obtained should enable him to complete the preparation of a paper on the results of the investigation. Grantee has in hand a balance of £23/-/-.

Mr. G. Archey, who in 1926 was granted £40 for a study of new species of New Zealand Centipedes and Millipedes, reported on the 30th November that owing to the removal of the Auckland Museum to its new building and the work entailed he has been unable to make any appreciable progress in this research during the year. The completion of the papers mentioned in the last report has moreover been prevented by the lack of response of those abroad to whom specimens were sent for comparison with types. No further expenditure has been incurred and the balance in the hand of grantee is £7/7/6.

Mr. B. C. Aston, who early in 1928 took over the remainder of Dr. Malcolm's grant on the Pharmacology of New Zealand plants, reported on the 15th November that so far no work has been done on this research, but it is hoped to obtain supplies of pukateine during the coming summer. The grant stands at £9/16/7 in the hands of the Institute. Mr. Aston subsequently reported on the 12th December that arrangements have been completed for a supply of a large quantity of the Pukatea tree. When this reaches Wellington steps will be taken to prepare the material required for the study of the physiological action of the active principles.

Professor W. N. Benson, who in 1925 was granted £50 for preparing rock sections of the Dunedin region, reported on the 21st November that the investigation of the geology of the Dunedin district has been considerably advanced during the year by his students and himself. Surveys have been made of the Flagstaff-Swampyridge and the Upper Waitati Valley, and of the Seacliff district, while a survey has been commenced of the region between these two areas. He has been mapping the Otago Peninsula while work between Signal Hill and Port Chalmers is now in progress. No further expenditure has been incurred, and the balance which the Institute has in hand is £27/5/-.

Mr. G. Brittin, who in 1919 was granted £100 for research in fruit tree diseases, reported on the 18th December that the usual routine work of spraying and pruning had been carried out during the year with slight variation, and the efficacy of the late autumn spray had been tested out. Grantee has a balance in hand of £2/18/3.

Mr. A. E. Brookes, who early in the year was granted £40 for the study of Coleoptera of the Islands off the Auckland Coast, reported on the 28th November that he could not report any progress as he had not received his grant. Grantee has been informed that he has not applied for any portion of his grant.

Dr. K. M. Curtis, who early in the year was granted £50 for an investigation into the diseases of tomatoes, reported on the 4th December that glasshouse and out-of-door tests for resistance to “Mildew” of tomato due to the fungus Cladosporium fulvum were made on 20 varieties of tomato which included local and English varieties. The local varieties were included as controls for the purpose of comparison. The English and American varieties were imported by the Cawthron Institute because of their reputed excellence of yield and of their resistance to this fungus. The percentage of infection of all varieties during the 1922 season has been secured and the results are now ready for publication. The whole of the grant has been expended in rent of a glasshouse and of a field.

Mr. W. C. Davies, who in 1921 was granted £50 for research on soil bacteria and protozoa, reported on the 1st December that investigations chiefly on the bacterial flora of the Pakihi soils of the West Coast have been continued during the year, and further work correlated with the Cawthron Institute's manuring and liming experiments in that neightbourhood is now in progress. The whole of the grant has been expended.

Professor Easterfield, who between 1921 and 1926 was granted £400 for research on orchard fruits, reported on 24th December that the research on the cool storage of fruit has been continued and extended: (1) In the direction of a more critical examination of relative humidity on the incidence

of break-down, of the effect of orchard conditions, particularly of manuring, upon resistance to break-down, and (2) the comparative resistance value of fruit grown upon different root stocks, and in the factors influencing the incidence of Jonathan spot. The whole of the grant has been expended and it is proposed to submit an account of the experiments to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research with a view to publication in the N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology.

Dr. C. C. Farr, who in 1924 was granted £250 and in 1927 an additional £150 for research on Helium in New Zealand, reported on the 26th November that the work has been carried on vigorously during the year by Mr. Rogers and himself, in all about 80 samples of gas collected from different gas effusions having been examined both for their helium content and also chemically by Mr. Gray of Canterbury College. The results show that helium is very wide spread in New Zealand gas effusions, but the quantities so far found are not sufficient for commercial working with one possible exception. During the year Mr. Rogers was awarded a National Scholarship which enabled the work to be carried on more vigorously and he spent much time in the field collecting gas. The results obtained will be published shortly. The total expenditure to date has been £254/15/11.

Dr. C. C. Farr, who in 1921 was granted £15 for research on the physical properties of gas-free sulphur, reported on the 26th November that the research has been carried on as time permitted, and a paper by Dr. McLeod and Dr. Farr was read before the Royal Society of London, and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 118. Further work is still in progress, and there has been no expenditure during the year, the balance remaining at £4/18/1.

Professor D. C. H. Florance, who early in the year was granted £38 for research on oscillation crystals and supersonic waves, reported on the 22nd November that the apparatus purchased has formed the nucleus of a research on the dispersion of ultrasonic waves in air. Piezo-electric crystal oscillators are used to generate ultrasonic waves in air, the wavelength being measured by causing the ultrasonic beam to be reflected back towards the crystal thus setting up standing waves. This research is being conducted by one of Professor Florance's demonstrators, and the work done has been used as a thesis for honours in physics. Work is being continued and it is hoped that the subject of dispersion in several gases may be investigated. There is a balance of £4/15/- in the hands of the Institute.

