May 29, 19 1 3] 



NATURE 



study of ice structure and glaciation." Lieut. Camp- 

 bell '> party, in spite of extraordinary hardships, which 

 included wintering away from its base, for which it 

 was not prepared, was very successful in meteoro- 

 logical, magnetic, geological, and surveying work, 

 while the penguins were the object of further study. 

 Commander Evans had time to commend the work of 

 Mr. Griffith-Taylor on the coast of Victoria Land (in 

 geology and surveying), as well as that carried out on 

 the ship, not only in the open ocean, but on the less- 

 known coasts of New Zealand, no more fully than to 

 intimate that each of these departments of the whole 

 great undertaking is worthy of a lecture to itself, 

 which it is to be hoped may be devoted to it. 



Finally, reference is due to the results of the deter- 

 mination of the position of the south pole itself, as 

 obtained by Amundsen and by Scott. The latter fixed 

 the exact spot by means of a 4-in. theodolite, "at a 

 point which only differed from Amundsen's reckoning 

 bv half a mile," that is to say, "by one scale division 

 on the theodolite, which was graduated to half a 

 minute of arc. Experts in navigation and surveying 

 will ahvavs look on this splendidly accurate deter- 

 mination as a fine piece of work, by our own people 

 as well as bv the Norwegian explorers." 



At the annual meeting of the society on Monday 

 last, in the Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Lady Scott 

 was presented by Earl Curzon with the patron's 

 medal and the special Antarctic medal awarded to her 

 husband in 1904, inclosed in an inscribed silver casket. 

 Mrs. Wilson also received a patron's medal awarded 

 to Dr. E. A. Wilson. To Lieut. Campbell was pre- 

 sented a gold watch as a special award. 



THE BRITISH SCIENCE GUILD. 



THE seventh annual meeting of the British Science 

 Guild was held at the Mansion House on May 

 21, the Lord Mayor in the chair. In his opening 

 remarks, the Lord Mayor made sympathetic reference 

 to the aims and work of the guild, which, he said, 

 seeks to further the application of scientific methods 

 to all human endeavour and advocates the adoption of 

 measures for the conservation of natural resources ; 

 in other words, its desire is to foster national 

 efficiency. The Right Hon. Sir William Mather 

 was elected president of the guild in suc- 

 cession to Lord Haldane, who has been presi- 

 dent since its foundation. The new vice-presi- 

 dents elected were Lord Sydenham, the Right Hon. 

 the Lord Mayor of London, the Right Hon. Sir John 

 Brunner, Bart., Sir Patrick Manson, and Sir Philip 

 Watts ; and other new members added to the 

 executive committee are Mr. Charles Bathurst, M.P., 

 Mr. R. Kaye Gray, Sir Philip Magnus, M.P., and 

 Mr. Robert Mond.' 



The annual report, which was adopted at the meet- 

 ing, surveys the activities of the guild in many direc- 

 tions. Reference is made in it to the new Post Office 

 service for the synchronising of clocks — a subject 

 which the guild has done much to promote. Other 

 matters referred to are the final report of the Royal 

 Commission on Tuberculosis, the new horticultural 

 branch of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, the 

 conversion of the Sleeping Sickness Bureau into the 

 Tropical Diseases Bureau, the Society for the Pro- 

 motion of Nature Reserves, and the Royal Commis- 

 sions and Departmental Committees appointed during 

 the year to deal with subjects with which science has 

 some relationship. All these Commissions and Com- 

 mittees have been announced already in Nature, but 

 the report of the guild brings them together in a 

 convenient form as a record of official action. 



The various committees of the guild continue to do 

 NO. 2274, VOL. 91] 



valuable work. The medical and agricultural com- 

 mittees have drawn up a report on the Government V 

 Milk and Dairies Bill. While recognising that the 

 Bill is a very decided advance in the direction of 

 obtaining pure milk, the committees feel that in 

 certain respects stronger and more drastic action 

 should be taken. A note upon the report of the com- 

 mittees appeared in Nature of May 1 (p. 222). 



A report on tide and wave energy, and on the pos- 

 sibility of utilising this form of energy for power 

 purposes, is being drawn up by the. committee on the 

 conservation of natural sources of energy ; also a 

 report on the utilisation of peat, which occurs in such 

 enormous quantities in some districts in the British 

 Isles and British possessions. 



Owing to the declaration of the Government of the 

 intention to bring in a comprehensive scheme to 

 reorganise the educational system of the country, a 

 joint committee of the education committee and the 

 technical education committee, with Sir William 

 Mather as chairman, was appointed to consider the 

 subject. A valuable report has been drafted, 

 which urges that a scientific system of national 

 education demands : — 



(1) The. duty of local authorities to make such pro- 

 visions as will promote healthy growth during in- 

 fancy and throughout school life. 



(2) The absolute necessity of manual work and 

 related practical exercises throughout the whole 

 course of school instruction, and also in the training 

 of teachers. 



(s) Efficient public elementary schools within the 

 reach of all children, and attendance at school com- 

 pulsory until the age of fourteen years is reached. 



(4) Attendance at continuation schools for at least 

 six hours per week obligatory up to seventeen years 

 of age for all young persons not otherwise receiving- 

 suitable education. 



(5) Suitable secondary schools available for all who 

 can profit by them and will undertake to complete 

 the full course of instruction. 



(6) The institution of school certificates to serve as 

 passports to higher schools or universities, or as 

 testamurs of satisfactory completion of a school 

 course. 



(7) Examinations to occupy a secondary place in 

 comparison with school records for the award of 

 certificates, or to qualify for promotion to higher 

 courses of study. 



(8) Coordination of technical institutions and facul- 

 ties of technology in universities in order to prevent 

 overlapping and render specialised types of techno- 

 logical training available to students who have the 

 caoacity to profit by them. 



(q) Increased grants to universities and other places 

 of higher education for the purposes of ensuring the 

 reduction of fees for all courses and promoting post- 

 graduate research. 



(10) The position and condition of service of 

 teachers of every grade to be greatly improved in 

 order to encourage men and women of the highest 

 aptitude and qualifications to devote their lives to the 

 work of teaching and the advancement of know- 

 ledge. 



(11) Readjustment of the shares of the cost of 

 education borne by the National Exchequer and by 

 local authorities, so that educational progress may 

 be made primarily a national responsibility. 



The synchronisation of clocks committee refers to 

 the Government action in connection with the sub- 

 ject, already mentioned. Since the guild took the 

 matter up the Post Office has always viewed the 

 matter sympathetically, and this new departure will, 

 if it be taken up by those exposing public clocks, be 



