THE JOURNAL 
OF 
THE ROYAL SOCIETY 
OF 
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
VOL. V. 
Presidential Address. 
By William J. Hancock, M.Inst.C.E., M.I.E.E. 
(Delivered 10 th June, 1919.) 
Ladies and Gentlemen — 
On nay retirement from the position of President of the 
Society, I wish to state how highly 1 have appreciated the honour 
which you conferred on me, and I take this opportunity of thanking 
the members of Council, officers and members, for their kind- 
ness and consideration in helping me to carry on the work of the 
Society. We art 1 greatly indebted to those members who have 
presented papers during the season. The papers have been of not 
only great interest but of wider range than heretofore, and I feel 
sure it is a step in the right direction. 1 cannot but think that all 
matters affecting the general welfare and betterment of the con- 
ditions of life come within the scope and functions of our Society 
equally with matters of scientific interest, whether they be sub- 
jects of historic interest to guide us, research work of the present, 
or problems of the future, to consider. The field of the Society is 
wide, and extending with the progress of science and knowledge. 
The papers presented to the Society this year have been of a 
varied character. The first this session was by Professor 
W oolnough on the “Physiographic Elements of the Swan Coastal 
