October 6, 192 1] 



NATURE 



»95 



Everdingen, that a conference of directors of meteoro- 

 logical institutes and observatories should be held at 

 Utrecht in 1923, either in the spring or autumn as 

 may be found the more convenient. 



The meetings of the committee were held in the 

 library of the Meteorological Office, South Kensing- 

 ton, and those of the commissions in the council-room 

 of the Air Ministry in Kingsway. 



Dr. and Mrs. Simpson received the visitors at the 

 Meteorological Office, South Kensington, on the 

 evening of Wednesday, September 7. The Govern- 

 ment entertained them on September 9 at a luncheon, 

 at which Sir Frederick Sykes, Controller-General of 

 Civil Aviation, welcomed them. Capt. C. J. P. Cave, 

 of Stoner Hill, Petersfield, gave a luncheon in their 

 honour on September 15, and the evenmg of Sep- 

 tember 16 was devoted to a dinner given by the 

 president. 



The International Illumination Commission. 



'pHE first technical session of the International 

 lUummation Commission was held in Paris on 

 July 4-8, many delegates from the chief countries of 

 Europe and the United States being present. The pro- 

 ceedings were opened bv the Minister of Public Works 

 m the name of the French Republic. 

 .u^'''r^-, ^- ^y^^ (U.S.A.) was elected president for 

 the forthcoming period, M. Th. Vautier being 

 nominated an honorary president in recognition of 

 his past work on behalf of the Commission ; and Mr. 

 C. C. Paterson was elected hon. secretary. After the 

 conclusion of formal business international technical 

 committees were nominated to deal with the subjects 

 of nomenclature and symbols, heterochromatic photo- 

 metrv, factory and school lighting, and automobile 

 headlights. The unit of candle-power at present in 

 use in this country, in France, and in the United 

 Mates was adopted for international purposes, and is 

 to be known as the " international candle " It is 

 maintained by means of electric incandescent lamps 

 at the national laboratories of the three countries 

 named. Definitions of various photometric quantities 

 such as luminous flux, illumination, and luminous 

 intensity, were also adopted. 



Reports dealing with nomenclature and svmbols 

 were presented bv a sub-committee of the British 

 ^atlonaI Illummation Committee, bv the Illuminating 

 Engineering Society in the United States, and bv Prof 

 A. Blondel, some differences in procedure being evil 

 dent. _ These matters will doubtless be dealt with bv 

 tne international technical committee referred to 

 above. A paper bv Mr. E. C. Crittenden referred to 

 the grou-ing recognition of the desirabilitv of a primary 

 standard based on the luminous radiation from^ a sur- 

 lace under specified conditions, in preference to the 

 construction of certain tvpes of lamps. Recent re- 

 searches on the light Yielded bv a black body at a 

 prescribed temperature have led to promising results • 

 ior_ example, it appears that such a body at 2077° k' 

 emits 70-2 candles per sq. cm. Confirmatory re- 

 searches are, however, needed. Papers by Mr. L 



M.'. t •• ^I-- ^- ^- ^^^'■^'' ^"d ^th^'-s dealt With indusl 

 mai hghting, special reference being made to the 

 question of legislation, as exemplified in the codes of 

 some American States. While there was a recogni- 

 tion that the time is ripe for statutory provisions 

 requiring adequate and suitable lighting' in general 

 terms, it was felt that it would be premature to at- 

 tempt to frame a detailed series of requirements as 

 a basis for legal procedure. Ultimately, however, an 

 international code " of factorv lighting mav be 

 realised. Other papers dealt with motor-headlight 

 regulations, which, like the preceding subject, was 

 NO. 2710, VOL. 108] 



referred to a committee ; and there were a number of 

 contributions summarising recent progress in hetero- 

 chromatic and physical photometry. Of special in- 

 terest was a paper by Dr. E. P. Hyde, giving results 

 for the mechanical equivalent of light, the most 

 recent determination being in the neighbourhood of 

 000150 watts per lumen. 



It was provisionally arranged that the next meeting 

 should take place in the United States in 1924. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Birmingham. — On the recommendation of the 

 Senate, a University Research Committee has been 

 appointed. This committee consists of fifteen mem- 

 bers, viz. the Vice-Chancellor, the Principal, and 

 five other members elected by the Council of the Uni- 

 versity, together with eight members of the Senate, 

 elected on the nomination of the faculties as follows : 

 three from the Faculty of Science, two each from the 

 Faculties of Arts and Medicine, and one from the 

 Faculty of Commerce. These members are appointed 

 in the first place for two years, and are eligible for re- 

 appointment at the end of that period. The object of 

 the committee is "to facilitate by all means in its 

 power the prosecution and publication of original re- 

 search in all branches of knowledge." The members 

 appointed by the Council are Sir Richard Threlfall, 

 Messrs. T. ' S. Walker, W. W^aters Butler, Hugh 

 Morton, and William Tangye ; and the Faculty of 

 Science is represented by Profs. F. W. Burstall, F. W. 

 Gamble, and S. W. J. Smith. The Registrar is to act 

 as secretary. 



The Durham Coal Owners' Association has an- 

 nounced that the Northumberland Coal Owners' Asso- 

 ciation is prepared to recommend its members to join 

 with those of the former association in contributing 

 a total sum of 500Z. per annum for a period not ex- 

 ceeding three years to the Mining Research Labora- 

 tory of the University of Birmingham, unless the fund 

 constituted under the Mining Industry Act should be 

 drawn upon for this purpose. 



Mr. L. Eastham has been appointed lecturer in 

 zoology, and Miss Laura M. Ligertwood lecturer in 

 physiology (to succeed Dr. Frost). 



Cambridge. — Messrs. A. B. Appleton, Downing 

 College, D. G. Reid, Trinity College, A. Hopkinson, 

 Emmanuel College, and V. C. Pennell, Pembroke 

 College, have been reappointed demonstrators in 

 anatomy. Mr. E. W. Hulme has been elected to the 

 Sandars readership in bibliography and palaeography 

 for the year 192 i. 



The address of the retiring Vice-Chancellor, Dr. 

 P. Giles, master of Emmanuel College, refers to many 

 interesting points. On extensions and new buildings 

 more than 130,000!. was spent in the last year. The 

 greater portion of the money was for chemistry, bio- 

 chemistry, parasitology and the low temperature 

 station, and was provided from special endowments. 

 But more money is still required to meet the ex- 

 penses incurred in the new engineering school. It 

 may be of interest to other institutions to note that 

 the University has now to provide more than io,oooZ. 

 in local rates for the present year. Fear was ex- 

 pressed by the Vice-Chancellor that increased cost of 

 maintenance might compel the University to make a 

 small charge for admission to the Fitzwilliam Museum 

 and the Botanic Garden. Reference was made to 

 the increase in the number of research students, and 

 to a beginning made in the exchange of teachers be- 

 tween universities. The new Vice-Chancellor is Dr. 

 E. C. Pearce, master of Corpus Christi College. 



The vote on the admission of women to the Univer- 

 sity will take place on October 20. This is presi'm- 