Mr. F. W. Foster, who in 1923 was granted £25 for collating the MSS. of the late Sir David Hutchins, reported on 30th November that he is still working on “Exotic Trees” and “Forest Policy” sections. Section 1 on “Native Trees and Forests” is practically completed. So far no portion of the grant has been paid to Mr. Foster.

Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, who in 1926 was granted £50 for a calculating machine, reported on the 18th December that the machine is continually in use in making calculations of the returns from wheat experimental plots, manurial trials and milk yield records. It has greatly facilitated the preparation of various publications.

Mr. H. Hill, who in 1917 was granted £20, and in 1925 an additional £20, wrote giving a summary of the work undertaken and expenditure incurred and expressing his disappointment that his recommendations for putting down trial bores for water on the Taupo Plains have not been approved. The grant has been wholly expended.

Dr. J. K. H. Inglis, who between 1923 and 1928 has been granted £85 for research on the essential oils of Native Plants, reported on the 1st December that during the year work has been carried on by four of his students on (1) oils in the various species of rata, (2) oil in Dacrydium Colensoi, (3) Dacrydium cupressium, (4) Podocarpus totara and (5) Podocarpus dacrydioides. Further work will be undertaken in 1929. The whole of the grant has been expended except for a balance in hands of grantee of £4/19/1.

Mr. G. Jobberns, who in 1926 and 1927 was granted £75 for work on the correlation of shore platforms of the N.E. Coast of the South Island,

reported on the 14th November that a paper embodying the results of his research will appear in Part 3 of Volume 59, Trans. N.Z. Institute. During the coming vacation he will do some necessary field work for the preparation of a supplementary paper dealing mainly with the various gravel deposits in the N.E. portion of the South Island. It is hoped that this study will throw some light on the problems connected with the later Tertiary and Post Tertiary earth movements in this part of New Zealand. Grantee has in hand a balance of £18/0/4.

Mr. F. V. Knapp, who in 1925 was granted £25 for research on Maori Artifacts, reported on the 19th December that the only work for the current year had been carried out at the Rush Pool, Matai Valley. He would like the grant of which there is a balance of £15/6/- extended for another year.

Mr. R. M. Laing, who in 1924 was granted £100 for research on the N.Z. Algae, reported on the 17th November that a paper on N.Z. Bangiales was published in Volume 59, Part 1, Trans. N.Z. Institute. Since then he has been engaged chiefly on the non-foliose species of the genus Gigartina which in other parts of the world, e.g., Japan, Great Britain, Hawaii, has considerable commercial importance. A paper on the subject has been prepared in conjunction with Mr. Gourlay. It is chiefly systematic, illustrated, and gives considerable presumptive evidence of the existence of hybrids within the genus. Grantee hopes next year to complete the work on this genus. Expenditure during the year amounted to £10/17/1, leaving a balance in hands of the Institute of £23/15/-.

Dr. J. Malcolm, who from 1919 to 1926 was granted £631/3/7 for research on the composition of N.Z. Fishes, reported on the 11th December that the experiments on vitamin content and the chemical analysis of Stewart Island oysters during the season from March to October were finished, and the results are about to be published as Part 10 of the series. In November an analysis was made of Picton herrings and communicated to the Fisheries Department. The unexpended balance of the grant, £2/13/2, has been refunded by Dr. Malcolm.

Dr. E. Marsden, who in 1924 was granted £60 for seismological research, has now relinquished the grant.

Mosquito Control Committee, which in 1925 was granted £300 and in 1927 an additional £100, forwarded a detailed report of the research officer employed by this committee, and the work he has completed, and that proposed to be undertaken. An application for an additional grant of £205 has been recommended by the Research Grants Committee but has not been approved by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The whole of the previous grant has been expended.

Mr. W. J. Phillipps, who in 1924 was granted £30 for research on N.Z. Fishes, reported on the 7th December that since 1926 the following have been published, “A Check List of the Fishes of New Zealand,” “Mortality of Avon Trout, N.Z.,” “A Bibliography of N.Z. Fishes.” In addition numerous notes have been handed to Mr. Elsdon Best for use if necessary in his forthcoming bulletin on the Fresh Water Fish. Two notes on fish taken ascending with whitebait are in print in the N. Z. Journal of Science and Technology, and other material will be published eventually as a Dominion Museum hand book. The whole of the grant has been expended.

Mr. A. W. B. Powell, who in 1925 was granted £50 for a survey of the Molluscan Fauna of Manakau Harbour, reported on the 29th November that four papers on this research have been published in the Transactions. The microscope purchased with the grant has been useful in the preparation of the papers. Expenditure during the year amounted to £1/11/6, the balance in hand being £4/-/-.

Mr. W. F. Short, who during 1925 and 1926 was granted £175 for research on the constitution of several constituents of N.Z. Essential Oils, reported on the 26th November that his investigation of sesquiterpene aromadendrene has been ozonised and the products examined. The main product is a ketone C₁₄H₂₈O, the properties of which were described by him