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TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT COUNCIL FOR SCIENTIFICAND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30~~JUNE, 1947. Presented pursuawt /o Statute; ordered to be printed, 21st November, 1947. COP^ of Paper.-Pr+l~nrntlcr~~.not glven ; 822 copies ; approximate cast of printing and pubUshing,£158.] I'r~uted n~idpublished for the GOVERNMENTof the C~~~~ONWEALTHor AUW~RALIA by L. F. JOHNSTON, Commonwwlth Government f'rir~ter Car~berrt~. (Printed in Australia.) No. 43 [GROUP F'.]--F.~~~~.-PRICE6s. CONTENTS. I. INTRO~UCTORY- 1. General . 2. Council and Executive Committee . 3. Wool and Textile Research . 4. Division of Soils--Appointment of Chief . 5. New Investigations . 6. Coal Dust-Visit of the Late Professor T. David Jones 7. Au~tralianNational Antarctic Research Expedition 8. National Association of Testing Authorities . 9. Overseas Training . 10. Collaboration with Universities . 11. Finance . 11. PLANTINVESTIQATIONS- 1. General . 2. Pasture Investigations . 3. Weeds Investigations . 4. Plant Introduction . .. &Wheat .. 6. Bruit Investigations . 7. Drug Plant Investigations . 8. Tobacco Investigations . 9. Vegetable Investigations . 10. Tomato Spotted Wilt . 11. Northern Australia Regional Survey . 12. Other Investigations . 13. Publications . 111. ENTOMOLOQICALINVESTIOATIONS- 1. General . 2. Cattle ~ick' . 3. Buffalo Fly . 4. Sheep Blowfly . 5. Dawson River Sandfly . 6. Insect Physiology and Toxicology . 7. Biological ('ontrol . 8. Population Dynamics . 9. Australian Plague Locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) 10. Pasture Cockchafers . 11. Red-legged Earth Mite (Haloi?ydeus destructor) . 12. Insect Vectors of Plant Viruses . 13. Orchard Pests . 14. Field Crop and Vegetable Pests . 15. Termites . 16. 3liscellaneous Pests . 17. Systematic and General . 18. Publications . IV. ANIMALHEALTH AND PRODUCTIONINVESTIQATIONS- 1. General . , . 2. Animal Health Research Laboratory, Melbourne 3. McNaster Animal Health Laboratory . 4. The F. D. DIc&IasterField Station . 5. National Field Station -" Gilruth Plains ", Queensland 6. Other Activities . 7. Pnblications . , . 1. General . 2. Nutrition and Wool Production . 3. The SuuaIv of Raw Materials for Wool Production 4. ~etab&{cktudies . 5. Vitamin A Requirements of the Sheep . 6. Physiological and Tissue Metabolism Studies . 7. Chronic Fluorosis . , 8. Minor Elernents . 9. Agrostology and Plant Nutrition . 10. Accessory Food Factors and Food Composition 11. Publications . VI. SOILS INVESTIGATIONS- 1. General . 2. Soil Survey Section . 3. Soil Chemistry Section . 4. Soil Physics and Mechanics . 5. Soil Bacteriology . 6. Publications . A . Commonwealth Research Station (Murray Irrigation Areas). Merbein. Victoria- 1. Genera1 . 1 2 . Irrigation and Reclamation 3 . Land Use . 4 . Horticulture . 5 . Vegetables . 6 . Fruit Processing . 7 . Biology . 8 . Finance . B . Irrigation Research Station (Murrunlbidgee Irrigation Areas). Griffith. New South Wales-- 1 . General . I 2 . Field Experiments with Fruit Trees 3 . Irrigation Investigations . 4 . Rice Field Investigations . 5 . Drainage Investigations . 6 . Soil Reconditioning Investigations 7. Salt Investigations . 8 . Vegetable Investigations . 9 . Plant Physiology . 10. Frost Investigations . I1 . Soils and Irrigation Extei~sionService . 45 I 5 . Timber Mechanics . 50 6 . Timber Seasoning . 52 7 Timber Preservation .... .... 53 8 . Veneer and Ululng . 55 9 . Utilization . 56 10. Pnblicntions . 57 IX. FOODPRESERVATION INVESTIGATIO~ S- 1 . General . .. 57 2 Physical Investigations . I . 57 3 . General Chemistry . 58 4 . ...Microbiology . 59 5 . Meat lnvestigations (Brisbane) . 59 6 . Preservation of Fish by Refrigrration . 61 7. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Storage Investigations (with New South Wales Dejartm't~t of Agriculture) . 61 8. Cannioe and Fruit Products 1nvestig:~tions . 62 .-9 . Dehydrated- .. Foods . .. 63 I . Introduction . 64 2 . Developmental Work. South-East Australia . 65 3 . Biological Inve~tigations . 65 4 . Publications . .. 73 XI. METROLOGY- 1. General . 73 2 . Measurement of Length and Associated Quantitia . 3 . Measurement of Mass and Associated Quantities . 4 . Applied Mechanics . 1. General . 75 2 . Direct Current . 75 3 . Alternating Current . '75 4 . Audio Frequency . 75 6. Radio Frequency . 75 6 Properties.- of Materials . .... .. 76 '7 . Applied Klectronics . 77 8 . Mathematical Instruments . .. 77 9 . Publications . .. .. 77 XI11. PHYSICS- 1. General . .. 77 2 . Heat . .. 78 3 . Light . .. .. 80 4 . Solar Physics . .. 81 5 . The Physics of solids' . 81 6 . tl7ool Investigations . .. 82 7. Atomic- Physics . 83 8. Publications . 83 XIV. AERONAUTICALINVESTIGATIONS- 1 . General . .. 83 2 . Structure8 . .. 83 3 . Fngineering Materials . 85 4 . ~eroaynam~cs . 