C—2b

4

Maps, dec. —Mr. G. E. Harris, Draughtsman, during the year drew seven maps to be reproduced by photo-lithography for the bulletins on the Tuapeka, Gisborne, and Egmont districts. He prepared three mining maps for the Reefton Bulletin, one showing the lodes of the Tuapeka district, two for the Geological Survey Annual Report, and two that appeared in the Mines Statement. He also revised two survey district maps for republication. He prepared fifty-one drawings for line-blocks in connection with the Oamaru, Tuapeka, and Reefton reports, and five field-maps for use in the Egmont and Te Kuiti districts. In addition to miscellaneous draughting Mr. Harris read proofs and undertook some office-work. Staff. At the end of October, 1916, Mr. W. Gibson, 8.E., resigned as Assistant Geologist in order to take up more remunerative employment on the staff of the Broken Hill Associated Smelters Proprietary (Limited), Port Pirie, South Australia. Owing to war conditions it has not been considered advisable to fill the position thus vacated, or that of Palaeontologist, which has now been vacant for three years. The Director having been appointed Under-Secretary of Mines, the Geological Survey has been deprived in large measure of his services also. As another member of the staff will shortly join the military forces, and as the one remaining technical officer is a member of the Second Division, it is obvious that no settled plans for next season's field-work can be made. It therefore becomes my duty to point out that, in view of this fact and of the want of laboratory accommodation as described in the next paragraph, a stage has been reached at which the work of the Geological Survey is threatened with extinction. Opinions among the uninformed may differ as to the necessity for geological survey either in times of peace or of war, but my conviction is that, in the case of a prolonged world-war waged with all the appliances and artifices that the ingenuity of man can supply, the scientific survey of mineral resources is as much a necessity as the munition-factory. This fact has been recognized in Great Britain, and an organization to promote the survey and development of the Empire's mineral resources has been formed under the auspices of the Imperial Government. If New Zealand is to do her part in this work a strengthening of the technical staff of the Geological Survey, and probably also of the Mines Department proper, is required. Office and Laboratory Accommodation. Never in its history has the New' Zealand Geological Survey been provided with proper facilities for performing office and, more especially, laboratory work. For many years the officers have struggled against adverse conditions, but there has now come a time when I am compelled plainly to state that either better facilities must be given for the proper performance of the scientific work that falls to the lot of the officers or the official geological survey of New Zealand must be abandoned. The latter alternative, in view of the importance of a full and systematic investigation of the natural resources of this country, and in view of the knowledge now brought home to all classes of the community by the present war that scientific research of all kinds is an essential factor in the material progress of all civilized nations, can hardly be seriously entertained by any one. As stated above, geologic research in connection with mineral resources is a war necessity, but until the war ends an increase in the permanent staff of the Geological Survey is not advocated. The strengthening of the staff by the temporary appointment of suitabla men does appear desirable, but the point I wish to make in this part of my report is that any attempt to enlarge the scope of the Geological Survey, or even to continue work on the same scale as during the past ten or twelve years, will be almost useless unless the survey staff is placed in offices provided with the laboratory facilities indicated in the next section of this report. Scope, Organization, and Policy of the Geological Survey. Naturally the first duty of a national Geological Survey is systematically to investigate the rocks and minerals of the country with a view of obtaining a full knowledge of its general and economic geology; its second and not less important duty is to make the information obtained available to the community at large. The field-work necessary in geological investigations requires the exploration of the whole country by trained scientists, and special technical knowledge is necessary where underground researches have to be made. In all cases, before full information can be obtained, field-work has to be supplemented by investigation in the laboratory and thorough study of scientific literature. The necessary data having been collected, its presentation to the publio has to be undertaken. This involves the preparation of geological and topographical maps and the writing of clearly worded reports. It is not possible, however, to write a detailed geological report so that every part of it can be understood by the layman, but it is possible to write such reports so that technical and scientific men can obtain the information they require without difficulty. Miners, prospectors, and others, however, if without a good general education, may need to have considerable portions of even a well and clearly written report explained to them. For this and other reasons it is desirable that a Geological Survey should undertake a considerable amount of educational work, by arranging (1) to compile and publish general as well as special reports, and (2) to collect and distribute typical minerals, fossils, rocks, and other geological material to museums, to universities, and to schools—technical, secondary, and even primary. Requests for mineral specimens are frequently received from prospectors, and to satisfy these is desirable. In order that educational and other publications may be satisfactorily written the use of a large library of scientific books and periodicals is indispensable. In order to provide