280 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIII. No. 1369 



MEETING OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEES 



OF THE SECTIONS OF THE BRITISH 



ASSOCIATION 



Nature states that a combined meeting of 

 organizing committees of the Sections of the 

 British Association was held at Burlington 

 House, on February 25. The meeting was 

 called to consider various suggestions as to 

 number and gi-ouping of sections, presidential 

 addresses, and other subjects discussed in the 

 recent correspondence in Nature and else- 

 where, and also to facilitate the arrangement 

 of joint programs between two or more sec- 

 tions for the annual assembly at Edinburgh 

 in September next. At the general session it 

 was agreed that the number of sections should 

 not be reduced, but that voluntary grouping 

 for the consideration of subjects of common 

 interest was desirable. The council (through 

 the general officers) was empowered to fix 

 hours of addresses and discussions, and the 

 view was approved tliat the oral delivery of 

 presidential addresses should be optional, as 

 well as that the addresses themselves might 

 be used to open discussions. It was also 

 decided that the council should invite the 

 recorders of sections, or their nominees, to be 

 present at meetings of council when presi- 

 dents of sections are elected. Organizing 

 committees will thus, through their represen- 

 tatives, be able to put forward their views as 

 to new sectional presidents. Several joint dis- 

 cussions were arranged for tlie forthcoming 

 Edinburgh meeting, among them being one 

 ■between the Sections of Physics and Chem- 

 istry on Dr. Langmuir's theory of the atom, 

 and another between the Sections of Eco- 

 nomics, Education, and Psychology on voca- 

 tional education and psychological tests. 



THE PERSONNEL RESEARCH FEDERATION 



Under the auspices of the National Re- 

 search Council and the Engineering Founda- 

 tion, in the building of the National Research 

 Council, Washington, the organization of the 

 Personnel Research Federation was effected 

 on March 15. This federation includes in 

 its membership scientific, engineering, labor, 

 management and educational bodies. It has 



been organized to bring about interchange of 

 research information among the organizations 

 which are engaged in personal research. It is 

 reported to the new federation by the Bureau 

 of Labor Statistics that there are 250 such 

 organizations in the United States. The Per- 

 sonnel Research Federation will collect re- 

 search information, will encourage research 

 through individuals and organizations and 

 will coordinate research activities. 



Temporary officers were elected as follows: 



Chairman: Eobert M. Yerkes, representing the 

 National Besearcli Council. 



Vice-chairman: Samuel Gompers, representing 

 the American Federation of Labor. 



Treasurer: Eobert W. Bruere, representing the 

 Bureau of Industrial Research. 



Secretary: Alfred D. Flinn, representing the 

 Engineering Foimdation. 



Acting Director: Beardsley Ruml, assistant to 

 the president of Carnegie Corporaton of New York. 



The aims of the new organization are in- 

 creased efficiency of all the personnel elements 

 of industry — employer, manager, worker — and 

 improved safety, health, comfort and relation- 

 ships. 



The immediate purposes of the Personnel 

 Research Federation will be to learn what 

 organizations are studying one or more prob- 

 lems relating to personnel and the scope of 

 their endeavors, and to determine whether 

 these endeavors can be harmonized, duplica- 

 tion minimized, neglected phases of the prob- 

 lems considered and advanced work under- 

 taken. 



On November 12, 1920, a preliminary con- 

 ference was held in Washington under the 

 auspices of the National Research Council 

 and the Engineering Foundation, attended by 

 forty persons, including representatives of 

 national organizations of scientists, engineers, 

 labor, capital, managers, educators, economists 

 and sociologists. The question under discus- 

 sion was the practicability of bringing about 

 cooperation among the many bodies conduct- 

 ing research relating to men and women in 

 industry and commerce, from management 

 to unskilled labor. Such topics as the rela- 

 tions of persons doing different parts of the 



