I attended the Annual Conference of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, at Hobart, from the 16th - 20th March,
and took part in one of the post-sessional excursions to HydroElectric Works and to Bell Bay Aluminium Plant from the 21st - 23rd. Sessions devoted to technical papers were well organised and occupied in all two full days in the week; technical sessions alternated with visits to laboratories and hydro-electric installations etc., which occupied another two days of the conference week.
Technical papers were given in two concurrent sessions dealing with different branches of engineering. In each session
two papers, printed and circulated to members before the conference, occupied a morning or afternoon period; the speaker had threequarters to one hour to explain his paper followed by discussion lasting some forty minutes. In each case, discussion was opened by an appointed discussion leader whose associations or experience made his contribution particularly well worthwhile. This pattern for the presentation of technical papers might well be followed in some of the sessions in science congresses; it provides full development of both paper and discussion; the only valid criticism of the Hobart sessions is that some of the discussion leaders spoke for fifteen minutes or more and thus restricted general discussion.
Local engineers and engineering organisations, particularly the Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania, were most generous and hospitable, but in general the excursions were not well run on the technical side; much more information could have been presented in summary or by local engineers had such been allocated to individual buses.
The value of this conference to the engineering geologist was derived from technical papers, as those on penstocks,
pre-stressed dams and the Great Lake development; from many unofficial discussions with engineers and H.E.C. geologists on foundation problems, seismic hazards, materials for dams and tunnelling costs and problems; and from observations in the field as to how problems have been tackled. Of considerable importance are the new contacts made in the field of engineering from which assistance or opinions may be obtained in future work. The most important of the contacts made in Hobart are listed in Appendix I. All of these men are most approachable and co-operative and would be happy to help in our work.
The following summary of the Conference is restricted to information likely to be of use or interest to the Geological
Section; it has been gleaned from technical papers, unofficial discussion and from observations at hydro-electric installations.