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Industrial Bulletin. Experience lias shown that manufacturers appreciate anc! need the service instituted. The service given has developed like the proverbial snowball, and with the pending reconversion from wartime to peacetime production the pressure of work will indubitably increase, as the mailing list is rapidly growing through manufacturers telling colleagues of valuable aid received. Close liaison is maintained with the Manufacturers' Research Committee of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and full co-operation has been built up and a mutual agreement reached, whereby a maximum service can be given, Industries and Commerce handling the dissemination of proved developments, and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research undertaking the cases where scientific research is necessary. Liaison As in past years, close liaison has been maintained with representatives of overseas Governments in New Zealand for the exchange of information. Publications have been made available to the Library of Congress and the Bureau of Commerce and Foreign Trade, Washington, D.C., the Acting Canadian Government Trade Commissioner, the Netherlands East Indies, Swiss, and Chinese Consulates, also the office of the High Commissioner for Australia in New Zealand. Reciprocal courtesies have been extended by these offices to our mutual advantage. Assistance has also been afforded the I.E.A. Office, the United States Joint Purchase Board, and other organizations. Membership has been retained in the New Zealand Libraries' Association, and the utmost co-operation has been given and received in the interloan service. In all other ways possible the library staff has participated in the activities of the Association. This contact is most valuable and the free exchange of ideas and information has been most beneficial. Manufacturers' Directory ' The last issue of the " Directory of N.Z. Manufacturers " was 1939, brought up to date by the preparation of a supplement in 1941. With the great advances made in manufacturing and the many inquiries being made from overseas, it has been decided, in collaboration with the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation, to issue a new and improved " Directory," and work on this is now well in hand. " Newsletters " The Department's Newsletter is being produced, and this provides a background of information to all Ministers, Government representatives, and departmental officers overseas on economic, industrial, and social trends in the Dominion. The mailing list was expanded during the year to include the Officer in Charge of Administration, 2nd N.Z.E.F., M.E.F., and the Public Relations Officer in the same area. Overseas Trade Inquiries During the year the Department received many inquiries regarding trade possibilities. Countries from which inquiries came were Iran, Palestine, Egypt, India, South Africa, China, and Switzerland. A delegation from the Netherlands East Indies also visited the Dominion. All such inquiries were widely distributed. Amongst items sought were canned vegetables and fruit, canned meat, hides and skins, electrical equipment, cordials, essences, flax, wool and woollen piece goods, ale, ceramics, &c. Many of the requests were based on post-war potentialities for trade, and much useful information has been distributed that should be beneficial in the re-establishment of normal trade relationships. INDUSTRIAL FAIRS After a lapse of four years the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association revived the New Zealand Industries Fair. The display was an outstanding success, and a feature was the number of working models, which gave visual evidence of the processes of manufacture. As a demonstration of the progress the Dominion has made in manufacturing the fair was an unparalleled success. The Government court was greatly appreciated, embodying as it did a spacious and comfortable lounge, while the cinema was attended by thousands of citizens. In November the Dunedin Manufacturers' Association held its first fair in many years. The theme was production for war. This fair was visited by the Hon. Mr. Forde, Deputy Prime Minister for Australia, and party, all of whom spoke in highly eulogistic terms of the quality of Dominion manufactures. The Government court was transferred from Christchurch to Dunedin, and here again it was an unqualified success. STANDARDS INSTITUTE The activities of this Section of the Department are covered in a separate report.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (1,480 copies), £35

By Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington.—l94s.

Price (id. 1

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