NOTED AUSTRIAN SCIENTIST

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 30 September 1927, Page 9

NOTED AUSTRIAN SCIENTIST

VISITOR TO NEW ZEALAND. THE EARTHQUAKE BOGEY. New Zealand offers a remarkable field for geological research and study, and one that is unparalleled anywhere else in the world, according to Professor F. X. Schaffer of Vienna, who is considered one of the foremost georogists of the day, and an eminent authority on seismology. The professor was attracted to the Dominion mainly because of its geological interest, and he hopes through his visit to work up a connection between scientific institutions in this and other countries, which, he considers, will be for the benefit of the scientific world. Professor Schaffer is director of the Natural History Museum of Vienna and Professor of Geology at the University of Vienna. He has been in the Dominion for the past five weeks and sailed for Australia to-day. He is collecting data for the third of a series of volumes on geology, the first two volumes having been published about two years ago. In this book he will include much about New Zealand. He is also writing articles of general interest about the Dominion for Austrian newspapers. A COUNTRY OF WONDERS.

“New Zealand,’’ he said, "is a most interesting country from the geological viewpoint. It is replete with interest and has many features that are unique, while its thermal regions are full of wonders, eclipsing those of Yellowstone Park. Not only is it full of interest to the geologist. The scenery in Now Zealand shows a variety of forms and in many ways comprises some of the most remarkable in the world. I have seen the greater part of the mountain ranges in the world, but the Southern Alps belong to the very best that exist. The Alps are the most imposing in the world. They have altitude steepness, slope, and ruggedness.” The Professor said that if the Alps were in Europe there would be an electric railway to their base and a chain of hotels would exist. “It is a great pity,” he continued, “that New Zealand is so far away from Europe, for people from the Continent go to such places as the Dutch Indies and japan for sightseeing. The Dominion was ■ far away, and then it had the a. disadvantage or tho Australian coninent in between.” ABOUT EARTHQUAKES. After having studied seismology for years and seen the results of some of biggest earthquakes of recent years —Tokio, Messina, and Santa Barbara —Professor Schaffer is quite convinced that it is impossible to predict earthquakes. “Sometimes,” he said “we see alarming reports about forthcoming earthquakes, but they are all rubbish. Recently au American professor predicted a disastrous earthquake and people . became alarmed and insurance companies increased their rates, but all for nothing. I have made a speciality of the subject for many years and have made investigations in most of the earthquake areas of the world, and my sober conviction is that it is quite impossible to predict earthquakes. We cannot fortell them because up to the present we do not know what causes them. N.Z. LITTLE FEAR. The professor added that it was not the actual quake that caused such appalling losses of life and property, but the collapse of buildings in the cities and the dreadful fires that break out among the ruins. New Zealand was in an active earthquake belt but so long as the houses and buildings were being constructed on the linos now adopted the people had little to fear. In areas subject to earthquakes the only thing to do was to insist that the buildings shall be of safe design and made of safe materials. Brick and stone building should not be permitted. Reinforced concrete should be used for the busiest places and if they were of many stories they should have steel frames.

The professor -said he had been discussing the question and hoped to see some young specialists sent from Vienna to New Zealand to study in matters connected with geological and other fields of research. It was really remarkable the work that was being done at the Cawthorn Institute at Nelson, which was only a small institution. Anything about New Zealand was read with the keenest interest in Austria and the Dominion’s social legislation was also watched with interest ,for it was regarded as being very advanced. “Travelling in New Zealand,” he said, “has been a pleasure and the people are all so charming and hospitable. They seem more English than the people in Britain, and I suppose this is because they have preserved tho old conservative ideas of their grandfathers, more so than England itself. ’’