CIVIL ENGINEERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 134, 23 February 1918, Page 12

CIVIL ENGINEERS

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

NEW PRESIDENT INDUCI'Li)

Ilie annual conforence of delegates of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers was resumed at the Concert Chamber at 10.30.a.m. oil Thursday. The president (Mr. J. Blair Masoi/) occupied the chair. The secretary (Mr. It. S. Hountlnvaite) announced that seventy-sis delegates had attended" the conference —tho largest attendance to date.

During tho morning the conference occupied itself with the subject of mass concrete bridges, papers being supplied by Messrs. C. J.. M'Kenzie and J E. Cull (of the Government service) on the bridges which have recently beoi? constructed on the Otago Central railway route.

Mr. R. W. Holmes (Engineer-in-Chief) read a brief paper (by Mr. \V. G. Pearce) on "The Buckling of t'to Permanent Way Between Culverden"Waiau." The paper gave rise to a discussion on tlie effect of tempera* ture on metals, with a particular re® gard to the elfect of_ mid-summer temperatures on steel rail tracks. Messrs. Holmes, M'Andrew, and Marchbanks participated in the discussion. ( Induction of Now President. In presiding at the induction of the new president, Mr. S. A. E. Mair, Mr. J. B. Mason congratulated tlie society ou the work done during the sonference, and its value from an educative standpoint. lie .thanked the delegates for the courtesy they had shown him. In the gentleman who was to succeed him in office, they were fortune in getting one of considerable exferieiice, who had taken a living interest in the foundation of the society. (Applause.) He had great pleasure in calling upon Mr. Mair to assume the office of president. As a county man he knew a good deal about' roads, a question of paramount importance, and one which he felt would receive just attention. He hoped that the roads o( tho Dominion would be very much improved under the guidance of the members of tho society:

Mr. Mair thanked the conference for. the honour it had done him, as it was an honour to all local government engineers. He recognised that there were many members more' able and competent than himself, and it would be difficult; for ■ him to follow the eminent gentlemen who had occupied the chair. As to tho foundation of_ the society, it was a matter of material; tho right material came readily to hand, and they had worked well, not so much for themselves as for the whole of the people of New Zealand. It had struck liiir., as it must have struck others, tlnit civil engineers were working in the dark; that, working apart, they were not doing their best, and that a change could only be brought about by meeting in conference. After a ■time ho was ablo to consult neighbouring engineers, viz., Mr. Jickell (of J'iilmersten North), Mr. "Wright (Patea), -and Mr. Harding (now at the front, and so their, ideas at length, took definite form. Reference had been mado to Mr. "William Ferguson, who from the heights had descended the ladder to tako us by the hand. (Applause.) He would never forget his words at. the Auckland conference, when he said—"l owe much to engineering, and I desire to do something fur it." He gave the reminder, finally, that whilst the engineers camo together in conference to learn of one another, their aim and desire was to benefit the community by tho knowledge they gained. (Applause.)