SCIENCE AND; INDUSTRY. 
forward. It is hoped that a reply may be received by cable in time 
to be presented to a conference which will take place in Sydney during 
the middle of February. 
Intimately connected with this matter is a proposal, which has been 
put forward in Victoria, that chemists should seek from each State 
Government power to close the profession. A Professional Chemists 
Bill has been drafted with the object of creating a Board similar to 
that now in existence in connexion with the dental and pharmaceutical 
professions, who shall besempowered to insist upon a certain standard 
of training for every person who practises chemistry. This Bill has 
been put forward with much enthusiasm by the Victorian members, 
who believe that the present time is favorable to the passage of such 
a measure into law. Under the-constitution of the Institute a State 
has power to deal with any local matter which does not affect the other 
States. Such a measure as this, although apparently local in its 
incidence, is intimately connected with the proposals for incorporation. 
If it is intended to incorporate on State lines, it would be highly 
desirable that the two matters should be put forward together, or the 
question of incorporation should first be dealt with. At the request 
of the Council, the Victorian Committee has withheld further action 
pending the Council’s decision regarding the question as a whole. 
Amongst other work which the Institute has already accomplished, 
mention may be made of the attention which has been given to the 
desirability of standardizing professional fees, to the adoption of 
uniform methods of analysis, and to the formation of an employment 
bureau, which will bring chemists more directly into touch with manu- 
facturers and others offering employment. 
Inquiries were first made from each State Committee as to the 
fees now charged by professional chemists, and: suggestions were called 
for regarding any items which should be increased. When this informa- 
tion was collected, the Council appointed a committee to consider the 
schedules, and to draw-up a standard of minimum fees for the whole 
of Australia. This was carried out, and again submitted to the State 
Committees, after which further alterations were suggested. When 
these have been reconsidered a schedule will ‘be circulated amongst 
the members of the Institute, comprising minimum fees which it is 
recommended should be charged for analytical and consulting work. 
Tt is obvious that in a matter of this kind the Institute can only rely 
on the loyalty of its members in adhering to the recommendations put 
forward, but there is little doubt that the consulting analysts of Aus- 
tralia, as a whole, will adhere closely to this schedule when it is finally 
issued. 
The work of standardizing analytical methods had already been 
commenced by the Victorian Society of Chemical Industry, acting in, 
conjunction with the Institute of Science and Industry. It 
was thought, -however, that this duty should be carried out 
by the Australian Chemical Institute owing to its wider repre- 
sentative character, and the investigations were, therefore, trans- 
ferred to a committee appointed by the » Council, consisting of 
representatives in each State. It is to be expected that a work of 
this magnitude will continue over several years. A number of chemists 
have already worked on the methods for estimating phosphoric acid in 
fertilizers, but no report has yet been submitted. With the machinery 
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