into prominence, about which it becomes necessary tor the Go- 
vernment to have some early information, a member of the staff 
could always be instructed to make a special report thereon. J 
It will thus be seen that the Department was not established 
for the purpose of purely scientific research for its own sake, but 
with the hope that scientific investigation might be made of 
some material benefit to the proper utilisation of the State s 
natural resources. 
In such an enormous country as Western Australia it is 
obviously impossible to carry on the field work even by making 
use of the most modern methods, in a strictly uniform manner, 
especially as financial considerations necessitate a staff somewhat 
limited in numbers. 
In young, partially developed countries such as our own, 
there are two totally distinct classes of Geological Survey work 
necessary to meet public requirements. Ihe first, is the detailed 
examination of the more important mining centres, which are 
under active development, the accumulation of information re- 
lating to the occurrence of the various ore deposits and their 
mode of formation. The second is the preliminary examination 
of comparatively unknown tracts of country with the \ iew of 
ascertaining how far its geological characteristics are likely to 
affect its economic possibilities. 
Theoretically, the latter class of work should, as far as possible, 
be carried out in advance of the occupation of the country for 
mining or other purposes. Investigation of this lattei nature 
involves the tracing out of the distribution of the various forma- 
tions that rise from beneath one another, and occupy the surface 
of the country, and representing these by means of a carefully 
designed scheme of colours on a map, on a scale sufficiently laige 
to show all the geological and geographical details necessary. 
When viewed from the economic standpoint this is neither more 
nor less than a classification of the surface into parts, each of 
which may have useful minerals or other materials peculiar to 
itself. While, of course, such may be a true conception of what 
are theoretically the correct methods to employ, those of us 
who are charged with administrative duties are perfectly well 
aware that it is not what ought to be done, but what is possible 
to do with the resources at command, and the conditions pre- 
vailing at the time which govern the situation. 
Whichever class of geological work is carried out it is in- 
variably the case that it is in areas which have not been mapped 
with anv approach to accuracy, and that maps suitable as a 
basis for geological or mining woik aie piactically non-existent. 
If, of course, important geological surveys had to await the 
production of topographical maps, I am afiaid that much of the 
work would have to be indefinitely postponed ; hence, in recruiting 
