360 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 976 



It is stated in Nature that tlie Institut In- 

 ternational de Physique Solvay has a sum of 

 20,000 francs available for the encouragement 

 of experimental work in physics and physical 

 chemistry, particularly for investigations on 

 radiation phenomena and for studies of the 

 theory of energy quanta and of molecular the- 

 ories. Grants from the fund will be awarded, 

 without distinction of nationality, by the ad- 

 ministrative commission of the institute on 

 the recommendation of the international sci- 

 entific committee. The administrative com- 

 mission is composed of Professors P. Heger, 

 E. Tassel and J. E. Verschaffelt, Brussels, and 

 the scientific committee of M. H. A. Lorentz, 

 president, Haarlem; Mme. M. Curie, Paris; 

 M. Brillouin, Paris; E. B. Goldschmidt, Brus- 

 sels; H. Kamerlingh-Onnes, Leyden; W. 

 Nernst, Berlin; E. Rutherford, Manchester; 

 E. Warburg, Berlin, and M. Knudsen, secre- 

 'tary, Coi)enhagen. Applications for grants 

 ishould be made before September 15 to Pro- 

 fessor H. A. Lorentz, Zijlweg Y6, Haarlem, 

 Holland. 



Six million acres of withdrawn public lands 

 w6i'6 restored to entry during the months of 

 May and June upon approval by the Secretary 

 of the Interior of the recommendations of the 

 TJ. S. Geological Survey. This action was 

 the result of examination and classification of 

 the lands by the survey, those restored either 

 having been found not to be valuable for 

 power sites, reservoirs, coal, phosphate or 

 potash deposits, or having been definitely val- 

 ued as coal lands, and rendered available for 

 purchase under the coal-land law. Of these 

 lands relieved from coal withdrawal nearly 

 two and a half million acres were in the state 

 of Colorado. Eive and a half thousand acres 

 were also withdrawn in Colorado as water- 

 power sites. In Idaho 1,100,000 acres of coal 

 and phosphate withdrawals were classified and 

 restored, and for water-power sites approxi- 

 mately 10,000 acres were withdrawn and about 

 the same acreage restored. In Montana 250,- 

 ■000 acres were restored as being noncoal-bear- 

 ing and about 1,000 acres as not valuable for 

 Tvater-power sites, while about 150 acres were 



withdrawn for that purpose. In North Da- 

 kota nearly 1,400,000 acres in coal withdrawal 

 were classified and restored. In Oregon ap- 

 proximately 75,000 acres were restored as non- 

 oil-bearing lands and about 12,000 acres were 

 withdrawn for water-power or reservoir sites. 

 In South Dakota over 330,000 acres were re- 

 lieved from the coal withdrawal. In Utah 

 about 1,500 acres were withdrawn for water- 

 power sites. In Wyoming over 47,000 acres 

 of coal withdrawals were reopened to entry 

 and purchase ; approximately 87,000 acres were 

 withdrawn for classification as to whether they 

 are oil-bearing lands, and about 304,000 acres 

 were restored as nonphosphate lands. For all 

 states the total withdrawals during the months 

 of May and June were over 116,000 acres, and 

 the total restorations were over 6,000,000 acres. 

 The total outstanding withdrawals on July 1 

 in all the public-land states amounted to 

 68,609,289 acres, of which more than fifty- 

 eight million acres are in coal-land with- 

 drawals. These lands are held pending classi- 

 fication by the Geological Survey, and as rap- 

 idly as they are found to be mineral bearing 

 they are either valued and placed on sale (as 

 in the case of coal lands), definitely reserved 

 pending appropriate legislation by congress to 

 provide for their disposition (as in the case 

 of potash or phosphate lands), or held subject 

 to development under departmental regula- 

 tions (as in the case of water power or reser- 

 voir reservations) ; or if they are found to be 

 nonmineral in character they are restored to 

 public entry. This work of classification and 

 valuation is being prosecuted by the Geolog- 

 ical Survey as rapidly as the appropriations 

 provided by congress will permit. 



The report of the Eoyal Commission on In- 

 dustrial Training and Technical Education in 

 Canada, instituted three years ago, has now 

 been made public. According to foreign jour- 

 nals the report suggests that a fund of £600,- 

 000 be provided annually by the Dominion for 

 a period of ten years, and be divided among 

 the provinces on the basis of population for 

 the promotion of higher technical education 

 and industrial training, while for elementary 



