April 6, 191 6] 



NATURE 



131 



he successive intervals of two days the second 

 nces are: +7, 4, 7, 4, 6, and 3 seconds, 

 i '. clination, —3 12-3, add for April 8, —411'. 

 : ssive second differences: +1-2', 12', 1-4', 1-3', 

 and 1-5'. 



comet will pass near the 'bright" nebula, 



(i.e. 2974, on April 7, and N.G.C. 3115 on 



■i 20. At the Hill Observatory on April 3 the 



was seen near the calculated position. 



the lo-in. refractor, it showed a faint, diffuse, 



.what oval, coma, with a condensation north — 



..r.ding. 



"M>L.\R Variation. — The annual report of the Smith- 



inian Astrophysical Observatory for the year 1915 



Dntains some interesting statements regarding the 



iriation of solar radiation. The Smithsonian 



leasures of the solar constant have brought to light 



long-period variation synchronising with sun-spot 



• "tv, and also rapid irregular fluctuations. Both 



of variability are correlated with a variation of 



ontrast between the centre and limb of the sun's 



but in opposite directions. In the first' type of 



.....tion high solar constant values and increased 



imtrast are associated with increased spot activity; 



' the second case the higher solar constant values 



5sociated with diminished contrast. Correspond- 



. two distinct causes are suggested : the long- 



|:riod variation may result from changes oT the sun's 



jfective temperature, whilst changes in the trans- 



xrency of the outer solar envelopes may account for 



le rapid fluctuations. 



The Translational Motion of Binary Stars. — M. 



. Luplau-Janssen has investigated the distribution of 



rojier-motion vectors, freed from the effect of the 



movement, of a number of double stars, with 



ference to their orbital planes {Astronomische Nach- 



^hten. No. 4828). After rejecting five pairs of small 



' lation (i<3o°), data for twenty-nine well-estab- 



i orbits remain. The proper motions were taken 



Boss, and reduced uniformly to their equivalents 



distance of i parsec. At this distance the adopted 



motion is represented by an angular displacement 



: i" per year. The resultant proper motions and 



'de-lines lie in a common plane. It is found that 



icluded angle shows no tendency to take a value 



90°, as it would if the proper motion showed 



general parallelism to the normals to the orbits. 



er, on resolving the proper motions along rect- 



iar axes, one coincident with the line of nodes, 



-ums of the components are found to be equal; 



there is no tendency apparent for the proper 



ns to be parallel to the plane of the orbits. A 



e distribution is indicated. 



• investigation depends on the assumption that 



eal parallaxes are on the average equal to twice 



ypothetical minima ; measured parallaxes have 



■en used. M. Luplau-Janssen is convinced of the 



mtial accuracy of the fundamental assumption by 



esult obtained in a determination of the solar 



n from the proper motions of 180 double stars by 



nethod of Bravais. The deduced solar velocity is 



1 as 171 km. /sec. This value is in good accord 



that generally acceoted, and also with the value 



km. /sec.) obtained by Weersma by the same 



'1 but from quite different data. 



LATION AND INDUSTRY IN FRANCE. 



extremely interesting account of the rise and 

 growth of industrial education in France appears 

 y Revue Generate des Sciences. March !■{, contri- 

 ' by Prof. M. E. Bertrand, of the Ecole d'Arts-et- 



rs d 'Angers. Whilst full of confidence in a 



NO. 2423, VOL. 97I 



military triumph, he is deeply concerned with the 

 position of French industry-, especially from the point 

 of view of the adequate scientific and technical training 

 of all who are engaged in it, whether apprentices and 

 workmen or foremen and directors, and urges that it 

 is the imperative duty of the nation to ensure also a 

 victory in the economic sphere. Much space is given 

 to the measures taken from the earliest times for the 

 satisfactory training of those engaged in industr}-, and 

 the rise and progress of the craft guilds down to their 

 decay on the birth of the factory system is interestingly 

 portrayed. The advent of the Third Republic resulted 

 in active measures for the establishment and support 

 of different types of schools designed to secure the 

 effective training of those destined for industry and 

 commerce, and many excellent mono-technic schools 

 were established, the fine work of which made a 

 magnificent display at the Centennial Exhibition of 

 1900. Yet with all the variety of effort made for the 

 due training of French youth, it would appear that 

 out of 600,000 young people employed in industry and 

 commerce from thirteen to eighteen years of age, onlv 

 30,000 frequent technical schools ; whilst 65,000 beyond 

 that age give a more or less assiduous attendance at 

 evening adult courses, as compared with 500,000 under 

 the same conditions in Germany ; and where France 

 spends seven million francs on this form of technical 

 education, Germany spends thirty millions from Im- 

 perial sources alone. The grave moral danger attend- 

 ing this neglect of training is emphasised by the fact 

 that there are 1,600,000 unemployed young people in 

 France wandering about the public places exposed to 

 serious temptations. Even though Germany is en- 

 gaged in a devastating w^ar, she is still thinking of 

 the future, and is even now taking energetic measures 

 to conserve her industries so as to secure and advance 

 her economic interests on its conclusion. The article 

 calls upon France to be up and doing, since delay is 

 dangerous, and the economic industrial position of the 

 natidn is put in grave peril. A hig^hly appreciative 

 account is given of the educational provision made 

 throughout Germany for the due training of all ranks 

 ensragetl in productive industry, and much emphasis 

 is laid upon the great value of the continuation schools, 

 "'hich ensure compulsorily the attendance, within the 

 usual hours of employment, until eighteen vears of 

 age of all those who have left the day schools. The 

 article contains much of the highest interest to Eng- 

 lish readers in the present crisis, since the conditions 

 and the aims to be accomplished are much the same 

 in the two allied nations. 



THE CORROSION OF CONDENSER TUBES. 

 'y HE annual meeting of the Institute of Metals was 

 -»• held on March 29, when the society took leave 

 of its retiring president. Sir Henry Oram, and listened 

 to the address of his successor. Dr. G. T. Beilby. 

 The latter reviewed briefly the unsatisfactory position 

 of certain non-ferrous metal industries in this country, 

 and then indulged in some interesting speculations as 

 to the possibility of preparing lighter alloys, especially 

 for aircraft, than have hitherto been produced. This 

 address has not as yet been printed. When it has 

 been published it will be found to repav very careful 

 stud}'. 



The Advisory Council to the Committee of the Privy 

 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has 

 made a substantial grant to the institute for the pur- 

 pose of aiding its Corrosion Committee in their inves- 

 tigation of the corrosion of condenser tubes. The 

 publication of the third report to this committee by 

 three investigators, Messrs. Gibbs, Smith, and Ben- 



