CO885-(19-20) — Page 330

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

20 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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A

The number of copies subscribed for up to the 26th October, 1910, is 111. half-yearly statement from Messrs. Longmans, Green, and Company, to the 30th June last, shows that they had sold 22 separate copies of Part 1. These bring in a net return of 2s. 8d. each. The total expenditure for 1910 may be estimated at £400, and the receipts are not likely to be less than £85; so that the net outlay of £315 will be well below the limit of £360 fixed by the Committee.

The balance sheet as at the 30th September last is submitted herewith. From this it will be seen that there is still a substantial amount of cash in reserve, for the clear balance on that date, after paying all outstandings, would be well over £2,100. This does not include an amount of between £70 and £80 which will shortly be receivable on account of collecting outfits supplied to various Colonies and Protec- torates. This amount would go in reduction of the scientific equipment account shown in the balance sheet. The debit balance against the publications account shows the excess of expenditure over receipts at the end of the quarter, but does not include an item of £50 for printing Part 2. The other items in the statement do not appear to call for special comment.

In accordance with the instructions of the Committee a cable was sent to Mr. Neave through the Colonial Office early in July, requesting him to proceed to the Luangwa Valley to search for Glossina palpalis. News has now been received from him from Fort Jameson on his return journey. He briefly states that he found Glossina morsitans very abundant, took a few specimens of fusca, but did not sce a single palpalis. In addition he appears to have captured a very large number of biting flies of the family Tabanidæ. He will now be on his way across. German East Africa, making for Mombasa.

Mr. Simpson went from Southern into Northern Nigeria in August. In his recent letters he has complained a good deal of the delays and difficulties in travel- ling owing to the excessively heavy rains. After consultation with the Governor and the Principal Medical Officer in Northern Nigeria, he decided that it would be impossible to work that large territory as thoroughly as he had done Southern Nigeria. In his last letter he stated that he was leaving Zungeru on an extended tour in company with the Principal Medical Officer, and did not expect to get back on to the main lines of communication for two or three months.

At a meeting of the Outfits Sub-Committee, held just previous to the present meeting, it was decided, as a result of representations from the Principal Medical Officer in Uganda and Mr. J. J. Simpson in Northern Nigeria, to decentralise the work of distributing and renewing collecting outfits. In future, therefore, the. purchasing and distribution to officials of these outfits will be undertaken by the Medical Department of each Colony or Protectorate; and the Scientific Secretary will only deal with the outfits required for private persons in Crown Colonies, or for residents in self-governing Colonies.

Annexure 2 to No. 62.

ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH Committee (TroPICAL AFRICA).

Balance Sheet as at 30th September, 1910.

To Crown Agents for the Colonies

""

Scientific Secretary's Cash Account

£ S. d.. 1,300 0 10 10 15 9

£ s. d.

Salaries Account

1,020 1 4

"

General Expenses Account

35

Scientific Equipment Account

""

Camp Equipment Account

22

33

Office Furniture Account

33

Publications Account

Trade Discounts

"

Travelling Expenses Account

45 1 4

260 11 3

100 0 0

94 2

6

16 8 0

123 10 11

8 0

25 0 0

Specialists' Fees

Subscriptions outstanding

By Government Grant Account

+

25

4 0 0

£3,000 0 0

3,000 0 0

£3,000 0 0

Cash in hand:-

Crown Agents Scientific Secretary

Cash receivable:- Treasury Subscriptions

33567

89

::

::

::

£ s. d.

1,300 0 10

10 15 91

1,000 0 0

4 0 0

£ s. d.

1,310 16 7

::

No. 63.

FIJI.

1,004 0 0

£2,314 16 7층

THE ACTING GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(No. 208.)

(Received 1 November, 1910.) [Answered by No. 65.]

MY LORD,

I HAVE the honour to enclose, for your Lordship's information, a copy of a memorandum by Mr. Knowles, the Superintendent of Agriculture, relative to the 'introduction into Fiji of a parasite for the purpose of destroying the

Government House, Suva, 16th September, 1910.

cane borer

2. I have no doubt that Mr. Muir will, in due course, publish a detailed account of the experiments made by him, with a view to the extermination of cane- boring insects, but, in the meantime, Mr. Knowles's brief account may be of interest to your Lordship.

pest, which attacks the sugar-cane crop grown in this Colony.

Enclosure in No. 63.

I have, &c.,

CHARLES MAJOR.

BRIEF ACCOUNT of the Connection of Fiji with Scheme of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association for Introducing a Parasite for the Sugar-cane Borer (Sphenophorus obscurus) into the Hawaiian Islands.

After success in introducing from other countries parasites for sugar-cane pests (and notably sugar-cane leaf hopper) the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association sent a very experienced entomologist, Mr. F. Muir, to find a country in which cane- borer was present, but the damage done small, owing to the pest being kept in check by some parasite.

Among the more important places visited are Southern China, Java, and New Guinea. In the latter, Mr. Muir found a parasite (a fly) which seemed to answer his requirements, and he collected quantities for transport to Honolulu.

The steamer line runs to Brisbane, so Mr. Muir had to make arrangements to take his flies there for transhipment to the Canadian mail steamers calling at Honolulu.

Arrangements had previously been made for a supply of cane. and beetle larvæ to be ready at Suva on the arrival of the steamer. An attack of fever unfortunately prevented Mr. Muir's accompanying the consignment, and it was sent right through to Honolulu, where, however, all the parasites were found to be dead.

Later on Mr. Muir paid a second visit to New Guinea, and another entomologist was placed at Brisbane with the necessary appliances to breed the flies in confine- ment. From Brisbane a shipment was brought personally by Mr. Muir to Fiji, where again arrangements had been made to enable him to bring the flies ashore and breed them out in confinement at Nausori, the sugar centre nearest Suva. The shipment arrived in good order, and a supply taken by Mr. Muir to Honolulu

22756

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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Reference :-

C.O.

