THE SCIENCE CONGRESS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16940, 15 January 1923, Page 4

THE SCIENCE CONGRESS.

INTERESTING PAPERS. (Per Prfsß Association.) WELLINGTON, January 13. The Science Congress was engaged this morning listening to the presidential address by Professor Griffiths Taylor, president of the Geographical and Historical Section. GEOGRAPHY AND LAND SETTLEMENT. Professor Taylor, who is professor of geography at Sydney University, took as his subject Geography and Australian National Problems.” He contended that intimate knowledge of the geographical features of a country was all important in determining climatic conditions, the suitability of the land for settlement, and the propriety oi the expenditure of public money. He doubted the wisdom of the White Australia policy in the strictest sense. He estimated that Australia was capable of sustaining 50,000,000 white settlers, but he contended that settlement must be continued on lands to * great extent already alienated. Australia had in fact reached the stage when the resumption of land was recessary, so far as settlement of any importance was concerned. During the course of the lecture Prolessor Taylor urged the establishment ol a school of geography in connection with the New Zealand University. NEW ZEALAND AVAR FINANCE. “Some Aspects of New Zealand Mar Finance ” was the subject of a paper road in the Statistical Section by Mr if. M. Tait, 8.A., of Christchurch. The lecturer showed that, while taxation had increased, between 1891 to 1914, from £2,200,000 to £5,900,000, and the net public debt from £37,500,000 to £91,500,000, during March, 1914, u> March, 1919 (the war period) taxation grew from £5,900,000 to £13,800,000, and about £81,500,000 was borrowed for war expenditure at an average rate (including sinking fund) of 5.6 per cent. Adding a conservative estimate for pensions and small losses on soldiers’ lands, it would make the total cost of the war to New Zealand by the time this debt had been paid off, about £235,000,000. The most alarming feature, Mr Tait said, was the enormous interest payment spread over a period of forty years. He made a plea for a larger contribution to the sinking fund, to enable an earlier clearance to be made. He also protested against the present system of “surplus” financing, which made funds available for expenditure which would never l>e countenanced if subjected to proper scrutiny. He held that the accumulated surpluses of the war period had led to much reckless expenditure. Tlie period under teview bad brought a great change in she distribution of taxation, and the whole system now stood in urgent need of scientific revision. MAORI CANOES. A paper was read before tho Ethnological Section of the Science Congress tins morning by Mr F. V. Knapp, of Nelson, on the subject of “Maori Canoe-making Implements in the Tasman Bay District.” He said that the canoe was in many parts regarded as tho most valued possession of the ancient Maori, and though war canoes were now never seen, yet they were seen in numbers by old settlers in tho pioneering days. The statement in Hamilton’s “ Maori Art” that war canoe building was confined principally to tho natives of the East Coast was queried by Mr Knapp, who mentioned evidence of old workshops on the Tasman Bay beaches as proof that a flourishing war canoe building industry existed tl ere in the past ages. Canoes on that coast wore built of totara, and allusion was made to the tapering of certain suitable trees. Young saplings were notched several feet above the ground to secure a strip of dry wood being formed in.the mature trees to facilitate the hollowing out process. Mr Knapp suggested that these workshops were often a considerable distance from the pas. tho workmen being conveyed to and from their work. The fact that stone implements in the Tasman Bay districts were rougher and less polished Ilian in tho northern cultural areas might be due to the fact that abundant supplies of good stone were available locally. Most of the large 5 adzes and gouges had been collected and were in the museum, and the object of tho paper was to draw attention to tho many unpolished (hipped tools to which hitherto littd • attention had been given. The details by which these might be recognised Mr Knapp suggested that the tools were made from < luuu . flakes, and were not struck off in different slopes for certain purposes. The keen eye of the dusky artificer know at a glance how tho flakes could be of service. Hence, few were wasted, and in ibis way the Tasman Bay and Star Bav nnlives had in use a wonderful variety of makes and slopes, which sfchey used in canoe building. Even after the canoe was built, much remained to be done in making tho hull smooth. Stone scrapers wore necessary as well as sandstone rubbers for smoothing down a car.oe. The figurehead or ! sternpost owed its beauty to the open | finish of its design, and hence drills and borers were all important tools in the carving work. The writer classified these into ten distinct sets, each with «»i accompanying figure, each of which was mentioned. He also referred to the beautiful greenstone chisels which were worked at a low angle for shallow In the course of his paper, repeated attention was drawn bv Air Knapn to 1 the remarkable resemblance existing 1 between Tasman Bay art and those from kitchen middens of North-West-then more particularly referred to. ancl their uses and peculiarities noted. In this way. about fifty sets were dealt with, tho lecturer’s remarks being often illustrated by drawings. The whole series. Mr Knapp said, must be taken as indicative of the genius and industry of the ancient canoe builders. _ They demonstrated how those Maori experts of Tasman Bay evidently took nride in "their work, since they elaborated and brought into use such a wonderful variety of implements to enable them successfully to execute the detail and finish of their canoe ornamentation.

It is announced that the embargo on tho importation of dogs from the Old Country, imposed because of an outbreak of rabies, bus been iifted. The period of quarantine, however, is extended. Formerly the period was six i* onths, and it was decided to include the time taken on the voyage out. It will now be six months in addition to the rime of tho voyage. A pleasant function took place at Messrs Davidson and Wauchop’s warehouse, on Saturday morning,, when members of the various stuffs assembled to make a presentation to Air A. L. Sugden, country salesman, who has now severed his connection with the firm to enter business on his own account. Mr W. C. Flewellvn. senior salesman, in presenting to Mr Sugden a handsome set- of razors and a cigarette case, spoke of the happy relations between Air Sugden and the various staffs during his four years’ connection with the firm, and wished him all good luck in his new venture. Mr Flewellyn’s remarks were endorsed by Mr A. Todd on behalf of the office staff, and Mr J. Lattimore. on behalf of the storey staff. Mr Sugden briefly re-