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NA rURE 



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ARCH 23, 1922 



diate works problems, but involves a thorough study 

 of the fundamental properties of the principal non- 

 ferrous metals and alloys. In the adoption of such a 

 far-sighted policy it is certain that the Association 

 has taken a wise step, since the more important ad- 

 vances in industrial progress are usually the result of 

 research on fundamental problems rather than on the 

 overcoming of minor difficulties. 



An explanatory statement on the Navy Estimates 

 has been issued by the First Lord of the Admiralty 

 as a White Paper (Cmd. 1603). In a detailed 

 account of the reductions in the various votes which 

 go to make up the estimates. Lord Lee announces 

 that the expenditure on education and scientific 

 services in the Navy is to be reduced by 122,000/. 

 The Admiralty is of opinion that a more drastic 

 reduction would be undesirable at a time when it is 

 hoped that the Navy will make up in quality of 

 personnel and superiority of technique for the lead 

 that has been surrendered in respect of maUriel. 

 The importance, and the previous inadequacy, of 

 scientific research was clearly demonstrated during 

 the War, and the Admiralty is convinced that the 

 measures which it has taken are not more than 

 sufficient to maintain research and experiment on 

 a sound though economical basis. 



The Summer-Time Bill was read for a second time 

 in the House of Lords on March 9. The measure 

 provides that summer-time shall begin on the night 

 of the last Saturday in March (unless the next day 

 be Easter Sunday), and come to an end on the first 

 Saturday in October. This year, therefore, summer- 

 time will come into force at 2 o'clock G.M.T. on the 

 morning of Sunday, March 26, and will continue until 

 2 o'clock G.M.T. on the morning of October 8. The 

 French Chamber of Deputies on March 9 voted against 

 the adoption of summer-time, but afterwards accepted 

 an amendment to introduce it this year on account 

 of arrangements already made with Great Britain and 

 Belgium. The Senate agreed on March 14 to adopt 

 this course, but prefects are to have local option of 

 following the old time. 



Prof. M. Planck has been elected a foreign member 

 of the Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm. 



Sir Ernest Rutherford, Cavendish professor of 

 experimental physics in the University of Cambridge, 

 has accepted the nomination of the council of the 

 British Association to be president for the annual 

 meeting to be held at Liverpool next year. 



On Tuesday next, March 28, at three o'clock, Dr. 

 J. W. Evans will begin a course of two lectures at 

 the Royal Institution on " Earth Movements." 

 The Friday evening discourse on April 7 will be 

 delivered by Sir Ernest Rutherford on " The Evolu- 

 tion of the Elements." 



We record with deep regret the death on March 19, 

 at sixty-one years of age, of Dr. G. B. Mathews, 

 formerly professor of .mathematics, University College 

 of North Wales, and for many years a much esteemed 

 contributor of reviews and articles on mathematical 

 subjects to our columns. 



NO. 2734, VOL. 109] 



Dr. O. Staff, who has been keeper of the Her- 

 barium and Library at the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Kew, since 1908, retired on February 28, having 

 reached the age limit. He is succeeded as keeper 

 by Mr. A. D. Cotton, formerly a member of the 

 Herbarium staff and lately mycologist to the Ministry 

 of Agriculture and Fisheries. 



The following were elected fellows of the Royal 

 Society of Edinburgh at the Ordinary Meeting on 

 March 6 : — Mr. C. L. Abemethy, Prof. G. Barger, 

 Sir Dugald Clerk, Dr. F. A. E. Crew, Dr. W. O. 

 Greenwood, Mr. W. A. Guthrie, Prof. R. K. Hannay, 

 Prof. E. Hindle, Dr. C. F. Juritz, Prof. J. C. Meakins, 

 Mr. M. Macgregor, Dr. Bijali Behari Sarkar, Prof. 

 H. W. TumbuU, Dr. J. Walker, Mr. J. Wilson, Mr. 

 J. M. Wordie. 



The Anglo-Swedish Society has awarded its 

 travelling scholarships for this year to Miss Joan 

 Evans, librarian at St. Hugh's College, Oxford, to 

 enable her to study the collections of early gold v/ork 

 in the Swedish museums ; and to Mr. W. N. Edwards, 

 of the Geological Department of the British Museum, 

 to enable him to study the fossil plants in the museum? 

 of Stockholm, Upsala, and jLund. 



A Committee has been appointed by the Minister 

 of Health to advise on the preliminary steps to be 

 taken in regard to the site and planning of the School 

 of Hygiene, in London, towards the building and 

 equipment of which the Rockefeller Foundation 

 recently proinised a gift of two milUon dollars. The 

 members of the Committee are : — Sir Arthur Robin- 

 son (chairman). Sir Frank Baines, Dr.H. H. Dale, Sir 

 Walter Fletcher, Sir William Leishman, Sir George 

 Newman, Sir Cooper Perry, Sir Herbert J. Read, and 

 Dr. H. Meredith Richards (secretary). 



At the annual general meeting of the Ray Society 

 on March 9 the following officers were re-elected : — 

 President, Prof. W. C. Mcintosh ; Treasurer, Sir 

 Sidney F. Harmer ; Secretary, Dr. W. T.^ Caiman. 

 Dr. B. Daydon Jackson was elected a vice-president, 

 and Mr. E. T. Browne, Prof. E. B. Poulton, and Dr, 

 A. Smith Woodward were elected new members of 

 council. In the report of the council regret was 

 expressed that it had not yet been possible to issue 

 the first part of the fourth volume of Prof. Mcintosh's 

 " British Marine Annelids," due to subscribers for 

 1920, owing to delay in the execution of the coloured 

 plates. It is hoped to publish it in the near future, 

 and the second part of the volume, which will com- 

 plete the work, will be taken in hand at once and will 

 form the issue to subscribers for 1921. 



At the meeting of the Royal Geographical Society 

 on March 20, the president announced that H.M. 

 the King has approved the award of the Royal 

 Medals as follows : — The Founder's Medal to Lieut. - 

 Colonel C. K. Howard-Bury j for his distinguished 

 services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition 

 of 192 1 ; The Patron's Medal to Mr. Ernest de K. 

 Leffingwell for his Surveys and investigations on the 

 coast of northern Alaska. The Council has awarded 

 The Victoria Medal to Mr. J. F. Baddeley for his 

 great work on the Historical Geography of Central 

 Asia : The Murchison Grant to Mr. Charles Camsell 