885

20 PUBLIC RECORD_OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

81

one month later has arrived there alive, and propagation for distribution has commenced.

The second consignment followed one month later, and a supply of the parasites has been left at Nausori under the charge of one of the officers of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company at Nausori.

It may be remarked that some of the parasites have been liberated in Queens- land and Fiji, in both of which countries the sugar-cane borer is prevalent, and the benefits to be derived from the effects of the parasite when it becomes properly established in the sugar-growing centres are estimated to be very large.

September 10, 1910.

22438

No. 64.

HONG KONG.

C. H. KNOWLES, Superintendent of Agriculture,

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE ACTING GOVERNOR.

(No. 312.) SIR,

[Answered by No. 71.]

j

Downing Street, 4 November, 1910. WITH reference to my despatch, No. 220, of the 5th of August last.* I have the honour to inform you that the Entomological Research Committee for Tropical Africa have considered the suggestion of the Government Bacteriologists that their work should embrace the specific determination of Hong Kong flies, ticks, fleas, &c., but that it is with much regret that they have come to the conclusion that, with the inadequate staff at their disposal, they are precluded from undertaking this addition The Committee have expressed their to their work of investigation for the present. entire sympathy with Mr. Macfarlane's object, and their desire to render any assist- and it may be ance to the Colony which the means at their disposal will allow; possible at some future date to include Hong Kong in the area of their research.

2. I would observe that the funds of the Committee are subscribed by the Governments of the Tropical African Colonies, Southern Nigeria contributing £500 per annum, the Gold Coast £350, Sierra Leone £100, and Gambia £50 per annuin; and I should be glad to know whether it would be possible for the Hong Kong Government to contribute (say) £100 per annum with a view to enabling the Com mittee to take up the additional work.

33567

SIR,

No. 65.

FIJI.

I have, &c.,

CREWE.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE ACTING GOVERNOR. (No. 220.)

Downing Street, 15 November, 1910.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 208, of the 16th September,† enclosing a copy of a memorandum by Mr. Knowles, the Superintendent of Agriculture, relative to the introduction into Fiji of a parasite

pest. for the purpose of destroying the " cane-borer

"

I shall be glad to receive reports in due course as to the results of the experiment.

• 22438: not printed.

I have, &c.,

L. HARCOURT.

† No. 63.

36988

85

No. 66.

MINUTES OF THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE FINANCE SUB- COMMITTEE OF THE TROPICAL AFRICAN ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH COMMITTEE HELD AT THE COLONIAL OFFICE ON WEDNESDAY, 23RD OF NOVEMBER, 1910, AT 4 P.M.

Present:

Dr. HARMER (Chairman). Mr. MARSHALL.

Lieutenant-Colonel PRAIN.

Mr. READ.

Mr. PARKINSON (Secretary),

Dr. Rose Bradford, Sir David Bruce, and Sir Patrick Manson were also present during the latter part of the meeting.

2. Mr. Marshall stated that he had made enquiries as to candidates for the appointment of Assistant to the Scientific Secretary, and that Mr. H. Campion appeared to be the only suitable candidate. It was resolved that Mr. Marshall should engage Mr. Campion for a period of twelve months, at a salary of £120 per annum, to be paid monthly by the Crown Agents for the Colonies.

3. The Sub-Committee considered a proposal put forward by the Zoological Society for the systematic investigation of the Arthropod parasites on the animals received in the Society's garden.

Mr. Read pointed out that, in his opinion, the main question was whether or not this investigation would be of value to the tropical African Colonies and Pro- tectorates. Dr. Harmer was of opinion that such an investigation would doubtless be of value in itself, but he was not prepared to say that it would directly benefit tropical Africa. There were, moreover, two other considerations to be taken into account first, the Society wished the Committee to provide part of the wages of a youth (about £32) who would be engaged in collecting the parasites; second, the parasites would be sent to Mr. Marshall, whose time would thus be taken in

up determining them, or making arrangements for their determination, when he might be doing other work of greater importance. Mr. Read stated that in any case he would rather not move in the matter until Mr. Stockman had had an opportunity of giving his views on the proposal. The other members present, including Dr. Rose Bradford, Sir D. Bruce, and Sir P. Manson, inclined to the opinion that in all the circumstances the proposed investigation was of doubtful value from the point of view of the Committee, and it was decided that the matter should be deferred for the present and brought up again at a later date, if necessary.

4. Mr. Marshall raised the question of payment to Mr. W. L. Distant for the determination of Rhynchota. Mr. Distant, who was the only available entomologist in this country for this particular work, had asked for a payment at the rate of 3d. for each individual specimen identified. Payment on this scale was, as Mr. Marshall pointed out, quite beyond the means of the Committee; and it was decided that certain of the Continental entomologists should be approached as to terms for the determination of Rhynchota. In this connection, Mr. Marshall further observed that it might be necessary some time to revise the earlier decision of the Finance Sub-Committee that nothing in the nature of a retaining fee should he paid to entomologists for work done for the Committee.

5. Mr. Marshall observed that the expenditure on Part IV. of the Bulletin would in all probability bring the total expenditure on the first volume above the limit of £360, which had been approved by the Committee, chiefly owing to the fact that certain illustrations in Part IV. would prove rather costly. In the circum- stances the Sub-Committee approved of the limit of £360 being somewhat exceeded if it should prove impossible to keep within that figure.

6. Mr. Read suggested that it might be worth considering whether the Bulletin of the Entomological Committee should not be printed by the Stationery Office, like that of the Sleeping Sickness Bureau. Mr. Marshall agreed to consult Dr. Bagshawe on the subject.