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SECRETARY'S REPORT The Hon. D. G. Sullivan, Minister in Charge of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department. I have the honour to submit herewith the annual report of the Department for the year 1943-44. The - Council of Scientific and Industrial Research held five meetings during the year. The personnel of the Council is as follows: — Sir Theodore Rigg, M.A., M.Sc., F.1.C., F.R.S.N.Z., Director, Cawthron Institute, Nelson (Chairman). Dr. J. C. Andrews, Ph.D., M.Sc., Fertilizer-works Manager, Auckland. Professor E. R. Hudson, B.Sc., B.Agr., Dip.C.A.C., Director, Canterbury Agricultural College. Dr. R. 0. Page, D.Sc., Tannery-works Manager, Christchurch. Mr. J. M. Ranstead, Dip.C.A.C., Bledisloe Medallist, Matangi, Farmer. Professor W. Riddet, B.Sc. (Agric.), N.D.A., N.D.D., Massey Agricultural College. Mr. Sandys Wunscli, M.A. (Oxon.), B.Sc. (McGill), M.l.Chem.B., Assoc.lnst.M.M., F aetory-manager, E dendale. Mr. E. J. Fawcett, M.A. (Cantab.), Director-General of Agriculture. Dr. E. Marsden, C.8.E., M.C., D.Sc., F.R.S.N.Z. (Secretary). Mr. F. R„ Oallaghan, M.A., F.R.E.S. (Deputy Secretary). The expenditure of the Department during the year was as follows:— Permanent services— Head Office: Comprising general expenses of administration, publications (including the New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology and departmental bulletins), and grants to the Royal Society of New Zealand, the £ Imperial Institute, and the Carter Observatory .. 19,557 Dominion Laboratory (with branches) .. .. .. 34,796 Dominion Observatory .. .. .. . . .. 1,497 Geological Survey .. .. .. .. .. 10,407 Magnetic Observatory .. .. .. .. .. 3,684 Grants to Imperial Agricultural Bureaux .. .. 4,797 Dominion Physical Laboratory .. .. .. .. 73,729 Research investigations .. .. .. .. 138,510 286,977 Recoveries .. .. .. .. .. .. 83,948 £203,029 Crants were made to the following research organizations in Great Britain:— £ Imperial Agricultural Bureaux Headquarters .. .. .. 1,798 Cambridge Low Temperature Research Station .. .. .. 625 Farnham House Laboratory .. .. .. .. . . 937 Wool Industries Research Association, Torridon .. .. 62 Imperial Mycological Institute .. .. .. .. 438 Imperial Institute of Entomology .. .. .. .. 562 Imperial Bureau of Daiiy Science .. .. .. .. 141 Imperial Forestry Bureau .. .. .. .. . . 234 £4,797 The activities of the Department have continued to be concentrated on problems relating to the war, especially those concerned with physical, chemical, and food matters. A number of branches of the Department have been engaged on munition work, and thereby have both helped directly in the war effort and assisted New Zealand manufacturers in developing quality and quantity of output. Much attention has also been given to the scientific aspects of vegetable, fruit, and meat dehydration and to the packing of dried and other concentrated foodstuff's in a form suitable for Service requirements in the tropics. A considerable amount of survey and testing work has been done in connection with the Dominion's resources of coal, phosphate rock, serpentine, and clays, all of which are of increasing importance both in the war effort and for civil purposes. Consideration has been given to problems which have an immediate and post-war significance, by the Department's economic surveys of the dairy industry, its soil-fertility and soil-erosion surveys, its initiation of building research, and its development of a scheme for the promotion of research associations in manufacturing industry. Through industrial psychology investigations it lias also been possible to devote some attention to human problems vital both to the welfare of the workers and to the sound development of industry. The agricultural research Divisions of the Department have continued their valuable work towards maintaining a very high standard of crop and pasture seeds, preventing disease losses in many crops grown in somewhat exceptional circumstances, and in facilitating the production of high-quality dairy and grain products. Despite the difficulties of the war period it is pleasing to note that steady progress is also being made with problems relating to the Dominion's three main fibre industries —e.g., wool, linen flax, and phormium. Staff The staff of all sections of the Department, seriously depleted in numbers by the demands of war, has been obliged to deal with an increasing number of urgent problems. I wish to express appreciation of the zealous and loyal manner in which the staff has performed its duties during a difficult year. E. Marsden, Secretary.

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