RESEARCH LABOURS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 25, 29 July 1933, Page 12

RESEARCH LABOURS

GASES FOUND IN MINES

NEW ZEALANDER'S WORK

(Special to the "Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, July 28,

Scientific experiments of great importance to the mining industry, including an inquiry into the nature of certain explosive gases and the effects of burns resulting from them, were carried out in England by Dr. E. H. Makgill, of Henderson, formerly New Zealand Government Bacteriologist, who has returned after a year of research work in Great Britain.

Dr. Makgill left Auckland, last August and went to, a private laboratpry .at Oxford, owned by hia uncle, Professor J. j B. S. Haldane, the famous British, scientist. Professor Haldane was a Much.-talked-of man after the war on account of his defence of poison gas as a weapon in warfare, asserting that: such gases did less harm', immediate and subequent, than wounda caused by bullets and shells. He was one of the foremost scientists engaged by the British War Office to devise means of protecting troops from enemy gas during the war, and he invented a number of gases for the purposes of counter-attack. In the professor's elaboratelyequipped laboratory Dr. Makgill cooperated with, the famous scientist in a number of experiments upon familiar poison gases found in mines, and was successful in solving at least one problem which had been a matter of inquiry for some considerable time. They also carried out a number of experiments, on behalf of a special British committee, into the most effective means of treating burns such as miners suffer from after a mine explosion. Professor Haldane and Dr. Makgill also carried out a large number of experiments to discover the nature of gases evolved from decaying vegetable matter and certain noxious and explosive gases formed in particular classes of soils. These investigations had a direct bearing on the general subject of proper ventilation of mines, pits, and wells.

Dr. Makgill stated that the majority of the researches in which ho had assisted/had a greater bearing on British and Continental mining than, on New Zealand mining, as the problems dealt with largely did not arise in the coal mines of New Zealand. He stated that in all probability he would be returning to England next year to continue his researches. ' . ■ .