WORK AND POSITION OF THE TEMPORARY INSTITUTE. 
the representatives of State Governments and other institutions give 
their assent to the scheme when it was formulated at the original Con- 
ference in 1916, but a great part of the work of the temporary body 
has been carried out in co-operation with one or other of the States. 
The State Departments, Universities, Technical Schools, and other State 
or semi-State institutions throughout Australia are actively co-operat- 
ing in the work, and it is, in fact, only by reason of such sympathetic 
co-operation that the Institute has been able to carry on work of a 
permanent nature in the absence of laboratories of its own. The dis- 
cussion at the Premiers’ Conference, in May, 1918, proves, moreover, 
that the States, on the whole, cordially welcome the Commonwealth 
proposals. 
The following statement shows the various investigations in which 
the Institute is co-operating with the several States:— 
1. New South Wales.—Institute co-operating in (a) prickly pear 
scheme; (b) white ant pest; (c) cattle tick dips; (d) worm nodule 
disease; (e) forest products; (f) sorghum for alcohol; (g) tanning 
methods; (h) yeasts and breadmaking; (7) blowfly pest; (j) 
macrozamia. : ; 
2. Victoria—(a) Viticultural problems at Mildura; (b) paper pulp; 
(c) pottery investigations; (d) contagious. abortion in cattle; (e) 
paper-pulp investigations; (f) tuberculosis in stock. 
3. Queensland.—(a) Prickly pear; (b) cotton growing; (c) blow- 
fly pest; (d) castor beans; (e) mangrove bark tanning; (f) mechanical 
cotton picker; (g) cattle tick pest. 
4, Souths Australia—(a) Grass-tree resin; (b) tuberculosis in 
‘stock; (c) paper-pulp investigations. 
5. Western Australia—(a) Clays and pottery; (b) paper pulp; 
(c) forest products; (d) cattle tick pest; (e) Kimberley horse disease. 
6. Tasmania.—(a) Tuberculosis in stock. ; 
VIL.—Dirricunrizs uNpER wuice Temporary Bopy HAs Lapouren. 
It has already been pointed out that the scheme of organization of ~ 
the existing body was intended merely to enable it to carry out pre- 
paratory work, in order to pave the way for the permanent Institute. 
The Institute has no laboratories, and only a very small staff of its 
own. While a very great deal of valuable work ha’ been carried out by 
the office. staff in Melbourne, the organization has had to rely very 
largely for its research work on Special Committees, members of which 
work in an honorary capacity, and in their spare time. It is obvious, of 
course, that difficult industrial research problems cannot be solved as a 
result of desultory work. A proper staff and facilities, continued 
effort, and undivided attention are essential for success. ‘ 4 
Moreover, since the Bill to establish the permanent Institute has 
not been passed, the temporary body has been unable to adopt any 
_continuous programme, and no funds have been available for investiga- 
tions involving any substantial expenditure and continued effort over 
a period of years. In the belief that the permanent Institute would 
have been established some time ago, the temporary body made provi- 
sional arrangements with various State Government Departments to 
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