JuLy 12, 1918] 
courses offered in Groups 2 or 3, and other 
special arrangements to meet particular apti- 
tudes will be authorized by the committee on 
industrial hygiene. 
In view of the war conditions alterations in 
the above plans may become necessary. For 
information apply to Dr. C. K. Drinker, Har- 
vard Medical School, Boston, Mass. - 
THE MEXICAN AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION 
Proressor WituiamM E. Rirrsr, scientifie di- 
rector of the Scripps Institute for Biological 
Research, has under the date of June 29, ad- 
dressed the following letter to Dr. H. M. 
Smith, commissioner of fisheries: 
It gives me great pleasure to report that the offi- 
cial and professional commission of Mexico headed 
by Ing. Pastor Rouaix, Secretary of Agriculture 
and Development, concerning which we were ad- 
vised some time ago by acting Commissioner 
Moore, has recently visited San Diego and vicinity 
and the Scripps Institution. The party came to 
this place after having made an extensive tour of 
Lower California. It now goes northward to Los 
Angeles and San Francisco, then through the 
Rocky Mountain and North Mississippi valley 
states to Chicago and Washington. Since, as you 
are aware, the maritime industries of Mexico 
are under the jurisdiction of Secretary Rouaix 
the party were rather specially interested in the 
Scripps Institution because of its oceanographic 
and marine biological undertakings, and its con- 
sequent close identification with the fisheries and 
kelp industries of this region. 
In addition to a brief inspection of the ‘‘plant’’ 
of the institution the party was entertained at a 
luncheon in the Institution Commons, representa- 
tives of the San Diego and La Jolla Chambers of 
Commerce and the San Diego Canners being also 
guests. 
The occasion was utilized for emphasizing the 
part which science is playing and in a larger meas- 
ure may, and ought to, play not only in solving 
strictly technical problems common to the two 
countries, but in composing international ques- 
tions of a racial, economic and political character. 
Members of the commission, as well as guests 
from the neighborhood, entered heartily into the 
purpose of the visit as thus viewed, all expressing 
the hope that more intimate relations between the 
two countries through agencies of this sort may 
exist in the future than have existed in the past. 
SCIENCE 37 
Ing. Jose Duvallon, director of agriculture, was 
specially explicit in setting forth views and possi- 
bilities to this effect. There is so much of promise 
in efforts of this kind that it should receive wide 
interest and encouragement. The southwestern 
states of our nation, including Texas and Cali- 
fornia, are naturally more directly concerned than 
other portions of the country, southern California 
being the most vitally interested of all because of 
the Colorado River and the Imperial area, and the 
rapidly growing maritime industries. 
There can be no doubt that I express the senti- 
ment of all those, Mexicans and Americans alike, 
who met and exchanged views and courtesies while 
the commission was in this vicinity, that the goy- 
ernment of the United States, either national or 
state, or both ought in the near future to take 
steps to reciprocate and extend the good work 
started by Mexico through this highly able com- 
mission. 
I am sending a statement similar to this in im- 
port to President Benj. Ide Wheeler, of the Univer- 
sity of California, and to Dean T. F. Hunt, of the 
college of agriculture of the university, and trust 
the sentiment here voiced will reach the Secretary 
of Agriculture at Washington, the Honorable 
David F. Huston. 
ORGANIZATION OF CHICAGO TECHNICAL SO- 
CIETIES FOR WAR WORK 
REPRESENTING an effort to cooperate effec- 
tively and vigorously for war work, an impor- 
tant joint-war ccmmittee has been formed by 
representatives of technical societies centered 
in Chicago. The movement was started by 
the military committee of the Western Society 
of Engineers, and at the invitation of that 
committee several meetings have been held at 
the Chicago Engineers’ Club. As a result the 
“War Committee, Technical Societies of Chi- 
cago,” to quote the official name, was organized 
June 4, 1918. 
The purpose of this organization is “to en- 
able the technical societies of the Chicago zone 
to call into play the efforts of the members of 
the various societies herein represented as oc- 
casion may arise and to coordinate their activi- 
ties in the most effectual manner to help win 
the war.” It is not proposed to attempt any 
novel “ stunts,” but rather to place at the dis- 
posal of the United States government and 
other authorized agencies the combined 
