PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2574, 23 September 1915, Page 3

PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

SEARCHLIGHT CARBONS. . i A meeting' of tie Wellington Philosophical Societv was held in the Dominion Museum last night, Mr.. T. King, F.R.A.S., presiding. . . i "The Manufacture of Searchlight Car-' bons" .was the title of a lecture given by, Professor T. H. Basterfield, M.A., Ph.D., and Mr: A. Dougall. Interesting reference was made by Professor . Basterfield, in the opening stages of his lectiire' to,.the or supply\of carbons, for the British Navy. .It was said, remarked the lecturer, that, up to a few years ago carbons were largely manufactured by .German and Austrian firms, and the British Navy was solely dependent upon .Germany for her supply. It was pointed out' to the British, Naval authorities a, few years ago that if war broke out British, warships would,-consequent upon, the supply being'cut olf, be unable to play their searchlights. The Naval authorities fortunately took.' the advice, and subsidised some British firms to manufacture carbon^.-. . ' '. / . •Professor Eapterfield .went on to say, that when war, broke out he had been honoured by being approached by -the ; Defence Department to see if lie would be prepared To guarantee a supply-of. searchlight 'carbons. The, speaker said 1 he first consulted Messrs. William Ferguson and A. Dougall, of the Wellington Gas Company, and fortunately, with the assistance of the.company, they had beeti abl# to make a carbon that; had been capable of; doing its jvork. A most interesting ;>apo'r" was read by Mr. , G./ Hogben, M.A., F.G.S.,' C:M.G:,V entitled "East Coast Earthquakes, September and November," 1914." Mr.-Hogben, in tracing the origin -of last year, exhibited a number of charts taken by his recorder.

•': Votes. of, thanks : to the lecturers concluded -the -meeting:' , :