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The
6. The date for the next Entomological Conference was discussed. Director said that, in writing to the Dominion and Colonial Entomologists, whose replies had been circulated with the Agenda, he had not given any arguments for or against holding the Conference in 1924 instead of 1925. It would be observed that both the Canadian and the South African Entomologists were in favour of retaining the original date, i.e., 1925, although a certain number of the Entomologists appeared to be in favour of 1924. Lord Buxton said that the Committee of the Bureau of Mycology had just decided to hold their Conference in 1924, the year in which the British Empire Exhibition would be held.
Major Austen referred to the origin of the proposal to alter the date from 1925 to 1924. He understood that the proposal had come from Dr. Tillyard in New Zealand, the idea being that it would be useful to hold the Conference at the same time as the British Empire Exhibition, at which it was expected there would be a special section illustrative of Tropical Medicine and Diseases of Plants and Animals. But since Dr. Tillyard made the proposal it had become doubtful whether such a section at the Exhibition could be organized. The matter, however, was not yet finally decided.
Sir Stewart Stockman saw no good reason for altering the date to 1924, and Mr. Fryer thought there would be definite advantages in holding the Conference in 1925 rather than in 1924. Dr. MacDougall and Dr. Scott both expressed themselves in favour of adhering to the year 1925. Sir Daniel Morris observed that, if there were in the Dominions and Colonies concerned separate officers acting as Entomologists and Mycologists, there would be far more prospect of getting a large attendance at the Entomological Conference if it were held in 1925, rather than in the same year as the Mycological Conference; as it was unlikely that the Govern- ments would be willing to send their Entomologist and Mycologist at the same time to this country.
Dr. Marshall mentioned the question of finance as bearing on the date of the Conference, his view being that it was not desirable to anticipate by a year the discussion which must arise at the Conference as to future contributions.
It was agreed unanimously that the date originally fixed should be adhered to, and that the Secretary of State for the Colonies should be requested to send in due course the necessary invitations to the Governments concerned for a Conference to be held in London in June, 1925.
7. The Director explained the steps so far taken for investigating beneficial parasites on behalf of the Government of New Zealand, drawing attention to the report* by Dr. A. D. Imms which had been circulated with the Agenda. In effect, the Bureau paid the salary of an Investigator, while everything else necessary for the work was supplied free by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rothamsted Experimental Station. He estimated that if the arrangement were continued for another year, £350 would suffice for salary, including travelling expenses, for the Investigator.
Mr. Warburton thought it most important to continue this work, and it was agreed that the Bureau should expend a sum not exceeding £350 for another year for this purpose.
8. The Director stated that it was at Sir Sidney Harmer's request that item 5 had been placed on the Agenda, namely, the advisability of making some monetary grant towards the upkeep of the Zoological Record. Zoological Society estimated that at present they were losing £1,100 a year on the He stated that the Zoological Record; that, in the view of the Society, those interested in the Record, such as the Bureau, should make a contribution towards the cost of publication; and that unless the loss could be reduced to £500 a year, the Society held that they would be compelled to cease publishing it.
The Director pointed out that the Bureau was already, in fact, contributing by the work it did in preparation of the Record, in return for the nominal sum of £100 per annum received from the Society; and that if any further action were to be taken in the matter by the Bureau, he would prefer that the Bureau should endeavour to arrange to take over in its entirety the Insecta portion of the Record, which he thought could be prepared and brought out by the Bureau without financial loss.
It was decided to place the matter on the Agenda of the next General Meeting in order that Sir Sidney Harmer might be present at the discussion.
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9. The Director submitted for the approval of the Committee applications from two members of the Bureau for temporary advances under No. 7 of the Rules of the Provident Fund. The special circumstances relating to each case were explained and the Committee authorized advances as follows:-
(1) Mr. B. Uvarov-£30.
(2) Miss Constable-£50,
The Director was requested to write officially to the Colonial Office asking that arrangements might be made with the Crown Agents for the Colonies to make these advances and to recover them by twelve monthly instalments beginning in August, 1923, in the case of Mr. Uvarov and in April, 1924 in the case of Miss Constable.
10. On the recommendation of the Director, the Committee agreed to the grant of £100 to Mr. Brunetti for identification work for a further year.
11. The Committee received a copy of a despatch* to the Governor of the Gold Coast (No. 38 of 12th January, 1923) in reference to Tsetse Fly investigations. In this connexion, Dr. MacDougall suggested that the Director might like to get into communication with an officer who had recently joined the Agricultural Department of the Gold Coast, who would, he thought, be glad to collect information and material for the Bureau.
12. The Committee received copies of despatchest to West and East African Dependencies covering a memorandum relative to investigations into the bionomics of Tsetse Flies during 1921 and 1922.
Professor Newstead expressed the thanks of the Committee for the useful memorandum, summarizing the work done in 1921 and 1922, which the Director had prepared for this purpose.
13. The Committee received a copy of a letter from the Colonial Office to the British South Africa Company, covering a memorandum, which had been approved by the Glossina Sub-Committee, relative to a game destruction experiment in Southern Rhodesia.
14. The Committee received a copy of a programme for Tsetse Fly work in the Tanganyika Territory.§ drawn up by Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton.
It was explained that the programme was provisional only and had been submitted to the Government of the Territory for consideration.
22332
Annexure to No. 55.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE IMPERIAL BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY FOR THE HALF-YEAR ENDED 31st March, 1923.
DURING the past few months proposals have been put forward with reference to this Bureau, which, if adopted, would materially alter the method of administra- tion now in force. The Secretary of State for the Colonies recently appointed a Committee to consider the future of the Imperial Institute, and one of the members of that Committee has very strongly urged the desirability of amalgamating the Imperial Bureaux of Entomology and Mycology with the Institute, the principal object being to effect a pooling of the funds. As it was clear that from various points of view such a scheme would certainly be detrimental to the work of both Bureaux, Lord Buxton kindly agreed to send in to the Institute Committee a com- prehensive memorandum, setting forth the many objectionable features that are inherent in the proposal; he also gave evidence, in company with the two Directors, before the Committee in further support of his memorandum. against the scheme appear to be very cogent. but the Committee is still continuing The arguments its inquiry. and has not yet expressed any opinion in regard to it.
Sundry: Publications.-The book on tsetse-flies prepared by Major E. E. Austen and Mr. E. Hegh was published in September last, and there has been a very satisfactory demand for it, 297 copies of a net value of £95 17s. 9d. having been sold. Free copies have also been sent to all the Colonial Governments in Tropical Africa, and in a few cases to Government Departments in otlier parts of the Empire
* No. 47.
| No. 52. I No. 49. § No. 48.
* No. 50.
885/26
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