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MEETINGS During the year 122 meetings of standing committees were held, in addition to numerous ad hoc meetings and conferences. STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS Regular Standard Specifications. —Thirty-one regular standard specifications were adopted during the year, 5 relating to household commodities, 5 to electrical engineering, 5 to mechanical engineering, 2 to building construction, 4 to chemistry, 5 to the dairy industry, 3 to plumbing, 1 to the control of boardinghouses, and 1 to cost accounting terminology. Of these, 18 were British standards which were endorsed as New Zealand standard specifications, in four cases with local amendment. In addition, 5 revised British standards were adopted as revisions of the corresponding New Zealand standard specifications. Five amendments to existing standard specifications were also adopted. One regular standard specification, which was superseded by an emergency standard specification, was withdrawn during the year, bringing the total number of existing regular New Zealand standard specifications to 498. Emergency Standard Specifications— Nineteen emergency standard specifications were adopted during the year, 8 relating to building construction and allied subjects, 8 to household commodities, 2 to primary industries, and 1 to the servicing of motorvehicles. Two emergency# standard specifications were revised, while amendments to 7 were also adopted. Ten were withdrawn during the year of which 8 were superseded by regular standard specifications, bringing the total number of existing New Zealand emergency standard specifications to 199. Summary. —The year's work has thus increased the grand total of New Zealand standard specifications to 697. Details of the standard specifications adopted, revised, amended, and withdrawn during the year are shown in the Appendix hereto. GENERAL The increasing demands made upon the standards organization during the year reflect a growing appreciation of the value and importance of standardization by all sections of the community, including local authorities; industrial, commercial, and trading interests; primary producers ; women's and workers' organizations ; and other consumer interests, all of whom have frequently placed on record their appreciation of the value and advantage of the work of the standards organization. The year's work, as shown by the number of standard specifications issued, the number of standard specifications sold, the number of projects advanced in development, and the growing interest in the use of the Standard Mark, leaves no doubt that New Zealand is holding its place in comparison with other countries in this important sphere. STANDARD MARK Licences issued. —During the year 150 applications for licences to use the Standard Mark were received from applicants engaged in fourteen different industries. In the same period, 147 licences were issued, bringing the total number of licences issued since 1944 to 572, of which 7 have been cancelled, leaving 565 in existence at the end of the year. The 572 licences which have been issued were distributed over the following commodities; household furniture (452), footwear (37), motor-car cleaning (16), schoolpaper stationery (12), leather dress gloves (7), regenerated lubricating-oil (5), paints (4),

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