87 5 . Aircraft Propu~lsiion. .. 68 6. Mechanical Engineering . 89 7 . Electronice and Inrtrumentr . .. 90 1. General . 2. Minerals TJtilization Section . 3. Cement and Ceramics Section . 4. Foundry Sands Investigations . 5. Physical Chemistry Section . 6. Chemical Physics Section . 7. Organic Section . 8. Biochemistry Section . 9. Chemical Engineering Section . 10. Publications . XVT. RADIOPHYSICS- I. Introduction . 2. Extraterrestrial Noise . 3. Superrefraction . 4. Ionospheric Investigations . 5. Middle Atmosphere Investigations . 6. Radio Meteorology . 7. Mathematical Physics . 8. Vacuum Physics . 9. RIeasurements and Standards . .. 10. Civil Aviation . 11. Radar Aids to Ground and Aerial Survey . 12. Radio Control of Model Aircraft . 13. Work for the Serviccs . 14. Publications . XVII. TRIBOPHYSICS- 1. Introduction . 2. Lubricxtion . 3. Metal Physics . 4. Explosives . 5. General . 6. Publications . XVIII. B~ILDIN~MATERIALS RESEARCH- 1. General . 2. Infnrmation . 3. Physical and Mechanical Testing Laboratory 4. Concrete Investigations . 5. Masonry Investigations .. 6. Surfacing Matcrials . 7. Building Boards and Insulating Materials 8. Organic Materials Investigations . 9. Publications . XIX. FLAXRESEARCH- 1. Geneml . 2. Agricultural . .. 3. Processing . 4. Evaluation . .. 5. Pul~lirations . XX. OTITERINVESTIGATIONS- 1. Dairy Research . 2. Radio Research Board . 3. Mineragraphic Investigations . 4. Ore-Dressing Investigations . 5. Mathematical Statistics . 6. Physical Metallurgy. 7. Rnbher (Guayule) Investigationa . 8. Oenological Research . XXI. INFORMATTON SERTIICEAND LIBRARY- A. Information Service- I. General . 2. Tnformation Section . 3. Tran~lat~ionSection . 4. Cine-Photographic Section . 5. Pub1ic;ttions . .. B. Library . XXII. FINANCIALMATTERS, STAFF, AND PUBLICATIONS- 1. Finance .. 2. Contributions and Donations . 3. Wool Research Trust Account . 4. Staff . .. 5. Publications of the Council . XXIII. AOKNOWLED~MENTS .. .. .. .. .. APPENDIX- A. Personnel of the Counoil and of ite Varioue Committees .. B. Committeee Conwrning Work ia whiob the Counoil is Co.oper~~< COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. 1 I Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT (FOR YEAR ENDED 3&~JUNE, 1947). I. INTRODUCTORY. 5. New In?ia$tigations.-During the year, a com- 1. General.-The Couilcil for Scientific and Indua- menceu~enthas been made with several investigations trial liesearch was established in 1926 by the re-orga- in fields of work not covered by the existing Divisions nization of the existing Institute of Science and Indus- and sections. try. The powers and functions of the Council are (i) ~TleleorologicalPhys~cs.--One such activity is in defined by the Science adIndustry lleseurch Act the field of meteorological physics. illthough for many 1920-1'315, and include the initiation and carrying out years systematic meteorologists have studied the day- of research in connexion with, or for the promotion of, to-day changes in Australian weather, studies of the primary and secondary industries ; the training of funclaiiiental phenomena underlying these rhanges have research workers; the malriilg of grants in aid .of pure rarelg been undertaken. Nevertheless, it has been felt research; the testing and standardization of scientific that the importance of weather to Australia un- apparatus and instruments, and the carrying out of doubtedly justifies a much more intensive study of the . scitntific investigations connected with standardiza- physics of the atmosphere, as only a knowledge of the tion; and the establishment of an information service baaic physical phenomena can ultimately lead to the relating to scientific and technical matters. possibility of making successful long-range weather 2. Council and Executive Com&ttee.-There have forecasts. Pollo~ving discussions with officers of the teen further changes in the membership of the Council Conlmonwealth Meteorological Bureau, the Council has during the past year. Xr. D. A. Mountjoy was now appointed an officer to take charge of the Meteoro- ' appointed as a member of the Executive Committee logical Physics Section. He will be advised by tho for a period of three years as from 20th November, 3Ieteorological liesearch Consultative Comniittee on 1946. Mr. A. J. Gibson rvas appointed as Chairman of which tht Meteorological Bureau, the School of the New South Wales State Committee, thus becoming Meteorology in the University of Melbourne, and the a member of tlie fllll Council, for a period expiring on Con~n~ol~wealthObservatory, Mt. Stromlo, arc repre- 31st December, 1948 ; he fills the vacancy arising out of sented. A programme of research has b~endrawn up th~transfer of the former Chairman (Dr. I. Clunies and staE is at present being recruited. It is proposed Ross) to a position on the Executir~eCommittee in that in