LABORATORIES FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES ei 



primarily to assist the officers of the Excise Department of the 

 Inland Revenue in the performance of their duties, other 

 Government Departments obtained the permission of the Trea- 

 sury to avail themselves of the services of the " Somerset House " 

 chemists. This larger sphere of usefulness was gradually extended 

 until in course of time the laboratory came to undertake work 

 for nearly every department. 



By the Food and Drugs Act of 1875 the chemical officers of 

 the Inland Revenue were made the official referees in disputed 

 cases under the Act, and provision was made for the examination 

 of tea on importation, by persons to be appointed by the Com- 

 missioners of Customs. At a later date, the principal of the 

 laboratory was appointed Chief Agricultural Analyst by the 

 Board of Agriculture in connection with the administration of 

 the Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act. 



With the growth of the demand on the part of the various 

 Public Departments for advice and assistance in matters in- 

 volving chemical knowledge, it became apparent that the arrange- 

 ment under which the staff of the Laboratory was composed 

 entirely of Revenue Officers appointed by and subject to the 

 authority of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise was no 

 longer a satisfactory one. With the view, therefore, of placing 

 all Departments on the same footing as regards the use of the 

 laboratory and of promoting the centralisation, as far as prac- 

 ticable, of government chemical work, the Treasury intimated, 

 towards the end of 1910, its intention of asking Parliament to 

 provide for the expenses of the laboratory under a separate vote 

 as from 1st April, 1911. 



The new department thus constituted is known under the 

 official title of " The Department of the Government Chemist." 



The change in administrative arrangements was accompanied 

 by important changes in the method of staffing the laboratory. 



As has already been stated, all posts on the staff of the 

 laboratory were formerly filled by Revenue Officers, and there 

 was no avenue by which admission could be obtained to the 

 establishment of the laboratory except through the Customs 

 and Excise Service. While it was generally recognised that 

 there were many advantages to be gained by continuing to 

 employ Revenue Officers on Revenue work, no good reason 

 seemed to exist for confining laboratory appointments to 

 Revenue Officers in so far as the non-revenue work was con- 



