October 27, 1923] 



NA TURE 



635 



Second Triennial Pan-Pacific Science Congress. 



Melbourxi; and Sydney, 1923. 



nPHE Science Congress in Australia in Aii<_:ust has 

 -^ been, on the whole, highly successtul. Be- 

 tween eighty and ninety visitors from overseas joined 

 with a large number of local members in carrying 

 through a fairlv extensue proyraniinc <>'' work. It 

 is scarcely to be expected tluit i:ou,urt--»t_-> of the kind 

 will receive many, or any, highly important original 

 contributions to science ; their value and their 

 opportunity lie rather in bringing together the workers 

 in widely separated countries, enabling them freely 

 to discuss common problems and ideas, but above 

 all to plan broad svstematic investigations on the 

 most efficient co-operati\e bases possible. The 

 principal achievements of tliis Congress have cer- 

 tainly been in the last-mentioned direction. In 

 nearly everv one of the sciences with which it dealt 

 (including agriculture, anthropology^ botany, entom- 

 ology, forestry, geodesy and geophysics, geography 

 and oceanograpliy, geolog}', hygiene, veterinary 

 science and zoology), there is abundant room for 

 international effort and team work in so vast an 

 area as that within and bordering upon the Tacific 

 Ocean. The recognition of this has been the driving 

 force behind the whole Congress. Many practical 

 proposals have been brought forward, the carrying 

 out of which will do much for the progress of scientific 

 inquiry in this region. 



The general oruauisation, in the hands of the 

 Australian National Research Council, has been much 

 on the lines of a British Association meeting. The 

 scope and value of the whole nunenient will no 

 doubt rapifllv increase. It is already understood 

 that the \i)iu i^aiheriiiL; \^ill '"^ in la|)an (Tokyo and 

 K\olo), and lliat the Jaoaiiese ( io\('rnnient nio^t 

 .yeiU'roush' pro])o--e> to make a\ailalt!e a --nni e(|i 



lent to j-i,ooo/. li 

 ■| he S\-ihie\' - 

 time ol' wi^itiii'.;, 

 imileal 1' 111 ol tlie 

 ui Ah ]h'>;.rn. oi; 



■xpen-H-. 

 not \v\ eonehuied at the 

 i-> })ossil>le to L;i\'e some 



ork of tlie lir-t M-sion, held 



Con. .n^! 



ialinol.^ •, -.'.hi' 1! M : !; eh : 



a jira.et n .• tor t lie iniini- h, 



of the na*u\e ra- ■ ' 'lie. ^o ! 



P>ritish ])oxsessi(i .ed, some 



proposals lia\-e Imci! or.ivsn \\\\ in the ( ■ m -nei ,: noii 



of wliich I >r. Iladdon. Sir liaidwin Sjx'iu er, Ah" 



\V. I. rerr\ . and, by letter. Sir Jai'- ' • "•■' 



C.. h:iiioi Smith, Prof. C. G. Selie' 

 Mahiiowski, h;i\-e takcti pnrt. Th. 

 l.ceii re< fixed la\ .Hii.ih!'. li\- thi- ( omn 



\l,i-!-lfr i,,r 1 i.,:, : ,i; •: C ' ! •• li' -, ThfV , 



lie e:^lal ili-^ n 



I unU""!"-.!' !'■ 



260,000,000/. in 192 1 showed, even after allowing 

 for higher prices and a slightly increased population, 

 how much was being done by agricultural research 

 and education. The chief decision of the section 

 was an iiisisteine upon the paramount importance of 

 soil sur\e\s. showing characters of both soil and 

 subsoil, and, when practicable, the native flora 

 growing on each type of soil. A resolution to this 

 eifect \\ ill be presented to the Government of every 

 country 111 the Pacific region. 



liotany, Forestry, Kntomology, and Zoology 

 Sections conducted many oi their meetings in common. 

 Dr. van Leeuwin (Dutch East Indies) gave an account 

 of the progressive changes which have taken place 

 in the vegetation of Krakatoa since the devastation 

 of 1883. The first (wind -borne) arrivals were spore- 

 producing plants. With time the number of new 

 cryptogams decreasivl. Seeds of flowering plants 

 came, carried either by wind or birds. Casuarinas 

 arrived early and formed forests. These are now 

 being suppressed by later arrivals, which are tropical 

 rain forest plants ; the vegetation being at the present 

 time somewhat similar to that existing prior to the 

 volcanic outbreak and exceedingly dense. The study 

 of this vegetation has been a remarkable example of 

 international co-operation, Dutch, Hritish, French, 

 American, Swiss, and German scientific workers all 

 sharing in it. 



The much closer connexion in i!oi 1 1 

 Australia and the Philippines than ' 

 former and the nearer islands to the •; 

 due, according to Dr. 1".. I). Merrill M.mn 1 

 former land connexion throuuli .New (hiiiiea 

 I^mkI connexion he termed Fasteiai M 



inini; thai it w.is separated from \\\ 

 an .irea in " nnstablc eqiuhbrinm, 



't ween 



^la. 



X., , ■: fS' ime. 



extent previiiu 



The forest : \ 

 l*'\er\- 



supreni 

 whieii 

 men ' , 



I m^ 



e and on the wa- 

 nil stable area 



■meiits of pLini> 



and ihi' 



:till lalvii 

 Consjres- 



This 



main- 



■rn Mila\'sia 



houudeil on 



\ a modified 



to a large 



St and west. 



a I interest. 



; s out tlie 



'f forests 



ettle- 



ption 



enlomolo:;ist> <\ 

 pir-fuled In" ill'-h^^eiion- 

 part ii iihirK' the \arious s 

 and the ti;-'' •■'■ '■•■•••■■■' 

 nortii. Til 



full)- cmph,^ 



munications to ( ;o\ . 

 A discussion on 1 h- 

 imtial<'i| li\ I'lols, !•: | ; 



\\ with ]M-ohlein3 

 ' >rled insect pests, 

 ■nnites in Australia 



• ■ '\ the i-^huids to the 

 inL; Anstraha were \ ery 

 ■ 'I'" -nlije(;l of eoin- 



■ ', ,11 r>I I miiials 

 ■ >ss,ir 



; :ie). 



interna! ^ laa l niipi a : 

 tion mueh ol 1 lie iim 



'i^ress 



;ress. 



fin- 



^ the 



p,,rt 

 ■-ards 



developmeni 



an increase a 



a n o 1 1 w e a i ! 



.NO. 281 7, VOL. I 1 Jj 



w nil 

 I I 



Anar, 



li.l h 



, it 



h to 



ir l.v 



wath the 



