JlAV 3, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



485 



dress, ami called attention to the rapid 

 progress of the zone standard-time sj'stem 

 throughout the world. This system the 

 society did important work in introducing. 

 Allusion was made to the report that 

 Turkey had made the Metric System obli- 

 gatory. The principal countries that do 

 not use the Metric System are England, the 

 United States and Russia. Through the 

 action of the New Decimal Association of 

 England, and of the American Metrological 

 Society, it was hoped that some steps might 

 be taken in the two countries named which 

 would bring about a larger use of the Metric 

 System. It was stated that Utah proposed 

 to adopt the Meti-ic System as the standard 

 when she was admitted to statehood. 



The societj' appointed an important com- 

 mittee on Metric Gauges. This committee 

 consists of the President, B. A. Gould, Wol- 

 cott Gibbs, T. C. Mendenhall, A. A. Michel- 

 son, and T. Egleston as chairman. 



Reports were made by various officers and 

 the following officers were elected for the 

 year 1895-96 : President, B. A. Gould, Cam- 

 bridge, Mass. Vice Presidents, Wolcott 

 Gibbs, ■SrewT)ort, R. I.; T. R. PJ^lchon, 

 Hartford, Conn.;Sandford Fleming, Ottawa, 

 Canada; T. C. Mendenhall, Worcester, 

 Mass.; T. Egleston, New York City; J. H. 

 Van Amringe, New York City. Treasurer, 

 John K. Rees, New York City. Recording 

 Secretary, John K. Rees, New York City. 

 Corresponding Secretary, 0. H. Tittmann, 

 AVasliington, D. C. Members of the Coun- 

 cil, H. A. Newton, New Haven, Conn.; 

 Cleveland Abbe, AYashiugton, D. C; R. H. 

 Thurston, Ithaca, N. Y.; A. M. Majer, 

 Hoboken, N.. J.; Henry Holt, New York 

 City ; W. F. Allen, New York City; Simon 

 Newcomb, Washington, D. C: S. P. Lang- 

 ley, Washington, D. C; F. H. Smith, Uni- 

 versity of Virginia; George Eastbourn, 

 Philadelphia. Penn. 



Edward Atkinson, of Boston, was elected 

 a member of the society. 



In this connection it may be of interest 

 to state the objects of tliis society : 



1 . To improve existing systems of weights, 

 measures and moneys, and to bring them 

 into relations of simple commensurability 

 with each otlier. 



2. To secure universal adoption of com- 

 mon units of measure for quantities in 

 physical observation or investigation, for 

 which ordinary systems of metrology do not 

 provide; such as divisions of barometer, 

 thermometer, and densimeter ; amount of 

 work done by machines ; amount of me- 

 chanical energy, active or potential, of bod- 

 ies, as dependent on their motion or posi- 

 tion ; quantities of heat present in bodies of 

 given temperatures, or generated by com- 

 bustion or otherwise ; quantity and inten- 

 sity of electro-dynamic currents ; aggi-egate 

 and efficient power of prime movers ; ac- 

 celerative force of gravity; pressure of steam 

 and atmosphere ; and other matters analo- 

 gous to these. 



3. To secure uniform usage as to stand- 

 ard pout^^ of reference, or physical conditions 

 to which observations must be reduced for 

 purposes of comparison, especially tempera- 

 ture and pressure to which are referred 

 specific gravities of bodies, and the zero of 

 longitude on the earth. 



4. To secure the use of the decimal sys- 

 tem for denominations of weight, measure, 

 and money derived from unit-bases, not 

 necessarily excluding for practical purposes 

 binary or other convenient divisions, but 

 maintained along with such other methods, 

 on account of facilities for calculation, re- 

 ductions, and comparison of values, afforded 

 by a system conforming to our numerical 

 notation. 



MODES OF OPERATIOX. 



1. The society wUl endeavor to carry out 

 its objects, by appeals to Congress, State 

 Legislatures, boards of education, liigher 

 institutions of learning, and to directors and 



