THE JOURNAL 
OF 
THE ROYAL SOCIETY 
OF 
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
VOL. VII. 
Presidential Address. 
SCIENCE AND THE MINERAL INDUSTRY. 
Presidential Address by E, S. Simpson , D.Sc. ( delivered on 
11th July , 1921). 
One of the most important lessons which the Great War has 
taught the peoples of the world is that self-preservation requires 
each nation in time of stress to be self-contained, not only in the 
matter of food supplies, but in supplies of all those various sub- 
stances which form the basis of industries, particularly of key 
industries. Australia has for many generations been content to 
import from abroad, mainly by long sea routes, not only essential 
supplies which cannot be produced at all, or at any rate not readily 
on the spot, but also innumerable things which are found abun- 
dantly in her own domain, or could be manufactured from her own 
raw materials. We are led therefore to enquire is Australia securely 
self-contained in the matter of essential supplies, or is she condemn- 
ed for ever to rely upon importation and storage against emergen- 
cies. This suggests the urgency of a scientific stock taking, in the 
greatest detail, of our natural resources and manufacturing capacity. 
Let us take another stand] joint. The last twelve months 
have witnessed a veritable collapse in all branches of our mineral 
industry with the exception of coal mining. The gold industry 
of this State in particular has dropped to about one-fourth of its 
magnitude of a few years ago, and the whole mineral industry in 
the State seems on the down grade, whilst all the largest base metal 
