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GENERAL NOTES ^^^^ 



During the past year we have lost several good friends. Mr. 

 Richard Moat, our Honorary Auditor since 1947, was a life member 

 whose interest in the Society and cheerful personality will be greatly 

 missed. Mr. J. White, our former Treasurer, died very soon after his 

 resignation on account of ill health. Mr. P. Wood " that quiet and 

 kindly man " came over from Dover to support loyally every one of the 

 Society's activities. Mr. W. Copeland, a life member, served many 

 times on the Committee until advancing years curtailed his energies. 

 In addition to his keen interest in science, he possessed an encyclopaedic 

 knowledge of tea rooms all over the county, so his advice was valuable 

 when excursions were being planned. Another loss is Mr. R. V. Argyle, 

 a former member until his resignation for health reasons, whose delightful 

 local sketches were always much admired at the Conversazione. 



Attendance at the lectures last session was consistently good. In 

 view of modern methods of presenting scientific facts to the general 

 public, it was thought advantageous to widen the range of subjects 

 chosen for lectures and some of last season's were as follows :- 



Power from Water, by Mr. R. G. T. Lane, B.Sc, M.I.C.E., 

 Chief Engineer of the Owen Falls Dam ; The Whitstable Oyster 

 Industry, by Mr. R. J. Money of the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Co., 

 illustrated by some exceptionally lovely colour photographs of the 

 coast ; Auduban's America, a film of American birds shown by 

 Miss K. Tousey of Massachusetts ; and Kew Gardens in Colour, 

 by the Curator, Mr. W. M. Campbell, N.D.H., F.I.P.A. (It is 

 more than twenty-five years since Mr. Campbell and the Secretary 

 went for their " Finals " to the R.H.S. Gardens, Wisley). 



Perhaps the most enthralling occasion was the remarkable film of 

 the construction of the Isle of Grain Oil Refinery, a stupendous under- 

 taking, explained graphically by Mr. J. V. Jones. How satisfactory that 

 this huge undertaking made use of worthless marshland instead of ■ 

 swallowing up good agricultural country ! 



The Society is very grateful to Mr. P. Coveney for his admirable 

 pictorial posters which have attracted considerable attention. 



Several members attended a Congress of Educational Societies held 

 in January at University College, London, at which the S.E. Union of 

 Scientific Societies was represented. 



The highlight of the Summer Session was the holding in Folkestone 

 of the 60th Annual Congress of the S.E. Union of Scientific Societies, 

 an account of which appears elsewhere. In consequence of this event 

 the annual Conversazione was not held. 



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