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Hokitika Guardian, 19 April 1933, Page 4

Interesting particulars of the work carried out arc. given in the annual report of the Dominion Laboratory which covers the report for the year 1931. It 'states a total of 5832 chemical analyses and investigations were carried out. Many of these investigations were made on behalf of the Health Department, but largo numbers were also carried out for the Mines, Customs, and Public Works Departments, and the Main Highways Board. The branch laboratory in Christchurch performed 2278 investigation, compared with 2280 in Auckland «nd 1869 in Dunedin. “A special feature of the work done for the Department of Health,” says the report, “was the examination of a large number of waters in the Hawke’s Bay earthquake ■area. This '.w?,v neeessrtry c."i”g to the possibility of contamination of tho t.wn water supplies from broken sewers. ‘Using the all ~

rdv'es made in this laboratory as a guide, the medical officer of health for the district was enabled to take effective action for safeguarding water supplies.” Owing to the renewed interest in gold-mining during the year the number of prospectors’ samples for assay inc”ea,sed considerably. Some attention had also been give’ l to ores of antimony, chromium, and manganese, Examinations of honor and .analyser, in G.-nas of suspected poisonUig

constituted the greater part of the work ior the Policy, Department. There had been two cases involving counterfeit coining and two- investigations had been associated with murder charge. In Christchurch, poisonous substances detected in police investigations had been prussic acid, arsenic, ergot, strychnine, tctrachlorethane, and methylated spirits. Work had also been done for the Public Works Department in testing materia].-, for use at hvdro-electric undertakings and for the Post and Telegraph Department in testing battery acid, used lubricating oils, and fire-extinguishing liquids. Research had been carried out in conjunction with, the Health Department on the incidence of got re in the Thames district; on the blending of ’deeftnn slack, cord with other coals for gas-making; and on the conditions in which bananas from the- Cook Islands -could be .attractively ripened. A special investigation on the purification of kauri gum chips by means of solvents bad given- very promising 'results, and the process was to he tried out on a commercial scale.