SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
Activities of the Institute. 
SS. 
IMPORTANT INVESTIGATIONS. 
A review of the record of work performed by the Institute of Science 
and Industry during the last three months discloses important advances 
in several of the investigations which are being carried out. 
Prickrty Prar. 
The Commonwealth Government and the State Governments of 
New South Wales and Queensland having agreed to the scheme for the 
investigation of the prickly pear problem proposed by the Institute, in-~ 
volving an expenditure of £8,000 per annum for five years, the question 
as to what steps should be taken to bring it into force has been fully 
and carefully considered. The scheme provides for the appointment 
of a biologist at a salary of £1,200 per annum to control the scientific . 
work, and a recommendation has been made that Professor T. Harvey 
Johnston, Department of Biology, Queensland University, be appointed 
to that position. A small Special Committee, consisting of the chief 
officer of the Institute and a representative of each of the States of 
New South Wales and Queensland, has been appointed to control the 
business side of the investigations. 
~Browrry Persrt. 
Substantial progress has been made with the inquiries into the sheep 
blowfly pest. The Institute has been in communication with Professor 
Lefroy on this matter, and has made a grant of £100 for further in- 
quiries before introducing the parasites into Australia. A report has 
been received from Professor Lefroy on steps to be taken for receiving 
the insects in Australia. A further report as to the nature and habits 
of the parasites is expected. Every precaution will, of course, be taken 
before recommending that any parasites be liberated, or even introduced 
experimentally into this country, and the Institute will work in full co- 
operation in this matter with the Quarantine Department. In New 
South Wales experiments are now being carried out to test on a large 
scale results previously obtained. This work is being performed in 
co-operation with the New South Wales Department of Agriculture. 
Experiments at Roma, Queensland, are also being followed up. The 
effect of Chalcid wasps, which destroy the larve of the flies, is being 
tested, and highly encouraging results have been obtained from the 
jetting of the sheep with a dip containing arsenious oxide in solution. 
A brief report of the work was published in Science and Industry, 
No. 8. : 
36 
