H—34

The table printed below shows the number of samples examined during the year by the Dominion Laboratory and its branches :

The activities of the Laboratory are briefly summarized below. Rocks, Minerals, and Clays Rocks for analysis included samples of limestone, marl, phosphate rock, chalk, arkose, diatomite, and serpentine for use in the manufacture of serpentine-superphosphate. Minerals, for which in most cases highly accurate complete analyses were made for the Geological Survey, included monazite, garnet, titanite (sphene), thorite, clinochlore magno-morenosite (a new mineral), biotite, phlogopite, feldspar, norite, and hornblende sphene. Owing to the small amounts available of such minerals it is frequently necessary to use micro-methods, and for this purpose a micro-balance is being obtained. Quantities of radio-active elements present in beach concentrates were determined, and much time was devoted to the development of more accurate methods for the determination of uranium and thorium.

51

Dominion 1 Auckland Christchureh Dunedin Contributor or Department. Laboratory, Wellington. Branch. Branch. Branch. Agriculture Air 20 329 23 39 368 3 Army 13 12 7 Broadcasting 2 1 18 Customs 242 2 Education 4 12 Pood Controller Forestry 8 13 8 ■Government Printer 1^985 Health 4,211 5^602 6^747 Housing 160 28 5 Hydro-electric 94 Industries and Commerce 28 1 Internal Affairs 2 io3 154 " 9 6 Internal Marketing .. 13 Labour Lands and Survey 3 213 235 Local bodies i55 1 Main Highways Board 55 " 9 Marine 1 Mines ioi 5 1 5 Native 24 12 65 245 Navy Plunket Society Police 9 264 42 "48 124 7 15 Post and Telegraph 39 29 4 2 Prisons 104 31 ' 17 Public Works 231 15 Railways 26 3 40 131 Scientific and Industrial Research— 20 3 Dominion Laboratory Coal Survey 535 Dominion Physical Laboratory 41 a Geological Survey 183 O Plant Research Bureau 14 Botany Division 11 610 Plant Diseases Division 97 Soil Bureau 6 12 56 Unclassified 15 1 Standards Institute 8 57 93 State Advances Corporation 8 111 71 Miscellaneous 636 123 Total 7,615 7,034 7,873 2,581