- M 179-
20. A slight diminution in the number of these samples took place during the year. The investigation of the nature of various stones, removed from the human bladder by the Professor of Surgery to the University, has been continued by the complete analysis of a further 22 samples. A paper on this subject was read by a member of the Hong Kong University Surgical Unit at a Medical Congress in Canton and acknowledgment of the services of the Government Laboratory was recorded.
Materials from Government for testing.
21. The number of samples of materials submitted by Government Departments for testing was approximately the same as last year. As stated in the 1934 report, it is to be regretted that some departments do not take advantage of the facilities available in the Laboratory for ensuring that Government receives genuine materials of the highest quality.
22. During the year every large consignment of coal for the Harbour Department and P.W.D. was sampled and tested in order to arrive at the price to be paid to the contractor. Complaints regarding the quality of the smaller consignments occurred during the year. When samples were submitted in each case it was found that coal of a quality vastly inferior to that stipulated in the contract was being supplied.
23. More fumigation work with Hydrocyanic Acid gas has been carried out on books and documents for the Colonial Secretary's Office and other departments. In cases where a suitable room was not available a fumigation box in the Laboratory was found to be efficient.
Semi-official Work.
24. The tanks of 32 ships were tested for inflammable vapour with the Clowes Redwood apparatus. The majority of the other work under this head was for the Naval & Military Authorities.
25. Further examinations were made of the atmosphere in submarine battery rooms during charging. The Naval Authorities' portable McLuckie hydrogen apparatus was tested and recalibrated in the Laboratory on several occasions by means of standard mixtures of hydrogen and air.
Unofficial Work.
26. There has been an increase in the number of samples submitted to the Laboratory under this head. This has been due chiefly to the increased demand for lard samples.
27. During the early part of the year discrepancies between Hong Kong and London assays of tin were reported. In order to eliminate the possibility of analytical errors samples of tin were interchanged with the London assayers and in each case