516 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—G. 
many cases the possibility of a large margin of profit can be shown. In 
many the margin of profit is not sufficiently enticing to stir the people to 
action. The paper deals with some of the projects which promise a fair 
return and would keep employed hundreds of thousands of workmen and 
workwomen. 
It also deals with methods of finance similar to those proposed in America ; 
for enabling the people to purchase the things that they have made or for 
contributing to the cost of the future wealth-producing projects. 
Mr. M. Du-Piat-TayLor.—Sea defences and reclamation of land from 
the sea (11.30). 
The loss by coastal erosion and the gain of land by accretion around the 
coasts of Great Britain about balance, but the land lost is generally good 
agricultural land, and even parts of towns or villages, and the gain is orly 
sand or shingle. 
The loss can be prevented by coast defence works, such as sea embank- 
ments or sea walls, the drainage of clay cliffs, and groyning. Although 
reclamation of land from the sea for industrial purposes may be an economic 
process it is not so for agricultural purposes unless it is carried out in 
combination with dredging or the disposal of waste materials. 
Material deposited on reclamation areas may be material dredged from 
adjoining navigation channels, which can be pumped ashore by suitable 
plant. This is often cheaper than sending it out to sea to be dumped in 
deep water. 
House refuse may also be used for raising the level of such low-lying 
lands if economical means can be found for so depositing it. In London 
alone, the quantity of house refuse to be disposed of annually is 1} million 
tons, and in addition, 3 million tons of sludge from sewage disposal is sent 
out to be dumped at sea. The Author suggests that means of disposing 
of all this upon marsh or mud land should be investigated. 
As regards coast defence works, various forms of protection will be dis- 
cussed and approximate costs given; and finally, various schemes for 
enclosure and reclamation which have already been put forward will be 
examined from the point of view of probable ultimate profit and the relief 
of unemployment. 
Mr. WALTON Mauenan, M.1.Struct.E.— Some canal projects (12.0). 
AFTERNOON. 
Visit to works of British United Shoe Machinery Co. Ltd. 
Wednesday, September 13. 
Mr. A. M. McKay and Mr. R. N. Arnotp.—The effect of time and 
temperature on the embrittling of steels (10.0). 
The effect of stress, of temperature of heating, and of time of heating 
on the embrittlement of steels are considered ; brief mention is made of 
results obtained from tensile and hardness tests. Results of tests showing 
the embrittlement with time of mild steel after quenching from moderate 
temperatures are also given; an attempt is made to correlate results and 
to suggest a possible explanation of embrittling phenomena. 
