THE COUNCIL'S RECOMMENDATIONS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11790, 13 January 1904, Page 8

THE COUNCIL'S RECOMMENDATIONS.

The Council recommended that the undermentioned groupe of foesile now in the Colonial Museum be sent for description to the following workers at once:—The graptolitea to Mr T. S. Hall, M.A.; the foraminifera and ostracods to Mr P. WChapman; the echinoids to Professor Gregory; the palaeozoic fossils, other than those in the above groups, to Mr R. Etheridge, junr. (curator Australian Museum, Sydney), and Mr W. S. Dun (Paleontologist, General Survey, New South. Wales), and (2) collections of mesozoic and cainozoic fossil*, other than echinoids, foraminifera, and ostracods in the Wellington Museum. The Council recommends that advice as to their description be delegated as fur as this Association is concerned to a committee consisting of tlia following:—Captain F. W. Hutton (retiring president A.A.A.S.), Professor David (president A.A-A.S.), Professor Baldwin Spencer (president elect A.A.A.S.), and Mr A. Hamilton (curator of the Colonial Museum, Wellington. That permanent B.M's referring to one common datum be established at frequent intervals in Australasia, and that all levels for engineering and other scientific work Iμ by law reduced to those marks; that mean sea levei, being the less likely to chance, should be adopted as the common datum. That in order to ascertain the mean sea level at the various ports, harbours and islands on the coast, automatic tide gauges .be installed, and the records submitted to a competent officer for analysis and report. That all tide gauge stations shall have a barograph and anemograph in their immediate vicinity, and the records of these instruments to be considered as part of the installation. That permanent B.M's ba made of the type used in the British ordnance survey aa near as convenient to each tide gauge, and to be carefully guarded from injury, and used for special reference only. That the standard B.Ms. be connected by precise levelling, and the records and instruments used for this purpose shall be in the charge of the otßeer above alluded to. The cost of installation of one tide station is variously estimated at from £10 and £100, according to locality, conditions, and the type of gauge used, but the gain m accuracy and the saving of time by the adoption of a common datum might be estimated at many hundreds a year in New Zealand, and at an even larger amount in Australia. That a committee consisting of Messrs C W. Chamberlain, D. Barron, and G. M. Thomson be appointed to investigate the local conditions affecting the food supply of food fishes of New Zealand seas at the fish hatchery at Portobello, and that Mr G. i\L Thomson be appointed secretary and convener, and that a grout of £30 be placed at their disposal. That a committee consisting of Dr. Benham, Mr Hamilton, and Ifx L. F. Ayson be appointed to obtain maximum and minimum decimal records of sea surface temperature at selected stations on the >ew Zealand coast. That Mr HamUton be ap- j pointed secretary and convener, and that a j

grant of £10 for the purpose of thermomesera be placed at their disposal. That a committee consisting of Captain Hutton, Dr. Cliiiton, Professor Thomae, Mr Hamilton, and Dr. Beaham be appointed to initiate a biological aad hvdrographical survey at the continental eJrelf of New Zealand by dredging and sounding; that Dr. Chilton. be appointed secretary and convener, and that a grant of £50 be placed at their disposal. Thab this Association gratefully recognise th« aid, which the >«ew Zealand Government has afforded for the preservation of the native fauna and flora of New Zealand, especially in the passing, of the recent Act for the preservation of scenery in the colony, and expresses* a hope that further facilities will be granted to naturalists for the investigation of the natural history of lac outlying islands. That the committee of the Anthropology ana Philology section recommend the following names as a committee for the correction of the spoiling of native places, names, etc: —For Victoria, Dr. Fisson and Professor B. Spencer; for New South Wales, Dr. Brown end R«v. J. J. Preecott; for South Australia. Sir Maurice and Mr fiillen; Tasmania. Mr Alex. Morton and Mr R. M. Johnston; Queensland, Dr. Roth and Mr J. F. Bailer; New Zealand, Captain Hutton, Messrs Percy Smith, E. Tregear, and A. Hamilton; West Australia, Mr Alexander Morton and Mr Prinseps, with power to add to their number.

That it be a recommendation to the examining bodies in Australia and New Zealand that they base the regulations for their public examinations (in mathematics) on the syllabus adopted by the University of Cambridge; that a committee be appointed to inquire into the teaching of science in primary and secondary schools, technical colleges and universities, and to consult with local authorities on education as to how , such teaching can be made most effective by proper methods, co-ordination, etc., and that the committee consist of the following: —Professor Caxslaw (secretary Australia and Tasmania), Mr J. Shirley, B.Sc., Professor Bragg, Professor Gregory, Mr G. H. Knebbs, Mr Frank Tate, Mr T Masters, Professor David, Professor Benham (secretary New Zealand), Mr G Thomson, and Mr G. Hogben. The following -were appointed to consti-J tute the Mueller Medal Committee: —Pro-' fessor David (Sydney), Professor Liversedge (Sydney), (general secretary) ex oflicio, Professor E. 0. Sterling (Adelaide), Professor Baldwin Spencer (Melbourne), Professor Gregory (Melbourne), and Mr J. H. Maiden (Sydney). Messrs R. Teeee and R. A. Dallen * (Sydney) -were appointed eneral auditors. '

g In the afternoon Dr. Cockayne conducted a most enjoyable botanical excursion to Flagstaff Hill, Dr. Marshall also leading some geologists in the same direction. In the evening,, Mr Justice Docker, who is President of the New South Wales Photographic Society, lectured in the Garrison Hall on Australian scenery. To-morrow there are meetings of the sectional committees and one or two sectional excursions, while in the afternoon there will be a luncheon on the Manuka. In the evening, by special request, Mr Edgar Stead will repeat ac a public lecture his illustrated paper on "New Zealand Birds."