February 8, 1918] 



SCIENCE 



137 



tons of ore, compared with 134,002 tons in 

 1916, an increase of 7.5 per cent. 



The imports of iron ore for the eleven 

 months ending November 30, 1917, according 

 to the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com- 

 merce, Department of Commerce, amounted to 

 913,500 gross tons, so that probably the im- 

 ports for the whole year reached 988,500 tons, 

 compared with 1,325,736 tons in 1916. 



THE FISHERIES CONFERENCE 



The members of the Canadian-American 

 Fisheries Conference held recently in Wash- 

 ington, were received by the President at the 

 White House on January 22, 1918. The Presi- 

 dent expressed great satisfaction at the cordial 

 and friendly spirit which had manifested 

 itself during the continuance of the confer- 

 ence. The following gentlemen were pre- 

 sented to the President by Hon. William C. 

 Eedfield, secretary of commerce and chairman 

 of the conference: Hon. J. Douglas Hazen, 

 chief justice, of New Brunswick; Mr. George 

 J. Desbarats, deputy minister of naval serv- 

 ice, and Mr. William A. Found, superintend- 

 ent of fisheries, of the Canadian delegation; 

 Mr. Edwin F. Sweet, assistant secretary of 

 commerce; Dr. Hugh M. Smith, commissioner 

 of fisheries, of the American delegation; Mr. 

 Arnold Robertson, first secretary of the Brit- 

 ish Embassy, and Mr. Maitland Dwight, of the 

 department of state, secretaries of the confer- 

 ence. 



The conference held eight sessions and made 

 satisfactory progress toward reaching an ar- 

 rangement suitable to all concerned. Among 

 the questions discussed were the following : 



The protection of the salmon in and around 

 the Eraser River; the protection of the hali- 

 but, which has been overfished, the center of 

 this industry being Seattle, Vancouver, Prince 

 Rupert and Ketchikan, on the Pacific; equi- 

 table rules governing the use of Canadian and 

 American ports by the fishing vessels of both 

 countries, however propelled; the lobster fish- 

 eries of the Atlantic; pike-perch fishing in 

 Lake Champlain, and the possible passage of 

 rules relating to the whale industry. 



The conference is looking forward to the 



privilege of consulting the fishing interests at 

 the hearings which it is proposed to hold in 

 New England and in the maritime provinces 

 of Canada in the near future. It is also pro- 

 posed to visit the Pacific coast, and it is hoped 

 that these hearings will throw some light on 

 the subject with a view to a satisfactory settle- 

 ment being reached. 



The whole conference is desirous of estab- 

 lishing the present law and practise as regards 

 the fish industry, and believes that with this 

 as a basis a satisfactory conclusion may be at- 

 tained. 



The Canadian delegates extended an invita- 

 tion to the American delegates to visit Ottawa 

 some time before the conclusion of the con- 

 ference. 



MEDICAL TRAINING CAMPS 



Extensions are being made to the scope of 

 the medical training camps at Fort Oglethorpe, 

 Ga., and Fort Riley, Kans., by the addition of 

 courses in specialties required of the Medical, 

 Sanitary and Veterinary Corps under Surgeon 

 General Gorgas. There are at present 5,400 

 officers and men under training at Fort Ogle- 

 thorpe and 3,800 at Fort Riley. Fort Riley has 

 a capacity of 7,000. Enlargement of the school 

 at Fort Oglethorpe to the same capacity has 

 been authorized, its present capacity being 

 5,500. The ultimate needs of the Medical De- 

 partment of the Army look to training camps 

 of capacities totaling 35,000 to 40,000 officers 

 and men. 



There have been graduated from medical 

 training camps since June 1, or are now imder 

 instruction, a total of about 9,000 officers and 

 about 20,000 enlisted men. Until December 

 1 the medical training camp at Fort Benjamin 

 Harrison, Ind., and the one at Fort Des 

 Moines, Iowa, for colored officers and men, had 

 been contributing to the total, but these camps 

 have been discontinued. 



Ten new sections have recently been or are 

 now being established for officers in the med- 

 ical training camps. These are for the fol- 

 lowing : 



(1) X-ray specialists; (2) orthopedic sur- 

 geons; (3) psychologists; (4) special examin- 

 ing surgeons; (5) sanitary engineers; (6) 



