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Asbestos-cement Roofing-sheets. —Good progress has been made with the drafting of a Code of Practice for the Fixing of Asbestos-cement Roofing-sheets. Plywoods.—A Standard Specification providing for three grades of commercial plywoods has been issued. By laying down minimum requirements in respect of the number and thickness of plies, the thickness of the finished plywood, the assembly of the plywood, including glueing and pressing, and the defects which are permitted in the various grades, this Standard Specification will prove of valuable assistance to manufacturers and users, and will do much to ensure the satisfactory use of a local product as part of the building programme. Fire-resistance Ratings. —Consequent upon the adoption of the British Standard for SmaU-scale Tests to determine Fire Resistance, the question of providing for full-scale tests has been further examined. The completion of a Standard Specification for these larger tests is dependent upon the installation of suitable testing equipment, the erection of which, it is understood, is now receiving consideration. Joinery and Profiles. —A committee has been set up to undertake the standardization of profiles for weatherboards, flooring, matchlining, and mouldings, and is basing its work upon a comprehensive survey of the profiles at present being produced which is being carried out by the State Forest Service. On the basis of this information the committee is selecting the profiles which, according to experience, will prove most satisfactory in use without unduly hampering production. A draft Standard Specification for Profiles for Joinery and Mouldings has been approved for circulation for comment, while a similar specification in respect of weatherboards, flooring, and matchlining is now being drafted. The diversity of profiles at present called for by users, together with the lack of uniform practice in machining profiles, has created a problem which has long exercised all concerned with the timber industry. Manufacturers have been obliged to carry an excessive number of cutter heads and to set up machines for the production of uneconomical runs of various patterns, or, alternatively, to carry excessive stocks to meet the unduly diversified demand. The user, too, has been equally inconvenienced by the delay and expense entailed in obtaining matching sizes for extension and repair work. It is hoped, however, that 80 per cent, of the dimension requirements for flooring, weatherboarding, and matchlining will be met by the Standard profiles now being selected. There will, of course, bo a continued demand for special profiles for repair and extension work, but the establishment of a Standard Specification will have the effect of gradually eliminating non-standard profiles. The importance qf standardization in relation to joinery and timber generally is well indicated by the fact that one of the biggest local manufacturers of joinery has stated that the full application of standardization to joinery would reduce the cost of this item by an average of £75 for each house. Builders' Hardware.- —At the request of the Organization, for National Development, Standard Specifications are being prepared for builders' hardware in order to facilitate the transfer of production from munitions to civilian requirements as a phase of post-war reconstruction, and to enable our local industries to operate on the most economic basis. By specifying an adequate, yet not unduly diversified, range of hardware, the Standard Specifications will assist to maintain local production at a high level, while at the same time reducing production costs to a minimum. Timber Ladders. —A special committee has been set up to prepare a Standard Specification for Timber Ladders suitable for general use, including use by electric linesmen. In addition to specifying the dimensions and strength of the runners and rungs, the Standard Specification will provide for reinforcing in such a way that the reinforcing-wire will not involve the risk of shock to linesmen using the ladders in electrical installation and repair work. PRIMARY INDUSTRIES Farm Implements Sectional Committee. —After consultation with the manufacturing and other affected interests, a Farm Implements Sectional Committee has been set up to explore the whole question of the application of standardization to farm implements with the object of securing for the farming industry the benefits which can be achieved in this way. At its initial meeting the sectional Committee set up two working committees, one dealing with tillage-machinery parts, and the other with harvesting machinery. The advantages which will accrue to the users of agricultural machinery through standardization of wearing parts are very substantial. Standardization would probably mean a reduction in the cost of these parts and elimination of costly and annoying delays in cultivation, harvesting, &c., due to inability to obtain replacements for parts which are not interchangeable. In particular, these considerations apply to such parts as plough-shares, knife sections for mowers and binders, points for the various types of cultivators, teeth and bolts for diamond harrows, disks for disk ploughs, threads for grease and oil cups, and so on. Manufacturers will also benefit progressively by the elimination of an unnecessary multiplicity of types, since concentration of production upon a limited but adequate range will permit longer production runs with consequently reduced production costs. It will also avoid the necessity for manufacturers and distributors to carry stocks of an unnecessary diversified range of wearing parts. Garden Implements. —Draft Standard Specifications have been prepared for shovels, rakes, spades, and hoes. These draft Specifications establish minimum requirements in respect of such factors as the strength of handles, the attachment of blades, &c., to the handles, composition and thickness of metal, with the object of ensuring that garden implements conforming to these provisions will prove efficient in use and have an adequate service life.