WORK AND POSITION OF THE TEMPORARY INSTITUTE. 
IV.—Resrarcne Work. 
Owing to the fact that the temporary Institute has no laboratories 
or research staff or apparatus of its own, it had to arrange as best it 
could for investigations to be carried out at existing laboratories and 
institutions in Australia. The plan of action in each case has been to 
gather and study all available information in the form of existing 
reports, &e., and to take verbal evidence, where possible, from men 
known to be authorities on the special question, and then to appoint 
a small Special Committee of experts either to give further advice and 
information with a view to future research by the permanent Institute, 
or where practicable, to carry out actual experimental work. 
These Special Committees consist in each case of the best experts 
available, both on the scientific and industrial side, whether members 
of the temporary Advisory Council or not. In this way it has been 
possible to obtain the advice and assistance on any particular problem 
of the leading experts throughout the Commonwealth. Particular atten- 
tion has been paid to secure adequate representation on these Commit- 
tees of manufacturers and other persons engaged in industry, and much 
benefit has been derived from this combination of the scientific and 
industrial points of view. The members of these Committees act in a 
purely honorary capacity, and it*is only by reason of their enthusiasm 
and self-sacrifice that the temporary organization has been able to carry 
on its work. It is anticipated that the permanent Institute will have 
greater powers, and will be enabled by Act of Parliament to build and 
equip laboratories and appoint its own scientific staff for the conduct of 
necessary researches, while, of course, it will continue to avail itself 
also of all existing facilities and assistance. 
V.—Worxk AccoMpLisHED AND IN Proaruss. 
A précis of the more important work carried out and in progress is 
given in the following paragraphs :— 
A.—Agricultural and Pastoral Industries. 
1.. General.—The loss caused to the agricultural and pastoral indus- 
tries of Australia, and the secondary industries dependent on them, by 
diseases, pests, and parasites amounts to millions of pounds per annum. 
Nearly all the most serious pests in Australia have been introduced from 
other countries, but now that many of them have spread over the whole 
or a great part of Australia, the work of eradication will be costly 
and take a number of years. Before an efficient campaign against any 
of these pests can be organized, it is necessary that present knowledge | 
should be supplemented by a considerable amount of scientific investiga: 
tion, and by the co-ordination of effort in the various States. For 
example, it is essential that the life-histories of the pests should be more 
fully understood. ‘The temporary Institute has carried out a consider- 
able amount of work in this connexion, but with the resources at its 
disposal it has not been able to do much in the direction of organized 
efforts for eradication. 
2. Cattle Tick Pest—The cattle tick pest, which annually levies 
a huge toll on the cattle industry of Australia, has received special 
attention. Scientific investigations into the life-history of the ‘cattle 
tick in Australia have been undertaken, and the valuable results which 
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