Antarctic Research Committee Report of Chairman to Half-Yearly Meeting

After some delay, the committee has now been informed that Trans-Antarctic Expedition (N.Z.) Inc. accepted the Royal Society's offer for the above committee to take over responsibility for arrangements for the publication of scientific results and disposal of collections T.A.E. (NZ) has now wound up Thus A.R.C. (previously an advisory committee now takes on an executive function.

The Chairman attended a meeting of the Scientific Sub-committee of T.A.E. at which this position was confirmed and the scientific work discussed.

T.A.E. (U.K.) has plans for publication of the scientific work of the expedition and it was suggested that the reports from the New Zealand end should be offered for this series in the first instance.

The committee proposes to invite specialists to undertake work on the collections, as soon as lists of material collected are available. Already some preliminary negotiations are in hand in respect to the lichens and the fossil plants, Conchostraca and fish remains from the Beacon Sandstone.

The committee will endeavour to implement its earlier recommendations that collections made by New Zealand scientists in Ross Dependency should be deposited in New Zealand institutions as a basis for the future extension of biological and geological reasearch by New Zealanders in that region.

To implement the above recommendation, it is proposed that the Directors of the Dominion Museum and the Geological Survey be asked to take custody of the biological and geological collections respectively, and arrange for curation and cataloguing, prior to distribution to specialists under such terms as will ensure the return of types and reference specimens to New Zealand.

Council is asked to endorse the general policy expressed in the above proposals.

C. A. Fleming