. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — Mr. G. E. Moore has been appointed uni- 

 versity lecturer in moral science for five years from 

 October i, igii, until September 30, 19 16. 



Mr. Keith Lucas has been approved by the general 

 board of studies for the degree of Doctor in Science. 



On Thursday, May 11, the following Grace will be 

 offered to the Senate : — That the bequest to the University 

 by the late William Chawner, Master of Emmanuel 

 College, be gratefully accepted, and that the Vice- 

 Chancellor be requested to communicate this Grace to Mr. 

 Chawner 's executors. 



Oxford. — Further instalments of the scheme of uni- 

 versity reform are promised for the present term. On 

 May 16 the preamble of a statute e.xempting honour 

 students in mathematics or natural science from the re- 

 quirement of Greek in Responsions will be submitted to 

 Congregation, and on May 23 the first stage will be 

 taken of a statute constituting a new board of finance, the 

 main duties of which will be to review annually the pub- 

 lished accounts of the University and colleges, to report 

 thereon to the Hebdomadal Council, and to advise the 

 council generally on matters of financial administration. 

 It is not proposed to abolish the existing board of curators 

 of the University chest, but to continue it, with somewhat 

 limited powers, side by side with the new board of finance. 



A member of Congregation has circulated a protest 

 against the proposed exemption of science and mathe- 

 matical students from compulsory Greek. His main points 

 against the measure are that it will tend to diminish the 

 opportunities given in the smaller grammar schools and 

 new " secondary " schools for the teaching of Greek to 

 boys of pronounced literary gifts, and that it will lead 

 to an undue diversion of endowments in the University 

 and colleges from the literary and historical and philo- 

 sophical humanities, which he thinks are in some danger 

 of being neglected in other universities and in the country 

 at large, whereas science is in no such danger. 



Statutes reconstituting the boards of electors to four- 

 teen mathematical and science professorships in the Uni- 

 versity passed Congregation on May without opposition. 



Birmingham.— The University is the recipient of a 

 munificent bequest under the will of Mr. John Spencer, of 

 Handsworth, chairman of Messrs. John Spencer, Ltd., 

 tube manufacturers, of Wednesbury. The bequest includes 

 " 5000/. to the University of Birmingham, to be applied 

 in the advancement of science and in promoting the work- 



