PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS

Evening Star, Issue 19583, 15 June 1927, Page 9

PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS

REVIEW OF WORK DONE ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR BENSOM Rrofessor Benson, of Otago University. gave an address last evening before the Otago Institute on his improssnns of the third Pan-1 noxlic Science Congress, which was held in Tokio last year. The president (Mr J. 0. Smith) presided. Professor Benson detailed tho founding of tho congress, and gave an outline of its first meeting in,Hawaii and of its second meeting, which was hold in Australia. A deep impression was created at the meeting in Australia by the action of the Japanes* Government in tho midst of _ the great earthquake disaster in issuing an invitation for the holding of the third congress in Tokio. The overseas delegates, who numbered 200, were drawn from Gres’: Britain, France, America, Canada Hawaii, Russia, Eastern Siberia, China, Malaya. Java, Australia. New Zealand, and ‘he Philippines. Thov were received with the utmost hospitality, and were the guests of the Government during the- six weeks of their stay in Japan The perfection of the organisation for tboir reception, for 1 heir transport on the various excursions, and for the carrying out of the work of tho congress made a very deep impression. The astonishingly high state of development of pure and applied science and the excellence of tho provision for scientific education and research which ■ was evident in all branches of scientific work called lor unbounded admiration. ll was evidently the desire of the Japanese people, he said, that their guests should gain as comprehensive a view as possible within the limited time -t their disposal of all phases of Japanese life, apart from tho strictly scientinc and educational interests of the congress. The various excursions, tlio public and private hospitality_ seemed designed to show the best of scenic beauty, religion, art, history, and_ industry, and to give them an insight into a remarkably varied section cl social life from the humbler homes to the palaces themselves. Moreover, iho international aspect of the gathering was emphasised as much as the scientific Tho congress, he continued, was extremely fortunate in its president. Or Jnyi Sakurai, who heeded the delegation to tho Australian Congress, and u|io, ns a distinguished chemist, president of file Imperial Academy and .National Research Council, and a_ very prominent executive member of tbo blouse of Peers and Privy, Council of Japan, wielded a great influence which was directed with passionate devotion to the cause of international harmony. In this he was supported by the president of tho House of Peers, Prince Tokungawa, who was also the president of the Japanese branch of tho League of Nations Union. He was the father ot tho Consul-General for Australia and New Zealand. The work of the congress was devoted to the consideration of papers grouped around a number of subjects of mutual interest, and nearly 400 papers, comprising a vast amount of research work, wore presented. The oceanographical work dealt with a wide range of topics—tho form of the ocean, sea temperature, floor conditions affecting tides and ocean currents, tho effect of those again on chemif.al content of sea water and the minute floating plants and animals which were the food of the larger organisations, and other important ones affecting fisheries. Tho agricultural and notanical section considered in particular the problems of the breeding of the most hardy anti nutritive types of rice, of citrus fruits, afforestation, and plant quarantine. A great deal of attention was paid to aspects of entomology as it affected adversely or otherwise the yield of various crops.

Consideration was given ( to tho diseases of strek, _ such as rinderpest . The section of hygiene discussed especially the control of typhus, dysentery, and hookworm disease, and was interested also in aim x'osuUs of ibe goitre investigations that had been carried rn within the Otago University. The physicists discussed in_ particular tho problems of transmission of wireless waves, Atmospheric electricity, and magnetic conditions in the Pacific region. The meteorologists were interested in tho conditions determining various typos of weather in Eastern Asia, and progress towards a scientific basis for seasonal forecasting—-tor example, for estimating a year in advance tlie probable rainfall during the growing season. The discussion of this was led by tbo meteorologists of the Malay Archipelago. Tho .-seismologists were" very busy, and most impressive accounts were given of the investigation and cause of tho great Japanese earthquake, by which was brought about nearly 150,000 deaths, the burning of 560,000 houses, and material damage to tho value of £275,<'00,000. The geological section had a particularly full programme, ft devoted most attention to the distribution of the economic minerals around the Pacific, the structure of the lands in which they occurred, which brought nut a wealth of new information concerning Siberia, China, Japan, and the Philippines. Re markable discoveries in China were recorded in this connection. The anthropologists gave special attention to the Ainu that very primitive nfiorigi nal race of Northern Japan, hue some consideration was also paid to tiny socalled “pigmy” race of New Guinea and some remarkable arcbmological discoveries in the Philippines. At tho conclusion ol the session a new organisation, tho Pacific Science Association, was inaugurated, with a definite constitution and a council consisting of representatives from tho national scientific bodies ot twelve countries around tho Pacific, and to it was entrusted tho control of the work 01. the various research committees tet up by the congress. Thus a strong international scientific organisation had been established, with much work- to carry’ on until the next meeting of tho association, which would bo in Java in 192;).