SCIENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10132, 10 January 1911, Page 5

SCIENCE.

CABLE NEWS

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyrignt.

THE AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION.

TWELFTH SESSION

(Received Last Night, 9.10 0'c103.c.) SYDNEY, Last Night,

The twelfth Session of the Australian Association for the Advau ">- ment of Science opened in the Sydney University to-day, under the presidency of Professor Masson, «,f Melbourne.

Over five hundred delegates, who are thoroughly representative of the Commonwealth ,and New Zealand, are participating. At the conclusion of the for ml proceedings, the committees of the various sections, got to work. Professor Marshall, of New Zealand, as President of the Zoological Section, delivered an address dealing with the western margin of the Pacific basin. Professor Marshall's conclusions were that the real boundary of the south-west Pacific passes through. New Zealand, the Kermadecsv Tonga, Fiji, New Hebrides, Solomon and Admiralty Islands; that the land connection,, or approximation, took place in the late mesozoic or pleistocene age, probably the latter; and that the Eastern Pacific is a land of different structure, nature and origin from the lands on this line, and that they are peopled by chaise immigrants from them. The Congress awarded |he. "Muller" memorial medal to Mr; '.Etheridge, curator of the Sydney in recognition; of nis;jservices:to;science. ■v "delivered in the Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy section, on the subject, "Advances in Physics." Professor Laby paid a high tribute to Professor Bragg. He declared that it was interesting to find that physicists trained in Australian Xlniversities are advancing in science in all parts of the world. He enumerated a list of those prominent by recent discQ7»i'ies, Pealing with \\& j*]h tiquity, of the 'earth,* as me&sllrciJ b? Professor .Strutt's helium theory,. ho said: "We may safely conclude that the antiquity of the earth is at least three million years, without doing violence to geologists' The second part of the' Professor's paper dealt new 'principle of the.relativity of fepdies.

Professor Sugden, of Melbourne, read an,interesting paper oh the impprtance s ;o£: musfeas ah education. he saidrawotild never hecome a musical country without a general diffusion of musical knowledge.

A BRILLIANT GATHERING. '

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

-Received This Morning,, 12.35 o'clock SYDNEY, January 9/

. There was.a brilliant gathering in the; University tonight /to. hear Pro-.;' fcssor Masson deliver his : •presjclontiai 1 : address.--.' '■■<■■•;■";-\ ■"-. '.. ■•••'• .-■•■'■■ Lord Chelmsford presided. ; Professor'-Masson.'exhaustively, re- j viewed i'the progress of chemical J science. He . made congratulatory references to the work of Australasian students, particularly that ot Professors Rutherford and Bragg. He warned Auslrsjinn Universities' against their tendencies to'iWote attention solely to utilitarian objects. ' " - ■ .*