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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. L. No. 1288 



mittee of the American Section of the proposed. 

 International Astronomical Union to make joint 

 recommendations with this Committee in regard to 

 tlie future organisation of researches on the varia- 

 tion of latitude, Messrs. William Bowie, chairman, 

 r. E. Moulton and C. P. Marvin. 



The executive board also determined that 

 the organization meeting of the American 

 section of the proposed International Geo- 

 physical Union should be held in Washington, 

 in conjunction with the June, 1919, meeting 

 of the American Section of the proposed 

 International Astronomical Union, and that 

 pending that meeting further organization of 

 the American Section of the proposed Inter- 

 national Geophysical Union should be left 

 ■with its acting chairman vyith povfer. 



At the meeting of the Interim Committee of 

 the Executive Board of the National Eesearch 

 Council, on May 20, Mr. H. O. Wood was 

 appointed acting secretary of the American 

 Section of the proposed International Geo- 

 physical Union. 



In preparation for the organization meeting 

 and for the meetings in Brussels in July, 

 1919, of the International Eesearch Council 

 and the International Geophysical Union, four 

 meetings of the Provisional Executive Com- 

 mittee were held, on May 20, June 3, June 10 

 and June 17. The organization meeting was 

 beld in three sessions, on June 24 and 25, 

 1919, at the building of the National Eesearch 

 Council, in Washington, D. C. 



A digest of the action taken at these meet- 

 ings is given below: 



At the first meeting of the Provisional Ex- 

 ecutive Committee on May 29 the following 

 gentlemen were designated as committees of 

 one to prepare brief statements for the use of 

 the delegates to the meetings at Brussels in 

 regard to the past history, present status, and 

 scientific purposes of each of the following 

 international scientific bodies : 



1. International Geodetic Association, Mr. Win. 

 Bowie. 



2. International Seismological Association, Mr. 

 H. F. Eeid. 



3. (a.) International Meteorological Committee 

 and (ft) International Committee for the Study of 

 the Free Atmosphere, Mr. C. F. Marvin. 



4. International Commission of Terrestrial Mag- 

 netism, Mr. W. J. Peters. 



Also Mr. E. S. Woodward, as chairman of 

 the committee, was requested to prepare a 

 brief statement for the use of the delegates in 

 regard to the past history, present status, and 

 scientific purposes of geophysics as a distinc- 

 tive field in science. 



As a result of discussion with respect to 

 the appropriate place of vulcanology in the 

 organic scheme Mr. Whitman Cross was re- 

 quested to prepare a statement in regard to 

 vulcanology similar, so far as possible, to those 

 regarding the other subdivisions of geophys- 

 ical science in their international aspects. 



Two printed pamphlets issued by the Eoyal 

 Society, entitled " Proposals for the Conven- 

 tion for an International Union of Geophysics 

 — Approved by the Eoyal Society" and "In- 

 ternational Geophysical Union," were read and 

 discussed, and Mr. Leuschner was requested 

 to prepare a clarifying statement in regard 

 to foreign proposals for organization. 



A committee consisting of the acting chair- 

 man of the American Section and the Chair- 

 man of the Provisional Executive Committee 

 was appointed to consider the appointment of 

 delegates to the Briissels meeting. 



A Conamittee on Publications was appointed, 

 consisting of the acting chairman and the act- 

 ing secretary of the American Section, and 

 Messrs. P. E. Powle and G. S. Fulcher. 



At the second meeting of the Provisional 

 Executive Committee, on June 3, considerable 

 time was devoted to the consideration of a 

 project for geophysical investigations in the 

 Arctic regions in cooperation with Eoald 

 Amimdsen's expedition, under the auspices of 

 the Norwegian government, which had been 

 brought to the attention of the National Ee- 

 search Council by the Director of Naval In- 

 telligence. Eecommendations with respect to 

 feasible action were made by the committee 

 which were transmitted by the acting chair- 

 man of the section to the council. 



Mr. Leuschner read a clarifying statement 

 in regard to foreign proposals for organiza- 

 tion which he had been . requested to prepare. 

 The substance of this, omitting illustrative 



